Upcountry
If a person could take only one regional ag-tour on Maui, the Lower
Kula/Ulupalakua tour would be the one to choose. The fame of the Kula area
in the Twentieth Century was focused on the sweet Maui onion, but vegetables of all kinds and many flowers grow well and abundantly here. It is also an area blessed with beautiful scenery and breathtaking views of the coasts below.
Watch for signs. There are plenty of the Hawaiian Warrior signs that
indicate sites of historic interest and many signs inviting you to visit or shop on ag land. If you want to picnic, there are many places to choose, but the Sun Yat Sen Park, just beyond Kula is often deserted despite incredible views. What¹s more, Grandma¹s Coffee House where you can buy sandwiches, beverages and, of course, locally grown coffee, is very nearby.
Protea, onions, cabbage and other crops abound along the roads and are often offered for sale at roadside stands. Some farms without stands are happy to have visitors, others are not. Show the residents the courtesy of not
entering private land invited in by a person or sign.

Cattle and other livestock may be seen grazing near the road anywhere in the
area, especially after you pass Kula going toward Ulupalakua which is, first
and foremost, a beef ranching operation. Axis deer are also common here, but they are wild animals. If you should see an elk, however, it is part of the
Ulupalakua herd. Having struggled, off and on, for about 175 years with the
problems of getting beef cattle to finishing pens and slaughter houses on
the mainland, Maui cattlemen recently formed their own association which
uses local produce the local market.

At Ulupalakua Ranch, the ranch store will sometimes have elk meat for sale.
Watch for the Made in Maui seal on products here
otherwise corner of the working ranch. A short walk from the ranch store (and deli) you can visit the tasting room of Tedeschi Winery, the only winery on Maui.

Again, if you¹re in a picnic mood, the great lawn at the winery offers a
very peaceful and beautiful site for a meal. Fresh food, including
sandwiches, are at the store, and obviously there are lots of interesting
wines right there in the tasting room.
The old West Maui Agricultural Fair died out many years ago. The Maui County Fair has less and less to do with agriculture. But the slack, so to say, has been taken up by what is usually called The Ulupalakua ³Thing.² Each year, at the end of April, farmers, wild-food harvesters and other producers
gather along with a thousands of fans and friends for The Maui Agricultural
Trade Show and SamplingS the ThingS on the Tedeschi lawn.
Ulupalakua Ranch also hosts Maui ATV Tours year-round and, privately,
supports numerous occasional events for hunting clubs and other groups. Land here is leased to an ever-changing array of small-scale and experimental agricultural projects as well. Lavender and strawberries have been grown here, and many table crops come and go as the ranch constantly reworks its vision of diversified agriculture.