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When it comes to livestock in Hawaii, cattle is king. But there’s another animal with plenty of promise, especially for small farmers.

When things were not looking great for students at Ka‘u High & Pahala Elementary School, the teachers took their lessons to the region’s roots — agriculture.

A strategy is developing to use centralized kitchens to replace processed food imports currently served in student meals with fresh, local ingredients.

It’s not easy to make a living in agriculture. But some intrepid residents are trying to answer the state’s call to wean the islands off imported food.

Attorney General Holly Shikada has joined a bipartisan coalition of 16 attorneys in supporting greater diversity in the livestock harvesting and processing industry.

A billionaire’s investment in the state’s biggest slaughterhouses and a shift to more grass-fed operations could help ranchers keep their cattle in the islands after years of sending them to the mainland.

A new legislative report offers sparse detail on the planned overhaul of student meals served in Hawaii’s public schools.

Romantic ideas about locally grown food and a lack of statewide planning could be getting in the way of making real progress addressing food insecurity, climate change and the economy.

As the focus on local food production continues, lawmakers and lobbyists want to make farming and ranching easier in Hawaii.

If Hawaii wants more affordable local food it needs to make a more serious investment in farmers today.