Crops & Livestock | Farm | Farm Life

The Success of Strickland Ranch Centers on Stewardship

Cattle, birds and palm trees at Strickland Ranch
Jim Strickland focuses on sustainable operations, best conservation practices and land stewardship in all his ranching endeavors. Photo credit: Edward Linsmier

Jim Strickland, owner of Strickland Ranch, is a cowboy and a conservationist. A Manatee County native, he grew up ranching with his father on Florida’s west coast. He bought his first cows when he was 13 and took over the family ranch four years later when his father died unexpectedly. For six decades, he has been committed to the cattle, the woods and the wildlife.

“I’ve been a rancher my whole life. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” he says. “To me, doing it well means taking a big picture view that includes not only a strong passion for the work but also a love of and appreciation for the land.”

For Strickland, that obligation to the land begins with his commitment to sustainable practices and advocacy for the Florida ranching industry.

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“Ranchers make up less than 1.5% of the population in Florida,” he says. “And with more than 1,000 people moving to Florida every day, we have to ensure that the public knows the value of the ranching industry, not just in terms of food production, but in terms of what it provides for the health and well-being of our citizens.”

Science is the perfect partner for quantifying the value of the ranching industry, Strickland says.

“A cattle ranch is the next best thing to pristine wilderness,” he explains. “It’s a wildlife corridor, a home and a highway for endangered species. It includes wetlands that sequester carbon and provide recharge for the aquifer. The trees in the woodland turn carbon into oxygen. There are so many benefits, and to get that information across, I believe it’s best to walk hand in hand with a scientist. Their research and data can tell a strong story that supports the value of ranching.”

See more: Lynn Mills Carries on the Family Legacy of Cattle Ranching

A Cowboy Story

Jim Strickland with his horse
Photo credit: Edward Linsmier

The Strickland ranching story is a multigenerational one, with roots in Florida from before the Civil War. Strickland’s father, Hiram, began his operation in the 1930s on leased lands in Manatee County. Hiram was a woodsman who encouraged his son’s interests and inspired his love of the land.

To learn more about Strickland Ranch, visit stricklandranch.com.

“He had me work at other ranches and provided opportunities for me to explore other interests because he knew I wanted to be a cowboy but would benefit from being exposed to life beyond the ranch. It was part of how he handed down his love for the land,” Strickland says.

He has built on that family legacy in a big way, as the owner of Strickland Ranch and managing partner of Big Red Cattle Co.

Photo credit: Edward Linsmier

Along with 12 other ranchers, he is also a partner in Florida Cattle Ranchers, an organization committed to producing cattle born and raised in Florida. In addition, he is the managing partner of Blackbeard’s Ranch, which borders Myakka River State Park and is one of the last large intact working cow-calf ranch operations in the area.

All of these ranches are committed to sustainable operations, best conservation practices and land stewardship. In fact, over the past three years, Blackbeard’s Ranch has earned the Florida Cattlemen’s Association Environmental Stewardship Award, the Florida Agriculture Commissioner’s Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Environmental Stewardship Award. Strickland was also named Audubon Florida’s Sustainable Rancher of the Year and is a recipient of the Florida Farm Bureau CARES award.

Advocating for Agriculture

Jim Strickland holding his goddaughter
Rancher Jim Strickland, with his goddaughter, Ayla, at Strickland Ranch in Myakka City. Photo credit: Edward Linsmier

Strickland’s interest in conservation is built on science.

“It’s about saving land and ensuring smart development,” he says. “I’m not anti-growth or anti-housing. We have to be able to accommodate the growing number of people who move to our great state. But we also have to recognize that they move here because there are so many things that make Florida special, like the quality of life and opportunities for recreation, which means green space, good water and a healthy environment. We need to consider those things in making development decisions, and we need to share the story of how the ranching industry promotes stewardship and conservation.”

Cattle at Strickland Ranch
Photo credit: Edward Linsmier

That’s where science comes in, Strickland says. He points to the Florida Conservation Group efforts, where he serves as vice-chairman, and scientists, like FCG Director Julie Morris, who educate and advocate for the protection of Florida’s ranchlands. He is also co-chair of the Florida Climate Smart Agriculture (FLCSA) Work Group, which he sees playing an important future role in advocating for agriculture.

“Artificial intelligence will be the vehicle that shows the value of passive ranchlands, and the FLCSA is focused on that work,” Strickland says. “It will give us quantifiable information that we can share with policymakers as they make future development decisions. While it will require an investment of time and technology, in the end, we will have valuable information on what an acre of dirt is worth to the whole society and what the value of conservation is for future generations.”

See more: Dakin Dairy Farms Owner Named Florida Farm Bureau Farmer of the Year