As a boy, Max Bowman didn’t have a burning desire to become a farmer.
After graduating from Honokaa High School in 2004, Bowman attended the University of Redlands in California, where he earned an English degree. He discovered a passion for agriculture during his senior year there, after taking some classes and reading some books on the subject.
Having always loved the outdoors and growing things, Bowman said there wasn’t one particular thing that caused him to pursue farming. However, the idea of gaining self-sufficiency was “very attractive.”
After graduating from Redlands in 2008, Bowman got a job at Dean Okimoto’s Nalo Farms, one of Hawaii’s premier growers of greens, herbs and microgreens. Located in Waimanalo, Oahu, this farm was founded in 1953 by Okimoto’s father, Charles, who was a World War II combat veteran. It supplies approximately 130 restaurants with more than 3,000 pounds of greens weekly, according to the company’s website.
Bowman worked there for a year, an experience that opened his eyes to the commercial side of farming and provided hands-on exposure to the profession. He’s grateful for Okimoto taking him on and “graciously” sharing his knowledge. He said that stint, along with a Department of Agriculture loan, helped him lease land from the Hamakua Agricultural Co-op.
The co-op holds master leases for approximately 1,000 acres located between Paauilo and Honokaia owned by the state. Bowman started Anoano Farms about three years ago. It’s a 5-acre certified organic farm with a picturesque view of the ocean. Depending on the season and rhythms of nature, there are bounteous rows of tomatoes, kale, broccoli, eggplant, sweet potatoes, cabbage, Swiss chard, collard greens and lettuce. He has also planted breadfruit trees.
By planting cover crops in between rotations, Bowman is boosting soil health, preventing erosion and suppressing weeds. Cover crops also help offset the cost of fertilizer, he added.
His products are sold to Adaptations Inc., Island Naturals and Abundant Life health food stores, and at farmers markets. He said there’s a wave of interest in local food and a new generation of young farmers trying to grow it. He has found that if you can grow something well, you can sell it. “There’s no substitute for local,” he added.
For Bowman, it’s also “humbling” to have tremendous community and family support, without which, he said, his farm could not exist.
According to this year’s census of American Agriculture, there has been a slight rise in the number of farmers nationally in the 25- to 34-age group.
Bowman thinks it’s more than a movement or a fashionable trend that farming is the new occupation of choice. With its abundant natural resources, available farmland, water supply, and its agricultural heritage, he believes the island can be a leader in agricultural development. Bowman hopes to set a good example for those aspiring to take the initiative and become farmers, which is “a good idea because we need them.” He also wants to show it is possible to maintain a strong agricultural economy and lifestyle.
Besides running Anoano Farms, Bowman is vice president of the co-op’s board. He also won second place in the Mahiai Match-Up Agricultural Business Plan Contest with partner Brandon Lee. They won $15,000 from Ke Alii Pauahi Foundation and an agricultural lease from Kamehameha Schools with up to five years of waived rent to start and organize Berkshire piggery in Pahoehoe.
Under the warm morning sun Wednesday, pairs of people hunched over rows at Anoano Farms, planting broccoli and lettuce or weeding. Their conversations centered on farming, techniques, challenges, and how to break ground on an ag career. These were not typical farmhands; they were participants, mentors and supporters of a weeklong high school agricultural internship program.
This program is sponsored by The Kohala Center and Kamehameha Schools’ Aina Ulu Program. Since Monday, five interns have been gaining experience in sustainable agriculture while learning about the island’s food systems. They visit and work on various farms along the Hamakua Coast, as well as check out processing facilities and wholesalers. The goal is to get the teens energized about creating a sustainable local food economy and see the opportunities in farming, said Derrick Kiyabu, the program’s coordinator.
This was the second time the internship has been held. Seven interns participated in a fall break program. Two-week internships will be offered twice this summer. The Kohala Center hopes to have served at least 28 interns by the end of year, Kiyabu said.
Aulii Leialoha called Bowman “an inspiration.” The 16-year-old Kohala High School junior said he is a real-life and relatable example of how agriculture can be a viable career for her peers. While working alongside the teens, Bowman revealed his top three traits aspiring farmers should have: perseverance, a willingness to adapt and passion.
Stephen Pagano, a 15-year-old freshman at Kanu o ka Aina New Century Public Charter School, said his middle school teacher got him interested in agriculture, mostly through his constant “Doomsday-like lectures” that pointed out the island imports approximately 85 percent of its food from at least 2,500 miles away and such dependency on imports means there’s an inventory of fresh produce that would supply consumers for no more than 10 days. He has also enjoyed working in the school’s garden, where he’s become obsessed with kale.
Those experiences fueled his drive to support and increase local food production, which is why he applied for the internship. What he likes most about the program is how it allows youth to make personal connections with local farmers and others in the industry, as well as hear their stories. He said it’s important students understand all the benefits to local farmers and communities. Though Pagano wants to become a video game developer, he plans to have a garden and buy locally as often as possible.
Rocky Carnate, an 18-year-old Kohala High junior, joined the program to learn how to plant vegetables more effectively. He gardens regularly and has a pet goat. He views farming as a way to help his family and thinks it’s a rewarding way to earn a living. For him, this internship showed “the good life.”
For more information about future ag internships, visit kohalacenter.org.