Report for FW05-003

Many small-scale farms found on Pacific islands struggle with disposing waste from their animal operations, often flushing the effluent into holding tanks, only to have the it leach into the ground. The practice poses hazards to the environment, sometimes contaminating local drinking water. John Benavente of Pacifica Triple B Farms near Hagatna, Guam, will use his Western SARE Farmer/Rancher grant to show how farmers can use the waste water to irrigate pastures and fruit trees, reducing water bills and enhancing soil fertility. Benavente, who raises hogs and citrus on his 35-acre leased farm, will divert waste water in his septic tank through irrigation pipes to his pastures and fruit trees. He compares his waste-management process to that of 1,000-sow Iowa hog farm, only on a much smaller scale.