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Success Story

Helping Puerto Rico’s Dairies Recover from Hurricane María

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Empresas Aulet Dairy roof repair in Morovis, PR, after Hurricane Maria - left dairy roof destroyed by the hurricane, right roof repaired with assistance from NRCS. Photos by Engineer Alberto Atienza.

Three years after hurricane María, NRCS Caribbean is still working hard to help dairy farmers remove debris from collapsed structures and rebuild stronger to protect water quality. We use two core conservation engineering practices: Roofs & Covers (code 367) & Debris Removal (code 500).

Top: Aerial image of Empresas Aulet dairy barn in Morovis, PR, after destroyed roofs and covers removed (red outline shows extent of previous roof). Bottom: Aerial image of the farm showing cattle safely covered after implementing NRCS Roofs and Covers practice in Oct. 2019.
Top: Aerial image of Empresas Aulet dairy barn in Morovis, PR, after roofs and covers destroyed by hurricane María were removed (red outline shows extent of previous roof). Bottom: Aerial image of the farm showing cattle safely covered after implementing NRCS Roofs and Covers practice in Oct. 2019.

The dairy industry is the number one farm industry in Puerto Rico. But confining dairy cows can potentially cause environmental problems if water is not handled properly on the farm. NRCS works with our dairy farmers to keep clean water clean by keeping rain water separate from the manure in animal confinement areas.

A typical waste management system on a dairy farm consists of a waste storage pond and an irrigation system to spread the waste in the fields. After hurricane María, many dairies’ animal holding and feeding areas had their roofs destroyed. These areas were exposed to rain water, sending higher volumes of wastewater to storage ponds and increasing risks of wastewater overflow.

Building stronger and safer

One farm that NRCS assisted after hurricane María is Empresas Aulet dairy in Puerto Rico's central mountain town of Morovis. Empresas Aulet is owned by José “Pepe” Aulet, who started the dairy in July 1989 in Barahona ward. The 270-acre dairy farm milks about 250 cows, and they also farm about 128 acres in Vega Baja for hay production.

NRCS helped Sr. Aulet replace around 14,000 square feet of damaged roofing, built to new and stronger standards to withstand higher wind speeds. Sr. Aulet is very happy with the new, stronger structure – his cattle have the shade they need and the risk of water contamination is reduced.

“The assistance from NRCS has been of vital importance for the continuation of our farm and recovery from Hurricane María,” said Sr. Aulet.

 

Left: Empresas Aulet Dairy cattle confinement area roof severely damaged by hurricane María (photo by Rafael Davila). Right: New roof and cover installed in Oct. 2019 to safely confine cattle and protect water quality (photo by Eng. Alberto Atienza).
Left: Empresas Aulet Dairy cattle confinement area roof severely damaged by hurricane María (photo by Rafael Davila). Right: New roof and cover installed in Oct. 2019 to safely confine cattle and protect water quality (photo by Eng. Alberto Atienza).

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