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Blackbeard’s Ranch Commissioner’s Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award Blackbeard’s Ranch is a 4500-acre working cow-calf operation located on the Myakka Prairie in Manatee County. Blackbeard’s is one of the last large intact ownerships in a region facing changes and development. The current owners believe it is critical to protect our natural and agricultural landscape; they bought Blackbeard’s in 2014 with the intention of protecting the property. Managing partner Jim Strickland is pursuing conservation easements with the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program and Florida Forever. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) just completed a Wetland Reserve Easement on

Audubon Florida Sustainable Rancher of the Year 2019: Jim Strickland Audubon Florida is presenting its 2019 “Sustainable Rancher of the Year” award at the Florida Cattlemen’s Association annual convention at Marco Island to Jim Strickland, a rancher with six decades of experience in the industry. Each year, Audubon honors a rancher who has demonstrated exemplary environmentally-sustainable ranching practices and makes efforts to conserve native wildlife habitat. Audubon is honored to be able to present this award to Jim Strickland this year. Jim Strickland grew up ranching with his father along the west coast of Florida in the 1950s and 1960s. Jim

BLACKBEARD’S RANCH Year Inducted: 2019 Region II Myakka City, Florida THE STRICKLAND FAMILY FLORIDA RANCH FOR OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP DENVER (July 30, 2019) – Blackbeard’s Ranch, in Myakka City, Fla., has been selected as one of seven regional finalists of the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP). The award, announced during the 2019 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting July 30 recognizes the operation’s outstanding stewardship and conservation efforts. This year’s regional winners will compete for the national award, which will be announced during the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio, Texas, in February. Established in 1991 by the National Cattlemen’s

First All Florida Beef, Born and Raised, in Decades Lake Wales, April 14, 2016 – Florida Cattle Ranchers, LLC announced today that its ranchers are bringing to Floridians something they haven’t had in decades – homegrown beef born and raised in Florida. Their focus – raising high quality beef using wholesome, humane practices, and building a Sustainable Florida. Why Homegrown Is Better “Most people believe homegrown is better. We know it is. By returning homegrown beef to our state we are helping Florida on multiple levels. We are improving the environment, open spaces, wildlife habitats, our natural resources, the economy,

BY JAMES A. JONES JR.jajones1@bradenton.com EAST MANATEE — Sixteen children of special operations members killed in the Iraq War are taking part in Operation Blackbeard in East Manatee. The group of Gold Star Teens range in age from 13 to 18 and includes girls and boys who are participating in horseback riding, hunting and other activities. They are drawn from around the United States from a pool of about 130 in the program. Many of the volunteers running the camp knew the teens’ parents and feel a responsibility to help the youngsters grow in confidence and succeed in the future.