The Great Florida Cattle Drive, Jan. 25-31, will travel through parts of Florida rarely seen by humans. The drive will cross 13 different properties – much of it ranchland preserved in its natural state. It’s a part of Florida that many people don’t realize exists.

The cattle drive celebrates the importance of cattle, the cattle industry and the Cracker Cow Hunter culture in the history of the state.

Along the way, the participants will camp under the stars. Each rider is allowed to bring up to 60 pounds of gear, which is packed up each morning and hauled to the next camp site while the riders are on the trail. Evening programs celebrate the state’s history and heritage.

The DeLuca Preserve

The drive will start at the DeLuca Preserve off State Road 60, west of YeeHaw Junction, with participants gathering there on Saturday, Jan. 24 and Sunday, Jan. 25, camping there and heading out on the cattle drive in the morning on Jan. 26.

The 27,000-acre property was donated to the University of Florida by Elisabeth DeLuca in 2020, with the intent to protect the large natural area and serve as a living classroom and laboratory for UF students. The UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), along with numerous colleges within the university, direct research on the property.

The land is protected by a conservation easement. Ducks Unlimited – the world’s largest not-for-profit organization dedicated to wetlands conservation – was selected to be the recipient of the easement. Together, UF and Ducks Unlimited make sure the land remains protected.

Cattle roam portions of the preserve. Research conducted at the Archbold Biological Station showed cattle are critical to maintaining Florida’s natural ecosystems. The cattle take the place in the food chain once held by bison.

The DeLuca Preserve contains multiple different habitats. Public use is limited to arranged visits for organized tours and volunteer activities.

Harvey Ranch

Leaving the DeLuca Property, the drive will cross ranchland owned by “Doc” Jim Harvey. Harvey, a retired veterinarian, said the property is right on Osceola County line. He said his father purchased the land in the 1970s and it has always been used for cattle and horses.

Harvey said his father was a charter member in the group dedicated to preserving Florida Cracker Horses as a breed. The Cracker horses trace their lineage back to the horses brought to Florida by the Spanish explorers.

He said his father managed the land, trying to maintain a lot of the natural vegetation and trees. “My dad was a good steward of the land before they knew what an environmentalist was,” he explained.

Participants on the Great Florida Cattle Drive will be crossing a lot of “old Florida,” said Harvey. “You’re fixing to see some parts of Florida that most folks never get to see.”

Abington Preserve

Leaving the Harvey ranch, the cattle drive will travel through the Abington Preserve.

The Abington Preserve, located in Okeechobee County is under conservation easements through the Florida Forever Project.

The 3,658-acre property is a working cattle ranch, explained Ron Grigsby. He said it is also used as a hunting preserve and for recreation.

“It’s a beautiful piece of land,” said Grigsby. “It belonged to a man from England who used it as a getaway. It hasn’t changed in 75 years.”

The preserve has a typical landscape for the area, with a mixture of prairie and hammocks. It’s home to a variety of wildlife including deer, turkey and wild hogs. “It’s a turkey and deer paradise,” said Grigsby.

He said they’re excited to be a part of the Great Florida Cattle Drive.

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

With special permission from the Florida Park Service, the Great Florida Cattle Drive route includes a portion of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. The park is the largest remaining tract of Florida dry prairie, covering 48,000 acres.

According to the Florida State Park website, the park’s main drive was part of the Peavine Railroad.

It was built in the early 1900s to accommodate the land boom in central and south Florida. The rail line no longer exists, but its few years of operation continue to influence this land.

The railroad built by the Colonization Land Company ran from Kenansville to its southern terminus at Prairie Ridge, a community that existed partially in what is today Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. Many potential property investors were hauled into the dry prairie ecosystem to a hotel during the winter months when the temperatures were pleasant and the soil was dry.

Some purchased land and then were astounded by the intense, waterlogged summers and were forced to leave. After many attempts to farm the land at Kissimmee Prairie, farmers realized this land was better suited for cattle grazing. Soon after, the Colonization Land Company went bankrupt and the elevated rail line was dismantled.

Some pioneers of the Kissimmee River Valley's expansive grasslands began pursuing the free-roaming cattle that had descended from Spanish explorers' herds. Settlers traveled Peavine Road to trade, gather supplies and socialize. In the late 1940s, the Latt Maxcy Corporation purchased and fenced their property, preventing people from traveling Peavine Road. They altered some of the prairie by digging ditches and cultivating pasture grasses and agricultural fields.

Most of the property was managed as native range, using fire to rejuvenate the grasses for the cattle.  The dry prairie ecosystem burns more frequently than any other ecosystem in Florida, every one to three years. During the spring and summer, lightning starts most of the fires, reducing the woody encroachment, fertilizing the prairie and providing prosperous habitat for the various prairie species. 

Around 1940, the military acquired a large portion of land to train B-17 aircraft crews in air-to-ground bombings during World War II. The new training ground was called Avon Park Army Air Field. B-17 bombers and other aircraft used bombs ranging from 15-pound practice bombs to 2,000-pound demolition bombs containing 2-ton high explosives.

Accidental fires caused by exploding bombs probably contributed to keeping the prairie in excellent condition, like the fires that start naturally. After World War II, the military put part of the land up for sale. Initially, the land was purchased by various cattlemen.

In 1997, the state of Florida acquired 48,000 acres to establish Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. Although there were several old military targets within the Preserve, over time the prairie has reclaimed them. Adjacent to the west boundary of the Preserve, across the Kissimmee River, the Avon Park Air Force Range is active today. 

Trail includes more ranchland

Leaving the park, the Great Florida Cattle Drive will travel through the Crippen Properties, Bar 87 Ranch, Unlimited Farms, Eagle Island Ranch, FPL property, Steve Palmer’s Ranch, Dixie Ranch, property owned by Rucks Family Trust, South Florida Water Management District property and DWH Development property, and end on Saturday, Jan. 31 at the Okeechobee Cattlemen’s Rodeo Arena.

Eagle Island Ranch & Unlimited Farms

Lazaro and Amber Caballero own Unlimited Farms and Eagle Island Ranch. Lazaro said he got his start in the cattle business in the fourth grade, as his best friends were members of the Pearce family at L-Cross Ranch.

“They taught me a lot about cattle,” he said. “When I was 18, Bobby Fulford co-signed for me to own my own herd of cattle.”

From that start, Lazaro, along with his family, grew the business to thousands of acres and thousands of cattle in South Florida, as well as sod operations, on properties from Lake Wales to the north and the Miccosukee Tribal Lands to the south.

Lazaro said he concentrates on Brangus and Brahman cattle. Eagle Island Ranch is where he raises heifers that are later moved onto ranches throughout the state.

The family business includes Bryson Caballero, Tierra Platt and Garrett Marcum.

Lazaro said he plans to join in the cattle drive when they cross his ranch.

Dixie Ranch

The cattle drive will spend about half a day traveling through Dixie Ranch, owned by the Larson family. The property is mostly improved grasslands with a few ponds, said Woody Lason. It should be fairly easy going, he said, although there is “one big slough they have to cross.”

The weather has been fairly dry lately, he said. “Four months ago, that area would have been pretty wet.”

Dixie Ranch is one of the oldest and most historic ranches in Florida. The original Dixie Ranch spanned from Highway 60 all the way to Lake Okeechobee, covering almost 500,000 acres. Over the years, portions of the ranch were sold off. In 1974, the Larson family acquired about 4,600 acres, including the part of the ranch where the headquarters was located, and thus retained the “Dixie Ranch” name.

Larson said his 441 Cattle Company also leases the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) property where the Great Florida Cattle Drive will camp.  SFWMD often leases public land for cattle grazing because the cattle are a natural biological control for both the native vegetation and some of the invasive plants.

The SFWMD property is home to deer, turkeys, wild hogs and other wildlife.

On Saturday, Jan. 31, the Great Florida Cattle Drive will conclude at the Okeechobee Cattlemen’s Rodeo Arena on 1885 U.S. Highway 441 N. A Heritage Festival. Gates open at 9 a.m. Spectators will watch the cattle arrive from the drive around 11 a.m.  (Time is subject to change. Cattle can be unpredictable.) The Heritage Festival will include local art displays, a Brisket Cookoff, Cow dog and Horse demonstrations, a Vendor Market, a Kids Zone, Mutton Bustin’ competition, live music and more. For tickets, go online to Eventbrite.com. For information about the Brisket Cookoff, call 863-634-0650. Mutton Bustin’ participants must sign up in advance by calling 863-634-1980; the event will be limited to 20 contestants. Mutton Busters’ weight limit is maximum of 50 pounds.