The Board of Agriculture recently held its monthly meeting on Maui, and after the meeting we visited several farms in upcountry Maui. It was really good to see the successful farm operations.

Clark Hashimoto’s Persimmon Farm produces value-added products like jellies and dried persimmons.

Clark’s 90-year-old mom was busy helping to dry persimmons.

Their 90-year-old persimmon tree. (They are the same age!)

I had not realized just how tasty persimmons can be.

Waipoli Hydroponic Greens in Kula was very impressive – it’s very functional, well-organized and efficient.

As a fellow farmer, I could see how well run that farm was. This is owner Geoff Haines.

They started from nothing and grew the business using ingenuity, the Internet, handwork and common sense. I was very impressed.

Chauncey Monden’s Kula Country Farms and its pumpkin patch was full of people, even on a weekday.

Owner Chauncey Monden is 30-something and has a finance degree. So I said, “You know how to keep score!”

It was a fun experience for families with small kids.

They grow Kula strawberries here.

Department of Agriculture Chairman Russell Kokubun.

It was nice to see these successful farming operations.