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PRINTThe V.I Department of Agriculture can live within its budget, but needs $45,000 transferred from drought relief to its Tropical Bont Tick Program, Commissioner Louis Petersen told the Senate Finance Committee during budget hearings Wednesday.
"Without the additional resources, the program would be understaffed and unable to adequately meet the needs of farmers, conduct routine animal health inspections, and collect stray horses and livestock on the island of St. Croix," Petersen said.
"We are deeply concerned about the potential hazards that stray animals may cause, especially to vehicular traffic," Petersen said. Federal funding established the Tropical Bont Tick Program, but has since dried up, while the program remains important and needs local funding, Petersen said.
Along with expanding marketing efforts and ongoing work on cisterns and other agricultural infrastructure, this year Agriculture introduced the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which allows WIC recipients to use the food assistance to purchase fresh, local produce at the territory's farmers markets. This helps farmers and helps residents get the health benefits of fresh local produce, Petersen said.
Another significant agricultural development over the past year was the launch of a dairy goat operation at the site of the former Island Dairies on St. Croix, Petersen said. Once the public/private partnership between the V.I. Department of Agriculture and Windsor Farm is fully operational, "it will produce and market not only fresh milk, but value added items such as soaps, lotions and candies," Petersen said.
Agriculture used federal funding through the Forest Legacy Program to purchase 75.9 acres at Spring Hill and Estate Annaly Rose and Rose Hill on St. Croix for $869,000, Petersen said.
"One of the goals of the administration is that these acreages will become an integral part of the proposed territorywide park system" he said.
Also this year, the first annual Virgin Fresh Beekeepers Bazaar was organized on St. Thomas and St. Croix as a business venture for beekeepers and to showcase fresh, local products such as honey, soaps, lotions and lip balms.
Gov. John deJongh Jr.'s 2013 budget proposal recommends a general fund appropriation of $2.5 million for Agriculture, a 12.5 percent decrease from the previous year, with 94 percent marked for personnel costs and the rest for the department's utility bills, according to Petersen.
Another $379,000 the Agriculture Department will receive from the Miscellaneous Section of the Budget will support the Tropical Bont Tick Program, drought relief efforts and animal shelters throughout the territory. Petersen is asking to move funds around within this category, increasing Bont Tick funding, but keeping the total appropriation unchanged.
Miscellaneous funding will also provide $200,000 to support new and ongoing initiatives in accordance with provisions of the Sustainable Agriculture Act.
No votes were taken at the information gathering hearing.
I hope they shall include in the budget removing farm animals and fowl from private property zoned for residential use only.
I know many people including DPNR that have requested the removal of livestock, chickens and roosters which is supposed to be the Ag Departments mandated job but no response is ever forthcoming and the animals remain where they do not belong creating a great nuisance for homeowners that respect our zoning laws.
Commissioner Petersen and his staff need to step up to the plate and funding found to insure homeowners have recourse from being tortured in their own homes by the people that are not in compliance with our zoning laws. Why must must we be forced to listen to crowing roosters, squawking chickens, bleating sheep and goats and the odors emanating from those neighbors keeping livestock, fowl and fighting cocks and that break the zoning laws.
Livestock and fowl are ONLY allowed to be kept on property zoned A-1 and A-2.
Fine the people that are not in compliance and use to money to remove the offending animals and fowl. There are so many zoning violations that this could be a great source of revenue.
There needs to be a concerted effort to round up all the wild and roaming fowl as they are an epidemic just waiting to happen and a nuisance to homeowners deserving the peace and quiet on the property which they pay taxes.
With all the problems that St.Croix has, you are concerned about chickens??? How about the retired employees that don't get their retirement. If you don't like the chickens, move back to where you don't have chickens. Simple!
Hard to do when you bahn here.
The VI needs better zoning enforcement to protect homeowners, not less. We need depts. heads to do the mandated jobs. Not asking them to do anythng that they are not already supposed to do and are paid to do.