Our Cattle

Ulupalakua Ranch is located on the southwestern slopes of the Haleakala volcano on the island of Maui, Hawaii. The ranch runs 2,300 brood cows of Brangus and Angus breeding. Most of the calves are marketed locally on Maui, and the majority of those calves are sold to Maui Cattle Company, LLC. which Ulupalakua Ranch owns and operates in conjunction with six other Hawaii ranches. The calves are born in winter, spring and summer breeding programs to coincide with the different ecosystems on the ranch. All of the calves that are marketed locally are grown out on Maui. The majority of the remaining calves are shipped to the 2,800 acre White Deer Ranch in Crook County, Oregon, owned by Ulupalakua Ranch. Those calves are grown out with other purchased stockers and then custom fed in the Northwest before being sold to a packing operation.

Genetic Breeding

In recent years Sumner Erdman has increased the ranches efforts to improve the genetic base of its cowherd. The ranch is constantly trying to find that perfect cow that produces a good market calf and is well suited to the environmental conditions of the operation. The results of these efforts have increased the ranches carcass weights by almost 50 pounds, thereby increasing revenues. Furthermore the ranch has been able to decrease individual cow expenses by producing cows that are able to maintain ideal condition during dry years. Thus, while the goal of genetic improvement is a never-ending battle, the ranch has seen success in its efforts.

Conservation Efforts

In the late 1960’s, Pard Erdman began the tradition of Ulupalakua Ranch partnering with organizations that also wanted to help and preserve the native flora on the ranches property. This tradition has grown steadily over the decades and today the ranch is actively partnered with eight different organizations (The United States Department of Fish and Wildlife Service {USF&WS}, The United States Department of Geological Services {USGS} Biological Resource Division, The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service {NRCS}, The State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources {DLNR}, Ducks Unlimited {DU}, The Nature Conservancy {NC}, The Native Hawaiian Plant Society{NHPS}, the Leeward Haleakala Watershed Restoration Partnership{LHWRP}) and Auwahi Forest Restoration Project in its efforts to protect and enhance the native habitat on Ulupalakua Ranch.

Erdman has continued his family’s legacy by managing and expanding the Ulupalakua Ranch, which covers over 18,000 acres of land on the southern slopes of Haleakala. 

Community Involvement

Erdman is also known for his philanthropic efforts on Maui and throughout Hawaii. He has been a major supporter of local organizations and initiatives focused on education, the environment, and cultural preservation, and has worked to promote sustainable practices in agriculture and ranching.

Overall, Sumner Erdman is a respected figure on Maui and a prominent member of the island’s business and philanthropic communities.