Cuba Could Be Florida's Beef Supplier
Just think — local beef, from Cuba? Well, so it's not local in the strict 100-mile interpretation, but still. John Parke Wright, a Florida rancher whose ancestors were very involved in the Havana-Tampa trade route, is just waiting for the day he can set up a cattle operation on the island. Here's why:
"From 1860 to 1960, Cuba had some of the best land for cattle in the Western hemisphere," says Wright. In 1960, Cuba had about 6 million people and 2 million cattle, but now has only 2 million cattle for 12 million people, he explains.With steakhouses popping up around here at the approximate rate of one every 30 seconds, we're going to need lots and lots of beef in the years to come. Although by the time this political stalemate is over, and there's actual change in Cuba, and the beef industry has regained some of its former glory, we'll have had enough of steak."There's a tremendous need to restock Cuba's ranches, and the opportunity has to be given to people like me," he says, adding that he'd start out by sending 3,000 head of cattle, tractors, trucks, and irrigation equipment to Cuba as soon as the two nations adjust their policies to allow for that.
Florida rancher: Havana will be Hong Kong of Caribbean [Christian Science Monitor]
Photo: justydrink/flickr
