{"id":224149,"date":"2025-10-22T14:33:54","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T00:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=224149"},"modified":"2025-10-22T14:33:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T00:33:54","slug":"hawaii-cattle-raising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/10\/22\/hawaii-cattle-raising\/","title":{"rendered":"Students get hands-on training for future of Hawai\u02bbi cattle raising"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Cattle ranchers spent time with the students, giving them life lessons to complement their classroom learning.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To support the state\u2019s livestock industry, the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a> (CTAHR<\/abbr>) is immersing students in local cattle ranching through a hands-on training program.<\/p>\n

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Students got real world training in running a cattle ranch through CTAHR<\/abbr>\u2019s program.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The training includes workshops on Oʻahu<\/span> and intensive field work at CTAHR<\/abbr>\u2019s Mealani Research Station on Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island and nearby ranches. Students gain practical skills in on-farm food processing, calving management, grazing management and animal evaluation.<\/p>\n

“This trip was one of the highlights of my bachelor\u2019s degree and gave me lasting memories that made me reflect on how far I\u2019ve come,” said UH<\/abbr> student Julianne Johnson. “The most impactful part of the trip was experiencing livestock behavior in a natural setting and learning how to handle animals. This gave me a deeper understanding of how livestock operations are run.”<\/p>\n

Passing down ranching knowledge<\/h2>\n

This training initiative, funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, is part of CTAHR<\/abbr>\u2019s strategy to develop the next generation of agriculture leaders. It gives undergraduate and graduate animal and food science students a complete experience on the ranch, from caring for a pregnant cow to raising a calf to getting cattle ready for market.<\/p>\n

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Students worked at CTAHR<\/abbr>\u2019s Melelani Research Station on the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island and at facilities on Oʻahu<\/span>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Seasoned ranchers don\u2019t always have someone to pass down knowledge about how to manage a ranch and what problems to expect. We are trying to address that need with this program,” said Extension Agent Melelani Oshiro, who organized the program along with CTAHR<\/abbr> Assistant Professor Caleb Reichhardt.<\/p>\n

Extreme weather conditions<\/h2>\n

Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island\u2019s extended drought created another learning opportunity. “Students saw lush pastures in the spring become dried up and gone in the fall,” said Oshiro. Seeing how the extreme dry conditions affect the research herd and pastures helps students understand the real-world conditions of agriculture.<\/p>\n

“It creates an opportunity for them to start critically thinking about how that’s impacting the animal on the physiological side and the nutrition side,” said Reichhardt.<\/p>\n

The program is equipping the future leaders of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>‘s livestock industry with the knowledge and resilience needed to address environmental and economic challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The program gives students a complete experience on the ranch, from caring for a pregnant cow to raising a calf to getting cattle ready for market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":224106,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[222,212,1466,1314,73,9],"class_list":["post-224149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-agriculture","tag-college-of-tropical-agriculture-and-human-resilience","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-manoa-sustainability","tag-sustainability","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t