The cattle industry was started in Puerto Rico by Vicente Yáñez Pinzón, one of the captains of Christopher Columbus, who on the voyage of discovery noticed the absence of cattle on the Island.
In 1510, when Juan Ponce de León, the first governor, arrived in Puerto Rico, he brought cattle and horses from Santo Domingo. As José F. Molina Fernández explains in the book “The dairy industry in Puerto Rico”, it is the basis of Puerto Rican livestock. By 1920 the development of the modern dairy industry began, with the increase in imports and the planting of better quality grass for food.
Today, the dairy industry is the main agricultural line in Puerto Rico, and ranches throughout the Island produce about 220 million pints of milk per year. Of that amount, about 150 million quarts are used in the sale of pasteurized milk and 70 million quarts in the sale of INDULAC’s milk and dairy products.
Daily Rouine of
Our Ranchers
The daily routine of the farmers begins before the sun rises, when the milking process and other work on the farms begins, and usually does not end until nightfall. Milking does not wait for holidays or vacations, and there are many sacrifices to do this noble work. But although it is a lifestyle that involves many sacrifices, it is also a source of great satisfaction and happiness for ranchers and their families to be able to bring this staple food to the tables of Puerto Rican families.
We feel a thousand times proud
of our ranchers partners that promote
the growth of INDULAC!
DISTRIBUTION OF DAIRY FARMS
