Kapapala Ranch

Kapapala Ranch Cow-calf Ranch in Ka'ū, Hawaii, started in 1860.

10/05/2026

Finally working some wean-offs after weeks of delay with hurricane damage. Lani working the head gate and thinking about the hydraulic chute she has not bought for this corral yet. 😬

Starting September 1, our Public Access Users will completly transtion to our updated system. If you have not updated y...
08/29/2026

Starting September 1, our Public Access Users will completly transtion to our updated system. If you have not updated your account, now is a good time to do it. See information at KapapalaRanch.com. Shoot us an email at [email protected] if you are having trouble or have questions.

08/26/2026

Kinda different to be able to check out our Ranch in the live feed of Kilauea Volcano. We are that small visable strip of grass between the crater and the mountain.

08/25/2026

And they’re off!

The next step in our post-Hurricane Lala recovery: getting these 48 rolls of 2-inch pipe to a staging area. From there, they’ll be flown by helicopter into remote areas along the pipeline route, then laid out and fused together.

Our main water source for this part of the Ranch, Makakupu Tunnel, is currently inoperable, so this new 2.5 miles of pipeline will help us get reliable water back to the cattle in this area as well as headquarters.

The roads have been cleared, and crews are now working on clearing the pipeline route. We’ve been able to procure pipe from our usual local source, although supplies are limited with so many others also needing materials after the hurricane. Parker Ranch and Ponoholo Ranch have generously helped us with our needs as well.

Some of what makes a recovery like this possible, though, started long before the hurricane. Years of planning and investment in high-altitude, gravity-flow reservoirs and water delivery systems are paying off now.

Technology has become a big part of that, too. rain gauges, water monitors and flow meters help us understand what water we have and where we need it. has helped us map pastures, roughly 100 water troughs, pipelines, bleeder valves and other infrastructure. Alex has put a tremendous amount of time into building the baseline data that makes those tools useful.

And then there are the resources on the ground—trucks, bulldozers, excavators and the equipment needed to get 2½ miles of pipe where it needs to go.

Most importantly, there are people. Our crew, our friends and ʻohana, fellow ranchers, suppliers and so many others who have reached out and offered to help.

Cattle ranching is a lot more than having cattle. Sometimes it’s roads, reservoirs, helicopters, technology, heavy equipment—and 2½ miles of pipe.



08/23/2026

We are slowly digging out. We have a road to get out that should last until the next rain. We have flown to survey a lot of the Ranch and important infrastructure. T@here is good news and bad. Each day brings small victories. We got the shop roof off the roof of the Big House and the broken windows boarded up.

Our legacy water source from Makakupu tunnel is out of service for the foreseeable future. Maybe forever. This water supplies our delicious water at headquarters and the surrounding pastures. Fortunately we have spent the last two decades developing water and are collecting pipe to lay next week to get water on this side of the Ranch from Kaniwai reservoir.

In the mean time some very thirsty bees (and cattle) were happy to have water restored to their local water trough.
VC Alex Francis

Aloha Friends and ʻOhana,There are so many in our community, our island, our State that are facing major challenges this...
08/16/2026

Aloha Friends and ʻOhana,

There are so many in our community, our island, our State that are facing major challenges this morning.

Kapāpala Ranch took a major hit from Hurricane Lala on the 15th and overnight. The most important news is that Lani and Bill, Alex, and the other Ranch families are all OK — and so are all the dogs!

Everyone worked through some pretty scary conditions, with roofs and trees flying, and they were able to save a lot of our equipment, trailers, and vehicles.

We did lose the entire roof of the Shop, which is really the hub of the Ranch operation. The roof is now sitting on top of the Big House — which, at about 160 years old, amazingly stayed together. One house lost its roof, and the hangar lost part of its roof. We have almost no ʻdryʻ storage but hopefully can soon get 2 recently purchased 40ʻ containers out from Keaʻau.

And then there’s all the “usual” hurricane stuff — downed trees, broken windows, washed-out gullies and roads, water systems, fences, and plenty more that we don’t even know about yet because we still can’t get in or out of some areas.

The gang at the Ranch is pretty busy right now, but they want everyone to know they are OK. They also feel bad that they can’t take the time to properly respond to all the phone calls, messages, and generous offers of help. Please know how much those offers mean.

To help us organize all that aloha and take people up on their offers of kōkua in the coming days, weeks, and probably months, we’d love it if you would add your name to our kōkua list below. Whether you can lend a hand, have equipment or materials, or can help in some other way, we’d be grateful to know who we can reach out to as needs come up.

Kōkua List:
https://forms.gle/HwjvxKKbeK29UnUz9

Mahalo nui loa for all the calls, messages, concern, and offers to help. ❤️

We rolled out a new Public Access Portal this morning and are pretty excited for our users and the ease on the Admin end...
07/23/2026

We rolled out a new Public Access Portal this morning and are pretty excited for our users and the ease on the Admin end of it. If you are a current user, look for an email. Otherwise, all the info on our website.

HUGE thanks to the early adopters! We had over 50 users update their accounts before noon and let us know of 2 bugs that have been fixed.

06/12/2026

We have nēnē on the Ranch. Lots of nēnē!

These endangered Hawaiian geese nest in the Kaʻū Desert makai of the Ranch and then "commute" daily to feed on the fresh green growth that follows cattle and goat grazing. Others spend their days relaxing around the Ranch reservoirs before heading back to the desert for the night.

Most recently, a group of eight birds has decided that Ranch Headquarters is a pretty nice place to be. They seem perfectly content amidst all the comings and goings of our busy days, calmly grazing and watching the world go by.

Seeing these remarkable native birds thriving on the landscape is always a welcome reminder that working lands can provide important habitat for Hawaiʻi's unique wildlife.

It’s been wet.
06/04/2026

It’s been wet.

05/19/2026

Cleaning volcanic tephra from the rainwater catchment sediment pond. It need to be done with water so the glass does not become airborne and inhaled in. So Mother Nature helped. Maybe a bit too much. 🤣

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Pahala, HI
96777

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