July 2016 deadline for Tinian farmers to use military lands

Tinian ranchers who are using lands leased by the U.S. military may continue using the lands until July 2016. As of now, though, the military has yet to identify a location where farmers could permanently relocate to raise their cattle.

In a letter to Department of Public Lands Secretary Pedro A. Tenorio on Feb. 9, Department of Navy’s Real Estate Division director C. Hope Marini formally wrote that the CNMI is authorized to use the leaseback property until July 31, 2016.

The CNMI leased back 7,000 acres of the land west of the Tinian International Airport. The CNMI and the Department of Defense signed a leaseback agreement in 1994 for a portion of the leased public property for small agricultural and grazing activities.

The U.S. government leased back approximately 6,458 acres (2,614 hectares) of the land for $1 per acre per year. For the past 37 years, Tinian ranchers have been using the leaseback property to pasture cattle, other livestock, and grow crops.

Marini wrote that the farmers could continue to use the land under the leaseback agreement but, should DoD not “repossess the leaseback property, the lease reverts to a month-to-month tenancy effective July 31, 2016.”

“In addition, land use analysis is presently underway and it is the intent of the parties to identify locations within the leaseback area wherein members of the Tinian Cattlemen Association may be permitted to continue livestock grazing and range activities if and where compatible with DoD purposes after termination of the leaseback,” she added.

Lt. Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said Sunday this is a great opportunity for Tinian ranchers to use the leaseback lands so they can continue grazing their cattle.

Tinian Cattlemen Association president Jose Dela Cruz said the association is very grateful to DoD for the initial step in working with the ranchers on Tinian.

Dela Cruz said majority of their ranchers are grazing within military land and they are very hopeful that by the time the military moves into the land, they can coexist.

“We had a meeting last August and it was positive and this letter is a result of that. They told us that they will work with us with the renewal until 2016 and identify a surplus land in the immediate future and work with us in the future and make sure the beef initiative is not harmed. We’re very grateful that the first step has materialized and we’re very excited. Hopefully, in the very near future, addressing the issues of the land will be better,” Dela Cruz said.

Beef initiative

According to Dela Cruz, Tinian cattlemen have held off pushing their beef initiative due to the leaseback issue. With the leaseback only being extended to 2016, that means there aren’t concrete plans yet to relocate them to a long-term area, he added.

The beef initiative arose from the passage of a law in Guam that eased the quarantine regulations for beef and allows the entry of cattle from the CNMI into Guam.

Dela Cruz said there are 39 separate ranchers with close to 2,000 heads of cattle on leaseback lands.

“We are not expanding the numbers or the beef initiative with the leaseback only being extended. Once we get a long term access to the land, everyone will invest to [increase] the number of animals for sale. We have been giving the renewal, now the question remains, what is the next step?” Dela Cruz said.