As Hurricane Helene ripped through northern Florida in fall 2024, one farm in its path was Full Circle Dairy, home to the Watts family, 3,900 lactating cows and 50 employees.
The Category 4 hurricane, moving at over 120 miles per hour through several southeastern states, would deliver devastation throughout the region — something the dairy had been all too familiar with in recent months.
Helene came on the heels of Hurricane Idalia in August 2023, a tornado in May 2024 and Hurricane Debby in September 2024. Being the fourth disaster to hit the farm within 13 months, Helene found the Full Circle Dairy team as prepared as they could be, but it still left the worst damage.
“Hurricane Helene caused three-fourths of one of our freestall barns, which houses 800 cows, to collapse,” recalls Philip Watts, operations manager and fifth-generation dairy farmer. “We were in the middle of milking two groups in that barn. Thankfully, the gates were open and most of the cows were able to walk out of the barn when it started to collapse, reducing the number of animals in the barn.”
Throughout the storm, Watts says they maintained normal milking operations as long as they could. As soon as it became unsafe for employees, they paused to ride out the hurricane. Helene left significant damage to the commodity barn, too, meaning much of the extra feed they’d had delivered ahead of time was also lost.
From the previous storms, the farm had learned to prepare by securing any small items that could blow around and by adding extra sand to the plastic covering for the hay and straw to prevent feed from being ruined or blown away.
“Due to losing several fans from previous hurricane winds, we went through and zip-tied nearly 900 fans to prevent damage,” Watts says. “We were fortunate to have experienced Helene last in having learned ways to better prepare the farm.”
The days and weeks following the storm were challenging to say the least, but a positive mindset made all the difference.
“When the disaster hits, understand this is temporary and this will pass. Most likely, when you get past this, you will be stronger and better in the future,” Watts says.
Backup power kept milking equipment, water and barn fans operational, maintaining essential cow care despite power loss.
“We relocated heifers after the barn collapse and retrofitted a heifer freestall barn to house lactating and dry cows after the storm,” Watts says.
“The farm also received a tremendous amount of support from local agricultural groups offering to assist with storm cleanup,” he adds. “The Florida commissioner of agriculture, along with other local representatives, made a visit to the farm post-storm to assess damage.”
Beyond the Storm
Just weeks after the storm passed was a ribbon-cutting for a new RNG facility, a full-scale dairy manure to pipeline quality RNG operation expected to produce an average of 100,000 dekatherms annually. At full capacity, the emission reduction will be equivalent to powering 3,500 homes for a year.
“This project is another milestone into the sustainability practices that we implement at Full Circle Dairy,” Watts says. “Our use of technology on the farm is to gain efficiencies for our team members as well as our animals to prioritize their comfort and care.”
Watts’ parents, Greg and Cindy Watts, are the founders of Full Circle Dairy, and together it’s their goal to provide an opportunity for the next generation on the farm. Integral to the farm’s sustainability efforts is their approach to involving not only their own families but also the local community.
“We welcome school groups, FFA chapters, 4-H groups and more for scheduled tours throughout the year,” Watts says. “We also share our dairy farming story at numerous local community events.”
With the natural disasters moving further into the rearview, Watts says, “Over the next five to 10 years, we will continue to focus on progressive, sustainable and profitable practices.”
Their work in sustainability, resilience and innovation has truly come full circle, several times over.
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