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Posted: Tuesday, June 26th, 2012 8:18 AM HST

Trials to study Hawaii grass-fed beef production

By Associated Press

WAIMEA, Hawaii (AP) — A cattle ranch is teaming up with an investment organization funded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar to research large-scale grass-fed beef production on the Big Island. Parker Ranch and the Ulupono Initiative announced Monday they entered into an agreement to jointly fund the research. The trials will follow 200 head of cattle on a test area of 300 acres from September 2012 through May 2013. Owned by four non-profits, Parker Ranch is one of the largest and oldest cattle ranches in the country. Ulupono focuses on clean, renewable energy, waste reduction and locally produced food. The ranch believes that with successful trial results, its local grass-fed beef program could reach 2,500 to 4,000 head per year in annual production.