A Florida Cattle Ranch

The Adams Ranch began in 1937, when Alto Adams Sr. bought several hundred head of scrub cows native to Florida. Today, Adams Ranch produces nearly 7,000 calves annually on 50,000 acres in Osceola, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie Counties. Divided into five main sections, A Florida Cattle Ranch tells the story of one cattle ranch, and also the story of one state, one way of life, and one family's stewardship. It provides readers with a brief history of Florida, recounting how early Spanish, English, and Scottish settlers brought plants and animals with them to the "Land of Flowers" and how they learned to live with the flora and fauna that already thrived here. It describes Florida's terrain and some of the fascinating and beautiful creatures that live in Florida and specifically on the Adams Ranch. It gives a history and description of Adams Ranch: how it began, how it has improved, and how it has stayed the same. And, finally, it issues a plea to all the citizens of Florida to care for this unique land and its inhabitants. Throughout, full-color photographs by Alto Adams Jr. punctuate descriptions of wildlife, terrain, and cattle--fluid shots of sandhill cranes and swallow-tailed kites in flight, an alligator showing her maternal instinct, a snowy egret's mating dance, an Osceola wild turkey roosting in a tree, and does with their fawns. A beautiful coffee table book to add to your collection.

This publication presents the entire content of the acclaimed multi-media museum exhibit, Florida Cattle Ranching: Five Centuries of Tradition, in book form. More than 200 photos present historical documentary images, scenes of contemporary ranch life, and artifacts that range from the Spanish colonial spurs to modern electronic ID tags. The engaging text describes Florida's cattle ranching heritage from the 16th century to the present. An enclosed DVD includes two broadcast-quality videos that present the fascinating story of Cracker Cattle and Cracker Horses descended from stock introduced by Spaniards in the 1500s, and twelve audio segments that feature dozens of Florida cowboys, cowgirls and ranchers who inform and entertain you on topics ranging from cow dogs and Cracker cow whips to cowboy funerals and hilarious poetry based on ranch work experiences.--

"Florida: An Ideal Cattle State" by the Florida State Live Stock Association presents a comprehensive study of Florida's cattle industry. Through meticulous research and insightful analysis, this book showcases Florida's potential as a thriving cattle state, highlighting its unique geographical and climatic advantages. A valuable resource for ranchers, agricultural enthusiasts, and historians, this publication sheds light on the vital role of Florida's cattle industry in shaping its economy and heritage.

A Land Remembered has become Florida's favorite novel. Now this Student Edition in two volumes makes this rich, rugged story of the American pioneer spirit more accessible to young readers. Patrick Smith tells of three generations of the MacIveys, a Florida family battling the hardships of the frontier. The story opens in 1858, when Tobias and Emma MacIvey arrive in the Florida wilderness with their son, Zech, to start a new life, and ends in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who realizes that his wealth has not been worth the cost to the land. Between is a sweeping story rich in Florida history with a cast of memorable characters who battle wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes to carve a kingdom out of the Florida swamp. In this volume, meet young Zech MacIvey, who learns to ride like the wind through the Florida scrub on Ishmael, his marshtackie horse, his dogs, Nip and Tuck, at this side. His parents, Tobias and Emma, scratch a living from the land, gathering wild cows from the swamp and herding them across the state to market. Zech learns the ways of the land from the Seminoles, with whom his life becomes entwined as he grows into manhood. Next in series > > See all of the books in this series

Visit a Florida where sunburn is the result of honest, hard work--not an afternoon at the beach "Without its lush ranchlands, there would be precious little left to see of old Florida, and nowhere for some of our most endangered wildlife to survive. Carlton Ward's colorful tribute to this dwindling frontier is also a call to save what remains of it. The alternative is unthinkable."--Carl Hiaasen "Ward's masterful photographs go beyond pictures of cowboys and the Florida landscape to taste the life, feel the land, and appreciate the importance of the past, present, and future of ranching in the unique environment of Florida."--Todd Bertolaet "Exploring the rich history and culture of the Florida ranch, this book opens a window to a world that many Floridians are unaware of, and teaches us why we should all care about this disappearing way of life."--Jason Hahn Drive a few miles beyond Disney World, past the gaudy souvenir shops, all-you-can-eat buffets, and chain hotels, and you'll find the largest producing cattle ranch in the world. Indeed, nearly one-fifth of the state is devoted to the cattle industry, and these working ranches play a vital role in Florida's economic health. Yet even as encroaching urban sprawl threatens their way of life, photographer Carlton Ward has been documenting the often unseen world of Florida cowboys. Every day before dawn, they saddle their horses, coil their lariats and whips, and ride out to work the herds. Over 15,000 ranches raise nearly two million head of cattle--the living legacies of the longest history of ranching in North America. Florida cowboys share their land with bears, panthers, and other endangered species, along with irreplaceable wetlands that help sustain the state's strained water resources. Complemented by twenty historical, cultural, and environmental essays from Dana Ste Claire, Joe Akerman, Auduon of Florida, and the Seminole Tribe, among others, Ward's stunning photographs capture the grit and raw beauty of inland Florida, its enduring cowboys, and the land they protect.

The reinterpretation of how ranching evolved in the New World is broad, including discussions of grazing and foraging and their relation to vegetation and climate - that is, cultural ecology - cultural diffusion, and local innovation. Above all, Jordan emphasizes place and region, illustrating the great variety of ranching practices.

The Florida pioneer cow hunters gave birth to the cattle industry. Florida, discovered by Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon in the 1500s, left behind cattle that roamed the peninsula hundreds of years. In the 1800s, new settlers gathered-up the scrub cattle and bred them with their herds. As cracker whips snapped, cow hunters rounded-up their herds and drove them by the thousands to coastal markets on the old cracker trails. It was a dangerous passage. The legendary cow hunters are todays ranchers. This book is about the past and the future of ranching in Florida as a new generation takes over the reins with some heirs choosing another profession and selling the family ranch. I hope the reader will reflect upon the valuable lessons these ranchers reveal about history and survival.

Florida ranches are complex systems operated within thin economic margins. Hardships often result in putting ranching operations out of business, and the ranch land being sold to development (Main, 2004). The economic, cultural, and environmental value Florida ranches offer benefits all of Florida’s citizens (Main, 2004). Population growth in Florida has resulted in increasing real estate values, making profitable ranch operations more difficult. Developers offers to purchase land become more appealing to ranch families as making a profit off the land becomes more difficult (Main, 2004). Nonetheless, ranching families have had this lifestyle instilled in them for generations, and many hope to pass on the lifestyle and land to future generations in lieu of selling out to developers (Gewin, 2020). One means of saving family land is for Florida ranchers to diversify sources of income in hopes of sustaining the ranch operation and lifestyle. The economic, cultural, and environmental value Florida ranches offer benefits all of Florida’s citizens, and avoiding the ecological degradation and cultural loss experienced when cattle ranches are lost to development enhances life throughout the state (Main, 2004). Federal, state, and local incentives, cost share, and easement programs are available to ranchers in return for the ecosystem services provided (The Florida Conservation Group, 2021). The implementation of these programs has the potential to attract and foster habitat for dozens of fish and wildlife species, improve and maintain the aesthetic value of the ranch landscape, aid in mitigating many water management issues plaguing the state, and make a lasting impact across regional landscapes and the entire state (Gewin, 2020). The process for enrollment in these conservation programs is often competitive and time consuming, making it difficult for landowners to navigate the various funding opportunities (The Florida Conservation Group, 2021). Ranchers need a guiding voice to navigate policy and funding opportunities and its application to the individualized ranch landscape. Design and management implications resulting from these programs need to be further explored so that both the rancher and environment benefit (Boughton et al, 2019). Further, how these programs translate to site scale design and benefits to the environment and rancher have been under-explored and under-documented. How can landscape architects be involved and become leaders in innovative strategies for the continued operation of working Florida cattle ranches? To address this question, I will focus on the ranch site scale, explore what these interventions look like on site, how a landscape architect’s diverse skill sets and knowledge can contribute to these projects, and examine the inherent benefits they provide toward creating an economically and environmentally sustainable ranch operation. It is my belief that Landscape Architects possess the skillset, knowledge, and thought process to identify interventions on ranch operations which may not have been identified by other disciplines or stakeholders currently involved. Identified interventions can be funded through the leveraging of public funding and payment for ecosystem services, to help plan for Florida’s ranching future. Through coordinating cross disciplinary collaborations on ranch projects and illustrating a long-term vision for ranch lands, landscape architects can maximize their potential in terms of both ranch operation profitability and ecosystem services provided by the landscape. I will begin with a literature review briefly recounting Florida’s history of cattle ranching, then explain the fundamentals of cattle ranching in the state and highlight the ecosystem services provided by ranches in Florida. I will then introduce readers to federal, state, and local programs available to ranchers to sustain their ranch operations both economically and ecologically. I will highlight landscape architects’ historic involvement in similar projects and perform case studies from relevant projects where lessons learned can inform design and management decisions on Florida ranches. This information will be used to inform a mock design, management, and planning proposal applied to an example Florida ranch. A discussion section will reflect on the lessons learned and future steps for furthering the landscape architect’s role in the design, management, and conservation of Florida’s ranchlands.

Join author Carol Matthews on a galloping romp through the long history of Florida’s cracker horses and cattle. The first horses and cattle to set foot on the North American continent stepped onto Florida land, brought by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon in 1521 just south of present day Fort Myers. The animals were abandoned, formed wild herds and would be used by different groups for food, work, trade and transportation for the next 500 years. Cattle ranching was born when Jesuit and Franciscan Friars, also known as missionaries, set up a system of missions across north and north-central Florida. The largest ranch was Rancho de la Chua, located on what is now Paynes Prairie in Alachua County. As a result of this increase in cattle production, Florida rancheros began to sell cattle to Cuba. This was the first industry to develop in the New World and would continue for the next three hundred years. By the 1960s there were only a handful of pure cracker cattle and horses left. But herds were established on state lands, preserving a living link to Florida's past.