Nuevitas, 2025.- Surrendering to life's difficulties is not an option for Yonaiki Hernández Reyes, a farmer associated with the Omelio López Credit and Services Cooperative, who owns a farm on the outskirts of Nuevitas, northeast of Camagüey.
Those who know Yonaiki describe her as a brave, cheerful, determined woman and author of poems.
Yonaikis' experience as a rancher was acquired when she inherited land and cattle after her husband's death.
“I learned on my own to milk the cows, but I'm already performing at my best. Farming requires hard work, but also love and dedication, so I have obtained good results that are evident in the increase of calves and planting”.
Having the support of her daughter, parents, friends and loved ones, and her love for nature, give her strength to move forward and, many times, are a source of inspiration for the poems she writes; that is why she urges the youth to take care of the environment as part of life.
Yonaiki shows her willpower in the face of life with that mixture of strength and gentleness; and every morning she wakes up with renewed spirit to fulfill her labors in the fields.
It is her custom getting out of bed between three and four o'clock in the morning, because she is in charge of milking the cows to deliver the milk to the Combinado Lácteo Nuevitas very early in the morning. Later she takes care of the goats and sheep, in addition to household chores.
She says that her cattle, which affectionately considers her kids, as well as the calves, already know her and respond to the names she has given them.
Yonaiki Hernández Reyes, the Nuevitas outstanding farmer, also likes to play dominoes, sing and dance. She recognizes that family, friends, work and poetry are her main motivations to radiate optimism and energy to those who approach her.
