The cattle industry has quietly become a multimillion-dollar pillar of Tinian’s economy, with a recent feasibility study estimating its impact at nearly $4.8 million annually, local leaders said during a March 20 recognition ceremony for University of Hawai‘i-Manoa researcher Dr. Mark Thorne.
Speaking before ranchers and officials at the Fleming Hotel, Tinian Municipal Council chair Joseph E. Santos underscored the scale of the industry’s contribution, crediting Thorne’s survey work for putting hard numbers to what had long gone unmeasured.
“I don’t know if you guys know, but… we’re sitting at, if I’m not mistaken, $4.8 million,” Santos said. “You guys are impacting the economy at that level… $4.8 million is a lot of money just from cattle ranching.”
Santos added that the findings came as a surprise even to longtime ranchers.
“All these years, we’ve been ranching Tinian… we didn’t know that these guys are making an impact,” he said.
The ceremony, organized by the Tinian Cattlemen’s Association, recognized Thorne and his team—including his wife, Jean—for more than a decade of work supporting the island’s livestock sector. Thorne first began working with Tinian ranchers in 2009, helping organize the association and later leading a federally funded feasibility study aimed at strengthening the local beef industry.
In a plaque citation read aloud during the event, island leaders credited Thorne with “exemplary service, invaluable assistance, and steadfast support in advancing the cattle industry on the island of Tinian,” adding that his work had made a “significant and lasting impact” on both the community and the wider CNMI.
For Tinian Cattlemen’s Association president Jose M. Dela Cruz, Thorne’s contribution went beyond research.
“Their contribution has substantially improved the animal health… from genetic improvement to pasture management to marketing,” Dela Cruz said. “His contribution to this community is very impactful to all of us here.”
Thorne, visibly moved by the recognition, shifted the spotlight back to the ranchers.
“Almost $4.8 million annually is your contribution to the economy of CNMI. That’s amazing,” he said. “You do that with the least amount of resources of any ranchers that I’ve ever worked [with].”
He said the completed study marks the end of one phase, but not the work itself.
“This is the end of this part of the project… but the work continues,” Thorne said, pointing to the next step—transitioning the island’s U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified slaughterhouse into a cooperative business model.
“The potential that that slaughter facility presents for this island is enormous,” he added. “When that facility is operating… that $4.8 million… will balloon to over $10 million annually.”
Tinian Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider Jr. described the milestone as the result of years of coordinated effort between ranchers, government, and partner agencies.
“First and foremost, this is a collective effort amongst the Cattlemen Association and all the cattle ranchers here on Tinian for a few years now,” he said. “Tonight’s gathering… encapsulates the project that Dr. Thorne was tasked to produce, which is the Beef Industry Feasibility Study for the island of Tinian.”
Hofschneider emphasized the importance of the study in guiding the industry’s future.
“What that grant is… getting all the information from the cattle ranchers here would be sort of like a list of recommendations on whether or not the industry can be sustainable,” he said.
He also highlighted Tinian’s unique position in the region.
“Tinian is known to be the cattle ranchers capital of the Mariana Islands,” Hofschneider said.
Looking ahead, he said the focus will be on maximizing the island’s USDA-certified slaughterhouse through a cooperative model.
“We want to maximize its usage… and the structure that we wish to explore will be part of that recommendation,” he said, adding that the goal is to ensure “a sense of stability” and long-term viability.
“So it’s a work in progress, but we’re very excited to see the progression of this facility here on Tinian,” Hofschneider said.
Local leaders echoed that outlook, describing the industry as key not only to economic growth but also to food security.
“We want to make sure that the option of beef production here… will be sustainable,” Hofschneider added. “It provides some sense of food security for our people here in the CNMI.”
Beyond economics, Thorne highlighted the cultural and community value of ranching.
“It generates economic value… provides food security… and becomes a cultural identity for [the] CNMI and for Tinian as well,” he said.
For her part, Jean Thorne said the couple’s time on the island left a lasting impression.
“We’ve become instant family,” she said. “It’s hard to just walk away… we’d like to see how things continue to progress.”
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