Loyal to the Land – Volume 1 - is a sweeping history of one of the United States' largest working ranches, the Big Island of Hawaii's Parker Ranch.  Author Dr. Billy Bergin chronicles the ranch from its establishment on two acres purchased for $10 ten dollars by John Palmer Parker to the years following World War II and the beginning of a new era of family ranch management under Parker’s grandson, Richard Smart.

In this wide-ranging and insightful book, illustrated with more than 250 historical photos, Dr. Bergin first discusses the important Hispanic vaquero roots of ranching in Hawaii. He then relates the histories of the five foundation families, providing rich and detailed information on key members who contributed to the Ranch's success. The balance of the book examines every aspect of Parker Ranch development: management, labor, improvements and diversification of livestock, veterinary and animal care programs, and the Ranch’s role and influence on the Big Island and the state.

Loyal to the Land – Volume 2 – is a heartfelt and often personal work that continues the story of the Big Island’s Parker Ranch.  It begins with the dynastic transition in ranch management from the formidable A. W. Carter to his son, Hartwell, who would be responsible for bringing the ranch effectively into the twentieth century. Although supervision of the ranch officially changed hands in 1937, A. W.’s wide-ranging influence continued to be felt for at least another decade. Later Hartwell Carter would also have to contend with the whims of ranch owner Richard Smart, who returned to the Islands in 1959, eager to take direct control of his estate. Under Carter’s stewardship, Parker Ranch raised its cow herd size by fifty percent and, through its subsidiary, Hawaii Meat Company, converted its beef marketing from a range-finished animal to a feedlot-confined, corn-fed, marbled carcass acceptable to the modern housewife.

Hartwell Carter was followed by his assistant, Richard (Dick) Penhallow, as ranch manager in 1960. Penhallow’s tenure is given a detailed overview that illuminates his ambitious goals for improvements in water, land, livestock, personnel development, and the economics of the beef industry. Although Penhallow’s grand scheme for reorganizing an inefficient and divided industry into a single cooperative using state-of-the-art facilities ultimately failed, the subsequent history of beef marketing in the Islands bears out the soundness and wisdom of his ideas.

In 1962 Smart selected Radcliffe (Rally) Greenwell as Penhallow’s successor. The new ranch manager arrived with strong, traditional values of stewardship handed down from generations of Kona ranchers. Greenwell’s initiatives were clear: to further enhance water development and increase the cow herd by 30 percent. He also instituted research to determine the cause of a scourge among young cattle called yellow calf syndrome. As the nine-year management of Greenwell unfolds, the book offers a close look at the leadership team of the era, which included Harry Kawai, John Kawamoto, Willie Kaniho, Yutaka Kimura, John Lekelesa, and Harry Ah Fong Ah Sam.

The book’s author, who became ranch veterinarian in 1970, also provides personal insights in the later sections of the book into the use of the element copper to greatly enhance the growth and health of cattle and the birth and expansion of the ranch’s Animal Health Program. The work concludes with the introduction of the mainland management team of Rubel and Lent, whose attempt to return to a pyramidal management structure took Parker Ranch by storm.

There is a third published volume to Bergin’s Loyal To the Land series and Volume 4 is in progress. 

Loyal To the Land author William C. Bergin, DVM, was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii. He attended Kansas State University, where he received a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1967. Dr. Bergin went on to establish the first private large-animal veterinary hospital on the Big Island and served as chief veterinarian at Parker Ranch from 1970 to 1995.  He also served as a medical officer with the Livestock and Disease Control Division, State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture.  Dr. Bergin is the founder of the Paniolo Preservation Society and was instrumental in establishing the Paniolo Heritage Center at Pukalani Stables where visitors will find the history of the paniolo brought to life and illustrated through a collection of artifacts, images, and original Hawaiian saddles.  The Paniolo Heritage Center is also home to the Na Wahine Holo Lio Pau Museum, honoring the history of the region’s pau riders.

Dr. Bergin continues to dedicate time and attention to preserving and perpetuating the paniolo traditions of Hawaii.  He also is extremely generous with his time – supporting a variety of state and county boards and commissions.