In the vast rural areas of Arecibo hundreds of large sized cow milks pasture happily and are sheltered in the world-class facilities of López Dairy Farms.    

José “Tony” López, a second-generation agribusiness entrepreneur in the dairy industry, started his business in 1972, and celebrated his 45th anniversary in 2017. His father had been involved in the sugar cane industry and migrated to the cattle industry when sugar declined rapidly. He continued to expand and developed a successful business after 33 years.

López Dairy Farms is a family conglomerate composed of 11 dairy farms operated by Tony López and his sons, who represent the third generation of the family business. These farms, located in Arecibo overlooking the vast Atlantic Ocean in the northern region of the Island, have a total acreage exceeding 3,000 acres with a daily production of more than 100,000 milk quarts. Collectively, the farms have approximately 10,000 heads of cattle, mostly milk cows.

A valued partner

López says Puerto Rico Farm Credit was always a trustful lending institution that helped his father and has continued to offer great financial solutions to his business throughout these years. 

“Puerto Rico Farm Credit has been vital for our business development because it’s the only institution with the greatest knowledge of the agricultural business, offering better terms than other commercial banks. In times of crisis or emergency, Farm Credit has always been present to facilitate and lend a hand to farmers in the proper management of their projects and provide technical support as needed”, said López. With nearly half a century of successful experience, López says he views the Island’s agriculture in a growing cycle, but with a new layer of agricultural technology and innovation procedures for farming.  

Passion, determination, commitment and consistency

For López, “the key factors are passion, determination, commitment and consistency to see the projects evolve and accomplish the harvest that you worked for.”