Florida cattlemen prepare for increased trade to Puerto Rico

Florida cattlemen prepare for increased trade to Puerto Rico    Florida’s cattle industry will have the opportunity in April to show their livestock to buyers in Puerto Rico.
   The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services started the program more than five years ago to promote state cattle trade with Puerto Rico.
   “Florida’s breeding stock is well suited for Puerto Rico’s environment, and our state’s cattlemen welcome the opportunity to explore new opportunities,” said Charles H. Bronson, Florida’s agriculture commissioner, in a statement Wednesday.
   Representatives from Bronson’s Division of Marketing and Development will meet with Puerto Rico government officials and members of the Puerto Rico Beef Industry Board in the coming weeks to finalize the trade mission’s details.
   The trade relationship started in March 1999 when representatives of the Puerto Rico government and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services entered discussions about the feasibility of shipping Florida breeding stock to the island. The cost to transport cattle by air was deemed prohibitive, while shipping by sea was considered commercially feasible and opened the way for the first purchase of Florida cattle in Puerto Rico.
   The Puerto Rico Beef Industry Board sent a delegation to Florida in 1999 to select the stock, resulting in sales of more than $150,000. Cattle sales to Puerto Rico have continued to increase and last year resulted in sales of $412,500.
   In 2002, to improve the ocean transport of cattle, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services bought a loading chute from the Port of Jacksonville.