Cattle is a low-intensity land use cattle ranches like Blackbeard’s contain native habitats and protect our wildlife and water.As caretakers of the land we have both the privilege and the obligation to protect the habitat and wildlife on our ranchlands. We manage the ranch to ensure high-quality habitat for wildlife while a running a productive cattle operation.

The ranch provides an ecologically important buffer to the Myakka River State Park(one of Florida’s oldest and largest state parks) and it protects the headwaters to two significant slough systems that drain into the Myakka River and helps maintain water quality and quantity downstream and the Charlotte Harbor Estuary.

We work closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission the University of Florida’sInstitute of Food and Agricultural Sciences the Florida Department of Agriculture and ConsumerServices the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the USDA Natural ResourceConservation Service to help study and protect Florida’s natural ecosystems.

We are one of the last large intact ranch ownerships in our region an area that is rapidly facing changeand development. We believe it is critical now more than ever to protect our natural and agricultural landscapes as Florida continues to develop.