A New Crop Of Farmers Is Helping Hawaii Grow More Food … It’s not easy to make a living in agriculture. But some intrepid residents are trying to answer the state’s call to wean the islands off imported food.
Nick Vericella grew up wanting to be a rancher like his grandfather.
But his grandfather discouraged him, knowing it was a difficult way to make a living. When his grandfather died in his 80s, the 500-acre Big Island cattle ranch he started up in retirement after a career in law enforcement was unprofitable.
“Do the ranch because you love it,” Vericella’s grandfather had urged. “But don’t rely on that to make your money.”
Vericella followed his grandfather’s advice — to a point. After graduating from Kamehameha Schools he moved to the mainland to earn an engineering degree. But when his grandfather grew ill Vericella returned to the ranch in Kamuela to help care for him, ultimately taking ownership of his grandfather’s sliver of Hawaii cowboy country in 2017 alongside his wife Miki.
Without the nest egg his grandfather had wanted for him, Vericella and his wife turned to homesteading, growing crops and raising animals to eat. They also explored creative solutions to stop the ranch from bleeding money.