When people think about Florida they usually think about theme parks, beautiful beaches, and exotic plants and wildlife. Their first thought is not usually about cows. But, cattle, both beef and dairy, are a huge industry in Florida and contribute greatly to our state’s economy. In fact, Florida is currently the 12th largest beef producing state and is home to half of the top ten calf producing herds in the United States. In Florida, sales of beef cattle and beef breeding stock bring in over $1 billion per year!

Cattle were first introduced into Florida in the early 1500’s by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. Some of those original cattle managed to escape into the wild and began breeding, producing the “cracker” or “Criollo” breed. The first “ranches” were started in association with the colonization of the city of St. Augustine (the oldest city in the United States) in 1565, making Florida the first state in the country (although it wasn’t a state back then!) to have organized cattle ranching. The cattle to start those first ranches were imported from Cuba and Spain and were used to feed the fort and community of St. Augustine. By the early 1600s the Spanish clergy were also raising cattle to feed themselves and the surrounding settlements.

Over the years, those cattle imported from Europe and Cuba bred with the cracker cows and produced a “breed” that was very resilient. They were able to survive the heat of the subtropical climate and the insects and parasites that come with that environment. They became immune to many different diseases, and they managed on nothing but native grasses and forage. By the time Florida became a state in 1821, those cattle were well established, and they became the basis for today’s heat, pest, and parasite resistant breeds. Of course, other breeds have also been introduced into the state since then and have added to the hardiness of Florida cattle. Florida cattle today are used all over the world to stock ranches and farms due to their resilience.

Today almost half of the agricultural land in Florida is used for cattle ranching. Their toughness allows beef cattle the graze on grasslands, sandhills, wetlands, marshes, prairie land, and forested regions. Many of the beef cattle ranches have been family owned for generations and not only do these people preserve the lands for future generations of people and cattle, but also for the native wildlife and plants. Many types of native animals, birds, and plants thrive on acreage that has been set aside for cattle. Cattle ranches are also important in filtering the native aquifer making the water more suitable for drinking. So the next time you think about Florida don’t forget our fun parks and beautiful beaches, but also don’t forget our longstanding and profitable cattle industry!