"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.

FLORIDA SUITED TO EXTENSIVE CATTLE RAISING."I am informed that Florida does not have to combat coyotes, which are our worst sheep enemies, so you really have no serious losses to anticipate on your sheep investments. And yet there are very few sheep on the ranges we have visited. It is to be hoped that your cattlemen will use more sheep on the ranges."A new era is dawning for the cattle business of Florida. The war has forced a reduction in the exports of turpentine and rosin, and the large land owners are turning their attention to improved stock raising. A packing house has been erected at Jacksonville. Systematic tick eradication is being carried on. Large tracts of land have been fenced and stocked. Hundreds of well-bred Texas cows and registered Hereford, Angus, Shorthorn and Brahma bulls are being purchased, and the work of breed improvement is growing in popularity.Nature has been very kind to Florida, providing delightful climate, fertile lands and adequate rainfall for farming purposes; broad prairies, carpeted with succulent grasses and watered by running streams for live stock raising; timber galore for sawmills, and countless beauty spots beckoning to tourists. But the citizens of that State have been slow to take advantage of their opportunities. Agriculture in many sections has been a neglected art. Practically all of the foodstuffs, including grain, meat, butter and eggs, have been produced outside the State. Colonization companies have devoted their energies to boosting orange orchards and truck gardens (the "poker game of agriculture"), and little organized effort has been made to attract farmers and stockmen of tireless energy--the backbone of any community.(cover image courtesy of Janne Karin Brodin)

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Cattle ranching has been of major significance to Florida since the 16th century; however, few are aware of the historic, ecologic, economic and cultural influence of this industry. This study investigates the origins and impacts of the traditional customs and practices of Florida's cattle ranchers, who preserve and reinvent this rich heritage today. Ranchers live closely with the land and their animals and, due to the often-uncertain and cyclical nature of the business, must possess resourcefulness and initiative to prosper. The image of the stoic cowboy has long been associated with the American West, yet before longhorn cattle ever crossed the western plains, Florida frontiers were populated with herds of unique "cracker" cows, descendants of cattle left behind by early Spanish settlers. Like the West, Florida experienced conflicts between ranchers and other land claimants, issues that continue in the 21st century. Modern ranchers contend with developers, environmental concerns, and increasing regulation, yet they persevere in passing on their cultural heritage. Agricultural lifestyles can be emotionally fulfilling, but stewardship of land and animals can be stressful and labor-intensive. Motivation to continue these customs may be enhanced by identification with cowboys of popular American media, enhanced by physical immersion in a similar setting. Optimal agricultural practices have been well researched; however, anthropology provides a useful lens to examine customs and practices of Florida's cattle ranchers. Anthropologists have long been concerned with the dynamic relationship between human culture and the environment, examining how the physical landscape and ecological niches shape and are shaped by those who inhabit them. As globalized trade markets, technology, and economies expand, influencing agricultural practices and destroying natural habitats, diachronic studies of changing environments, economic and sociocultural influences in geographically bounded locales can be helpful in understanding this process. However, a key consideration is the fact that culture is not static, but ever changing, thus the most important aspects of tradition and heritage that we choose to retain and reinvent may provide the most telling insight into any society.

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 today's 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.