ASG’s Soil and Water Conservation District receives
ANA grant to assist piggery owners
The American Samoa Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will receive over $220,000 over the next two years from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) which will make it easier for local pig farm owners to renovate their piggeries.
The program also establishes the Interagency Piggery Management Group, which will include representatives from the Department of Commerce, Land Grant, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The group will provide educational resources on how to operate a piggery, including information on USDA programs available to help qualified farmers pay for piggery renovations.
(The SWCD is a local government board established under local law to protect the territory’s soil and water resources. It is comprised of officials representing different ASG agencies including Land Grant, ASPA, ASEPA, DOC, and the Office of Samoan Affairs).
Most of the grant award will be used to help provide engineering services to local piggery owners who are pursuing Land Use Permits to renovate already existing piggery operations - or build new ones. Interested farmers can attend monthly meetings to discuss the design process and the Land Use Permit application process.
The project helps make it easier for piggery owners to comply with ASEPA regulations for local piggeries. Piggery owners seeking a Land Use Permit are required to have an engineering design and site survey, which can be costly. But the project will use funds from the ANA to hire an engineer to provide those services at no cost to the farmer.
The funds will also be used to renovate a local facility to store dry wood chips which are important to piggery owners adopting the “dry litter” piggery design, one of three recommended designs that meet regulations set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency for handling pig waste.
Sopoaga Sagaga of Fofoga Electrical Services Inc., a private sector partner involved in the project, has offered his land at the Tafuna Industrial Park for the storage of wood chips produced by his crew.
Wood chips are expected to be available at the site in the near future at the low price of $5 for a pickup truck full.
Interested farmers who want to know more about the services and resources available to help them stay in the pig farming business can benefit greatly from the monthly meetings with the Interagency Piggery Management Group.
More information on the dates and times of the group’s next meeting can be obtained by calling project administrator Crystal Te’o @ 633-1031 ext. 25
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