Puerto Rico's Dairy Industry, Once Robust, Flattened By Maria
Puerto Rico's dairy farmers account for about a third of the island's total agricultural production. Now they're struggling to recover their cows and get them milked.
Manuel Perez is a veterinarian who specializes in caring for cattle, and he knows many of Puerto Rico's dairy farmers. Yesterday, he got in his truck and went to visit one of them. The route he took, along the island's northern coast, winds past forests. Until a week ago, "I tell you, it's just gone. It's all gone," Perez says. "A lot of the trees are down, and the trees that are standing don't have any leaves at all."
