Dashiell Kuhr is the co-founder and co-director of Hawai'i Institute of Pacific Agriculture. Dashiell has managed farms and led educational programs in North Kohala for 14 years. Leading classes, hands-on in-field instruction, hosting guest speakers, and coordinating field trips; Dashiell with HIP Ag team has hosted and provided farmer training to over 200 young adults in HIP Ag’s residential farmer training programs.
As co-director of HIP Ag, Dashiell has raised funds for implementing its core programming of farmer training, youth education, and the Kohala Food hub. In 2017, Dashiell led Hawai'i Institute of Pacific Agriculture to become the first non-profit providing fresh produce to the Lt Governors Farm to School Pilot in the Kohala complex. Since then his team has developed the Kohala Food Hub’s capacity to supply farm to school and is now working to increase local farmers' production capacity for institutional buying and other markets.
Dashiell was the legislative chair for Hawaii Farms Union United for 3 years and President of the Hawaii Farms Union Kohala Chapter for 6 years. He has lobbied at the Hawaii state legislature for a food hub, farmer training, agriculture parks, and other agriculture legislation and initiatives. Connected with local politicians, and other non-profit organizations Dashiell has built partnerships to increase impact and transform community food systems.
Dash is thoroughly committed to youth and ensuring they have access to fresh food and agriculture education; he is committed to supporting the development of a localized economy that creates healthy and prosperous communities. Dashiell is happily married to his wife and co-director Erika Kuhr and they have three children that they have raised on the farm.