Champion for agriculture honored at Maui AgFest Pancake Breakfast

Maui County Farm Bureau launched this year’s Maui AgFest & 4-H Livestock Fair by naming Dr. Harold Keyser as this year’s Maui Legacy Farmer. The 17th edition of the event took place on May 30 at the War Memorial Special Events Field.

Keyser is a soil microbiologist, retired Maui County administrator and former professor with the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR). His lasting contributions to Maui agriculture were celebrated at the popular Maui Legacy Farmers Pancake Breakfast, held at the start of AgFest.

“I appreciate the diversity of the agriculture industry, and I’m grateful to have played a part in strengthening and perpetuating it during my career,” Keyser said in accepting the award.

“We’ve been celebrating our farmers and ag families at the pancake breakfast since 2016, and it’s become a beloved tradition,” said Warren Watanabe, MCFB executive director. “Maui’s agriculture industry is all about the people working the land as well as those shaping the industry, and it’s important to recognize everyone’s contributions. This year’s honoree is a proponent of agricultural innovation who has dedicated his career to providing our community with science-based perspectives.”

Carrying on the agriculture legacy, Dr. Keyser’s son Jonathan co-founded a wholesale plant nursery called Native Nursery LLC, offering native Hawaiian and Polynesian-introduced plants for landscape and restoration.

“My father’s contribution to the farming community has been through the assistance he has offered by researching questions, bringing experts from different fields together to share information and by promoting the continued need for innovations in agriculture,” Jonathan Keyser said. “Harold has the uncommon ability to hear people out and then spend hours looking at many sources of information before forming his opinion and giving his response…I believe that my father’s success in bringing people together is due to this patience. Harold has farmed relationships and helped produce successful farmers. I couldn’t be more proud of him receiving this award.”

The Fairmont Kea Lani (FKL) team served up more than 300 “Pang-cakes” for the breakfast in memory of the late Chef Tylun Pang, who started the tradition of the FKL pancake breakfast buffet at AgFest. Alaka‘i Paleka provided her trademark lively and humorous commentary for the hungry crowd.

About Dr. Harold Keyser

Dr. Harold Keyser has been committed to Maui agriculture for more than two decades. As a soil microbiologist, retired Maui County administrator and former CTAHR soil microbiologist, his work over the years has helped farmers keep agriculture viable on Maui.

During a period of declining financial support in the University of Hawai‘i system, Harold was instrumental in helping secure funding for the cooperative extension and experiment station. MCFB and CTAHR worked closely with the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, and together with Keyser were able to implement a county government funding partnership that was unique to Maui County and enabled the partners to leverage support for local agriculture. MCFB named Harold a Friend of Agriculture in 2015.

Dr. Keyser grew up in Southern California, where his interest in science was sparked in elementary school by demonstrations from visiting scientists from nearby Caltech. Keyser went on to attend UC Davis in the middle of California’s main agricultural valley, and found himself fascinated with classes in plant sciences, soil sciences, entomology, plant pathology, propagation, etc. He also met his wife-to-be Anne while in college. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in plant science, and later returned to UCD to get a master’s in ecology and a Ph.D. in soil science.

Upon completion of grad school, he took a job with the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA, work which eventually led him to a job at the NifTAL Center at Hamakuapoko. Anne became a teacher at Kīhei Elementary School, and the Keysers raised daughter Arica and son Jonathan here.

After the funding for NifTAL ran out, Keyser was hired by CTAHR in 2002 as the Maui County administrator. In that position, he was often called upon to provide science-based insight on contentious issues like water usage, agricultural biotechnology and pesticide use. “Informed public discussion and exchange of ideas on these issues is critical to better decision-making that influences the future of agriculture on Maui,” Keyser says.

Learning from his father, Jonathan Keyser has been involved with agriculture from a young age, growing plants on homemade benches in the backyard. Today Jonathan co-owns Native Nursery with Ethan Romanchak, and their business has become an integral partner in county and statewide efforts in native plant restoration. From their acreage in Kula, Native Nursery has recently begun supplying citrus and avocados for Mahi Pono’s large-scale plantings.

“From my perspective, the successful business that Jonathan and Ethan have built from scratch comes from years of dedication to improving production, providing quality products, innovation and taking appropriately considered risks,” Dr. Keyser says. “I could not be more impressed and prouder of their accomplishments.”

After retirement from UH in 2012, Dr. Keyser worked part-time at Native Nursery, volunteered with MCFB’s Agriculture in the Classroom program, provided training in pesticide safety, and continued to write about and promote genetic technologies.

Eight years ago, Keyser helped establish the Kula School Agricultural Science Program at Kēōkea. As he contemplates “actual” retirement this year, he is gratified to have had a hand in developing this ag education site, which has become a valuable resource for Kula Elementary School. “I hope it will be a shared contribution that provides continued training and inspiration to the next generation working in ag on Maui,” he said. “A better understanding of modern agriculture by the general public and policymakers is critical for support of continuous agricultural innovations.”

AgFest is the signature event of the Maui County Farm Bureau and is presented in partnership with the Maui County Department of Agriculture, along with strong support from community sponsors: Gold Sponsors Bayer and Pukalani Superette; Silver Sponsors Mahi Pono, Maui Hotel & Lodging Association, Ulupono Initiative, Fairmont Kea Lani, Hawaiian TelCom, and Pacific Media Group; Bronze Sponsors Hawaiian Electric, Maui Gold Pineapple, Maui Land & Pineapple, and Young Brothers; and Friends of Agriculture Sponsors Alexander & Baldwin, Haleakalā Ranch, Mākena Golf & Beach Club, and VIP Foodservice.

For more information, visit MauiAgFest.org.