The feasibility study that will come from the workshops will be comprehensive and will incorporate a variety of components that include: Economics, Regulatory Markets, Processing, Livestock, Environmental, Logistics, Financial, Business Management, and more.
On Saipan, the one-day workshop will be held on Friday, May 13, at the Pete P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center. On Tinian, the workshop will be held on Monday, May 16, at the Tinian NMC Campus, Room D. On Rota, the workshop will be on Wednesday, May 18, at the Rota NMC Campus, Room B-1.
Each workshop will begin at 8:30a.m. and end at 2:30p.m.
Presenters for this set of workshops include the feasibility studies primary author Jim Wimberly and MGA Project director, Dr. Mark Thorne.
The presentations will include a guided tour of the feasibility study website, which is being prepared by Agriculture/Energy Enterprises LLC, a consulting firm contracted by the University of Hawaii. The website also has tools and links to a variety of related resources that are appropriate to this topic.
The feasibility study website is viewable at http://www.agenergyenterprises.com/feasibility/index.html.
This feasibility study is a component of the Marianas Livestock and Grazing Academy program, administered by the University of Hawaii. The Academy is aimed at building local agricultural capacity and educating farmers, ranchers, and potential investors about increasing the economic viability of their products.
The Academy is a project organized through a collaborative effort between Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service Livestock Improvement Program, and experienced pasture, livestock, and soil specialists from the University of Hawaii, University of the Virgin Islands, and the University of Guam.
The Academy’s goals are to provide local farmers, ranchers, technical resource personnel and other interagency collaborators with assistance and guidance in planning and developing special local projects to improve the economic viability of grazing activities in the CNMI, and to include meat processing and marketing systems.
For more information on the Marianas Grazing Academy, visit the MGA website at marianasgrazingacademy.org or contact Claus Bier at 234-3690, Ext. 1707, or Lawerence Duponcheel at 433-0639 on Tinian, or Dr. Allan Sabaldica, NMC-CREES Livestock Improvement Program, at 433-2576. On Rota, contact Alejandro Badilles at 532-9513.
The Marianas Grazing Academy project has been made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Outreach for Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers program, grant #2009-51200-19601(NMC).
