Hawaii Lowline Cattle Co. becomes Certified Humane

The Big Island’s Hawaii Lowline Cattle Co. is the newest farm to become Certified Humane Raised and Handled by the Humane Farm Animal Care, an international nonprofit certification organization formed to improve the lives of millions of farm animals in food production.

Located on 400 acres in Honokaa, Hawaii Lowline Cattle Co. was started in 2005 by Rick and Haleakala Sakata and Dwayne and Tammie Cypriano.

The two families run every aspect of the farm, from farm animal care to administrative and marketing duties. The families wanted to advance Hawaii’s food self-sufficiency by building a herd of Lowline Angus cattle on their ranch.

Originating in Australia, Lowlines are Angus beef cattle that are only about half the typical “Angus” size. The Honokaa farm raises the only registered Lowlines in the state.

“Two Lowlines can use the pasture space of one of today’s larger breeds, providing more beef per acre of grass and making the land more productive,” said Rick Sakata. “That’s very important on an island with limited pasture space. The bulls and cows are out on the farm’s grass pastures all year-round, eating a natural diet of grass and forage.

“Becoming Certified Humane was a natural next step to our grassfed approach.”

Hawaii Lowline Cattle Co. passed all of the Certified Humane qualifications and can use the Certified Humane label on its products. The Certified Humane label assures consumers that farm animals are raised where they can express their natural behaviors and move around freely, and without the use of antibiotics, growth hormones or animal by-products.