The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR) recently launched its Hawaiʻi 4-H Livestock Show season, which runs now through Aug. 22. The statewide showings spotlight youth ages 5 and up, who are learning the ropes of responsibility and leadership, while showcasing their knowledge in livestock production of steers and heifers, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, poultry, and more.
Oʻahu Livestock Extension Agent Yunuen Bustamante and CTAHR program coordinator Asia Broussard, who have partnered to organize the livestock shows with the help of volunteers, are looking forward to the “culmination of projects,” which this year, started in January for cattle and in March for smaller animals and debuted at the Maui Ag Fest on May 30.
“I’m most excited about getting the community exposed to the hard work that the youth, families and volunteers are doing, and how they’ve been dedicating their time over the last few months into these projects,” Broussard told Aloha State Daily.
Some of the skills the youth learn through this program are record keeping and money management, organization, public speaking and confidence, among others, officials with CTAHR said.
“The younger and older age groups learn from each other,” Bustamante told ASD. “The final goal is for them to sell their animal for food consumption to potential buyers. They create a business plan to sell their animal and get the revenue from that, which teaches them how raising animals can make a living."
Animal welfare is a priority, she noted, adding, “We provide the dimensions for the accommodations that an animal needs depending on size and species.”
Broussard added: “It’s a misconception that they have to come from farming or ranching families. Most of the kids do raise animals in their backyards. So that just speaks to making sure it’s as inclusive as possible and you don’t have to have acres of land to be involved in the 4-H livestock program.”
Feedback from the program is positive, Bustamante said, as past and current participants often “feel welcome and part of one big ʻohana."
Broussard said that many people have some degree of connection to 4-H, “tracing their life skills back to this program, whether they're working in livestock or not.”
“It has impacted many people from a variety of backgrounds,” she said. “The reason why youth can be successful is because of the support from volunteers and club leaders, who help from the kindness of their heart. When you have passionate people who care about animals and agriculture, that is the backbone of this livestock program.”
"There's so many skills you learn beyond animal care, right? I think it's about finding the purpose and value in what you're doing, even if it's a small thing. Being able to apply those skills takes them onto their future careers."
When asked how the community can get involved, Broussard said with a smile, “If the public has not seen a fifth grader handling a 1,300-pound steer, this is the place to do it.”
CTAHR invites the community to invest in local youth by participating in the animal auctions, becoming a volunteer or partner and bringing the entire ʻohana to these events. See the full list of 2026 Hawaiʻi 4-H Livestock Show events and contact information for Broussard, here.
Families can enroll year-round, though, new members must register by Oct. 1, Bustamante said, noting, “We always tell new members as soon as you enroll, you need to start considering what type of animal you want to register and researching where you can get it from. We can assist to make sure they get the animal before the deadline. We need to be prepared for our mandatory judging contests, then the next step is they attend their county show before the state show.”
CTAHR’s 4-H youth development program in Hawaiʻi was founded in 1918 by agriculturist and farming advocate Frederick Krauss, who established the Boys’ Swine Club on Maui.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
