{"id":371491,"date":"2022-06-30T06:05:03","date_gmt":"2022-06-29T20:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=371491"},"modified":"2022-06-30T06:05:03","modified_gmt":"2022-06-29T20:05:03","slug":"grant-heightens-interest-in-agriculture-beekeeping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/grant-heightens-interest-in-agriculture-beekeeping\/","title":{"rendered":"Grant heightens interest\u00a0in agriculture, beekeeping"},"content":{"rendered":"
Beginner beekeeper Mario Martinez, left, and Guam Beekeepers Association president Chris Rosario check the health of Martinez\u2019s bee colony. Martinez is one of 20 new beekeepers on island under the USDA-funded Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development program at the University of Guam.\u00a0(University of Guam)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A first-time grant for the University of Guam is helping to support and give hands-on training to individuals in Guam who are just starting out in farming or niche areas of agriculture, such as beekeeping. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Through its Western Pacific Tropical Research Center at the College of Natural & Applied Sciences, UOG competed for and received a grant in September 2020 from the Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2014a program with an approximately 20% application acceptance rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The three-year, $450,000 grant aligns with the university\u2019s land-grant mission of delivering practical knowledge to the community-at-large and, through various partnerships, has so far funded a variety of community agriculture workshops, several six-month internships, and supplies and technical assistance for beginning farmers. \u00a0<\/p>\n

University of Guam extension associate Robert Bevacqua teaches a workshop on banana plant propagation in February as part of the Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program at the University of Guam.\u00a0(University of Guam)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve supported more than 200 participants to date and are seeing increasing interest from more farmers as well organizations wanting to partner to support the farming community on island,\u201d said Adrian Ares, interim associate dean for research at CNAS, who secured the grant through the Research Corporation of the University of Guam. \u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nCommunity workshops\u00a0<\/strong>
\nCommunity workshops have been offered on breadfruit, mango, and banana cultivation, raising baby chicks, and beekeeping and beehive assembly as well as soil testing, composting, and plant propagation methods. Interest in the workshops has been strong, Ares said, with more than 200 individual participants. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Katherine Perez, a University of Guam agriculture major, gains first-time aquaculture experience as she harvests food for the shrimp that are grown at UOG\u2019s\u00a0Guam Aquaculture & Training Center\u00a0and sold locally for consumption. She is one of seven interns to be supported so far under UOG\u2019s Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development grant.\u00a0(University of Guam)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The beekeeping workshops, in partnership with the Guam Beekeepers Association, have produced 20 beginner beekeepers, who are now managing their own hives with regular check-ins from the GBA and UOG. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Honey is just one product beekeepers can harvest and sell\u2014others include creamed honey, mead, infused honey, and beeswax.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nHands-on farming experience\u00a0<\/strong>
\nThe grant has also allowed seven individuals so far to gain hands-on experience through six-month internships at Triton Farm, the Guam Aquaculture & Training Center, the Valley of the Latte, or Farm to Table Guam Corp. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Guam Beekeeper Association president Chris Rosario leads a beehive assembly workshop in March as part of the Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program at the University of Guam.\u00a0 (University of Guam)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The internships are intended for anyone of any age with an interest in farming and learning practical skills, and the program is hoping to open a second round of internships soon. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The grant has also funded supplies for beginner farmers, including compost, manure, seedlings, canopies and poles, as well as two greenhouses, one of which will be specifically used by farmers who are veterans.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nA growing interest in niche farms\u00a0<\/strong>
\nThe USDA\u2019s Beginner Farmer & Rancher Development Program was developed in response to an increasing number of people across the nation entering agricultural production for the first time. Ares said the program is the only federal initiative at present assisting new farmers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The trend into agriculture in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands seems to mirror that in the U.S. mainland, Ares said, in particular with residents who have inherited land or want to follow in their ancestor\u2019s footsteps and work the land.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey tend to be interested in niche markets, high-value products, specialty products, and they care about the environment,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have the enthusiasm and the commitment, but they need financial, legal, and technical assistance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For more information on opportunities through the Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development program, contact program coordinator Rita Barcinas at\u00a0barcinasr8861@triton.uog.edu\u00a0to be added to the mailing list.\u00a0
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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