Mr. John Hirota, a farmer and chef from Waialua, arranged a tour for us at Twin Bridge Farm in Waialua. Mr. Milton Agader, co-owner of the farm who is originally from Kaua`i, explained how he grows asparagus on 75 acres to supply most of Hawai`i. Twin Bridge Farm has 18 employees and they grow year-round and harvest 7 days a week! In addition to growing asparagus, they also grow tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet onions. They are experimenting with a one acre organic asparagus test plot. A limiting factor for all farmers is water. Here, they get water from a well and they use drip and sprinkler irrigation. Mr. Agader says a farmer needs to be a "Jack of all trades." As a small business person, he doesn't have the luxury of a large staff or a lot of capital to invest in equipment. But the benefit is that he can make decisions for the benefit of the farm, not someone above him. He also practices being a good steward of the land.
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