The conference offered 50 breakout sessions, featuring speakers from the University of Guam, University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, Tennessee State University, Washington State University, and Northern Marianas College — all Land Grant universities whose mission is to bring practical, informal education to the public to improve the quality of life. Attendees also heard from a number of visiting experts from UOG’s sister schools in Taiwan, which is considered a global leader in agricultural innovation and development.

Three expert panel discussions explored the topics of:

1. growing Guam’s agritourism industry (view on YouTube)
2. current challenges and opportunities for agriculture in Guam (view on YouTube)
3. how Guam’s restaurants can adopt a local-first culinary model (view on YouTube).

Each panel brought diverse perspectives and ideas, with speakers coming from different states, islands, and countries.  

The conference included two special dinner events, featuring all locally grown produce and locally caught fish. One dinner featured Taiwanese cuisine prepared by students from the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality & Tourism in Taiwan. The other was prepared by emerging chefs from the Guam Community College and Guam ProStart culinary programs in collaboration with the NKUHT students.

On the final day, participants took a field trip to the UOG Yigo Research & Education Center for a first-hand look at the latest horticulture and climate-smart farming research happening at UOG. The 55 field trip participants also visited the Valley of the Latte Adventure Park in Talo’fo’fo’ to observe an active agritourism business in action.

Farmers benefit from making industry connections

Conference goers expressed how valuable it was to have direct access to the agencies offering federal assistance, to the local extension experts and research faculty at UOG, and to other farmers navigating similar challenges.

Commercial farmer Chris Salas of Salas Organics was inspired to attend after having secured several grants for his farm from connections made at last year’s conference. He said another big benefit of the conference was the on-the-spot advice.

“I wanted to learn about problems with pests and techniques and methodologies from the [UOG faculty and researchers]. I really feel like I’m going to be able to connect with the new plant pathologist, the new entomologist […],” he said, referring to several new UOG Land Grant faculty members.

With the consistent downpour of rain in recent months, he said the leaves on all 50 of his papaya plants had turned yellow and fell. He connected with one of the UOG Land Grant extension agents, who explained that the trees had soaked up too much water, and then were basically steamed when the sun came out.

“That’s something I would have never figured out on my own,” he said. “He also gave me good news that the trees with new leaves were going to survive.”

The entrepreneurs behind a new high-tech, low-labor shipping container–based farm operation in Guam, Sunny Grow Corp., attended the conference for similar reasons. The company’s vice president, Yuan Yi, said the conference helped her build critical connections as their team works to expand their hydroponic operation.

“We’re not local, so we don’t really know which departments we can go to for support. If we want to [expand], we need government and the [university] supporting us. If we have a vegetable not growing that well, the professors will know better. […] Now we know some people here,” she said.

Kuan-Ju Chen, and agricultural economist at UOG, director of UOG Land Grant’s Farmer Focus program, and chair of the conference, underscored the importance of supporting the region’s diverse farming community.

“We have a big proportion of immigrant farmers and farm workers. Without them, we cannot increase our ag production. So we really want to pay attention to their needs and how we can help each other,” he said.

Chen also noted that innovations like Sunny Grow’s container-based farming model reflect how the next generation of growers may evolve and expand agriculture in Guam. By moving production into controlled environments using solar power, he said, farmers can better protect crops from storms, pests, and other challenges that threaten traditional open-field farms.

UOG: A source for research-based ag solutions

In her welcoming remarks, Governor of Guam Lourdes Leon Guerrero said, “One of the things I am very impressed that the university is doing through its Land and Sea Grant programs is helping our residents — in their own backyards — grow their own food. […] Many things are happening through UOG, and it’s so appropriate because they are the [entity] that can elevate this kind of research for the betterment of our island and for the improvement of our people.”

As old challenges persist and as new methods for growing food emerge, UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez emphasized the university’s responsibility to stay at the forefront of the needs and trends in the community with research-based solutions that are practical and applicable.

For those who missed the conference, the three main panel discussions are available to watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@uogcnas5255.

---

The Farmer Focus Program under University of Guam Land Grant is a sub-grantee of the USDA-funded Western Region Agricultural Stress Assistance Program (WRASAP) at Washington State University. The Guam Farmer Focus Conference 2025 was also made possible by sponsorships from the J. Yang & Family Foundation, Honhui Group, King Car Group, Hyatt Regency Guam, the Northern and Southern Guam Soil & Water Conservation Districts, and the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Guam.