Over in the CNMI, as the economy continues to take a major nosedive due to the pandemic, one industry may be the solution - again.

The House Of Taga on Tinian usually would be a hot tourism destination, but the pandemic has hit the Pacific hard when it comes to that industry. Tonight, local leadership is placing their bets on reviving the cattle industry. Mayor Edwin Aldan said, "Tinian is known for their beef, and we've been dreaming for a slaughterhouse."

That $450,000 dream is now a reality. The USDA-certified Tinian Kualidat Meat Processing Center opened in August under the Tinian Municipality - marking a return to the promises of the once-booming cattle industry. Nearly $300,000 came from Imperial Pacific International's Casino Community Benefit Fund.

"We have tested the facility it is in compliance, approved for slaughtering," added the mayor, "but at the same time, we wanted to fix some of the issues that we have encountered like for the hanging of the cow we did not know it had to be a certain length up because the cows that we have here are big ones."

While they wait for those upgrades to slaughter their first cow for sale - there are big promises, echoing the 1970s, when at the industry's peak, Tinian had 9,000 cows. It's a far cry from the roughly 20 ranchers and their 2,000 cows. Domingo Pascua slaughtered nearly 30 cows a week in a private facility that shuttered over a decade ago.

Pascua, an assistant at Tinian Kualidat Meat Processing Center, said, "We were supplying Guam, Rota, Tinian, Saipan."

At one point - meat was being sent to Japan. "The intent is to create a co-op and give the opportunity to somebody out there," said Mayor Aldan.

The Tinian Cattleman's Association hopes to see greener pastures, as Jose Dela Cruz, head of the association, said, "The whole idea behind this is to try to provide the best quality produce for our people here in Tinian, primarily, and of course later one down the line for the entire CNMI and hopefully if we build capacity then we can always extend it to our friends in Guam."

As the slaughterhouse and cattle industry gets back on its feet, the hopes for tourism dollars to flood the NMI once again remains strong. The Tinian Pika Festival, the island's celebration of hot pepper, was postponed to March 11-13.

There's much hope for those greener pastures.