Rudy Balala from Maui, Hawaii, became a seasonal worker on a pineapple plantation at age 14. Today, he is the general manager of Maui Gold Pineapple. Rudy explains the process of growing pineapple and discusses the differences and similarities to traditional row crop farming.
When Balala was a teenager, he went to work on the Maui Gold pineapple farm working in the fields. After high school, he went to college and had planned to be a carpenter but found himself back at the farm. He spent time in virtually every role on the farm as he worked his way up to management.
Balala said while the industry has changed over the years, the actual growing and harvesting of the pineapple has remained the same, with most of the work being done by hand. There are fewer growers in Hawaii than there once were, and even Maui Gold has reduced planted acres, largely because it’s difficult to find enough labor. Here are a few of the facts he often shares with visitors to the farm:
- Pineapple takes 18 months to grow before the first harvest.
- The pineapple farming process is highly labor-intensive and done by hand.
- Finding workers for pineapple farming in Hawaii is increasingly difficult.
- The pineapple industry in Hawaii has significantly declined in size and employment.
- The Maui Gold pineapple farm operates on 300 acres with 23 employees.
- The farm is located on the side of a volcano, where the soil and climate are just right for pineapple.
- Farm tours help educate visitors and promote the business.
- Hawaii is known for producing some of the best pineapples in the world.
When time allows, Balala enjoys showing groups of tourists around the farm. He said he’s happy to clear up misconceptions about pineapple farming. The highlight of the tour is when fresh pineapple is served to the visitors and they’re each given a fruit to take home. Later, when they’re missing Hawaii, they can order Maui Gold pineapples from the farm’s online store.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
We don’t often discuss pineapples in this newsletter, in fact – never. So, for a change of pace from the major crops and livestock sectors we thought it might be a good diversion. If you have been to Hawaii, you may have visited a pineapple farm as I did during one of my trips to Maui. It’s fascinating that it takes eighteen months to produce a single crop. That ties up land for a long time. And with land prices being so high there, it doesn’t seem feasible. That said, they do produce them and they are fresh and delicious. If you want to order some direct, visit the Maui Gold website.
Speaking of websites, please be sure to put your truck and SUV inventory on AgTruckTrader.com®. It’s the one site dedicated to reaching farm/ranch customers – even if you were in Hawaii….
