OKEECHOBEE – A piece of Great Florida Cattle Drive history is on display at the Okeechobee Livestock Market on U.S. 98.

The longhorn steer skull comes with a story.

“In 1988, Taylor Holmes came to work with us,” said Woody Larson, whose Dixie Ranch is one of the properties the 2026 Great Florida Cattle Drive will cross. “Taylor liked Longhorn and Cracker cattle so he and I put together a small herd of Longhorns to graze the fenced off ditch banks of Dixie Ranch.

“Every year we would sell our yearlings to Alan Lewis for roping stock. Alan had an arena at his house where Justin Lewis, Keith Lewis, Sam Clemons, Will Croncich and other young teenagers practiced their roping skills.

“Alan kept a couple of the big horned steers to go on the ‘Florida Cracker Cattle Drive’ of 1995, to celebrate 150 years of statehood. Every county sent a few cattle and good cowboy or two. The trail drive started at the Adams Ranch on Highway 60 and went through various ranches all the way to the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee. The cattle were branded ‘F98’ to identify them as part of the drive.

“When the cattle drive was over, these two ‘big horned’ steers came back to the Dixie Ranch where they served as lead steers for many years. In 2005, Hurricane Wilma devastated South Florida. Jeff Clemons asked if I had any beef I could donate to help feed people out of power. I gave the two big steers and Joey Davis volunteered to butcher them. The meat was processed locally and taken to Palm Beach County Faith Farm for distribution. We got the hides tanned and we kept the skulls. A few years later, artist Hobby Campbell painted the skulls – one for Taylor Holmes and one for Jeff Clemons. Jeff’s is on display in the Okeechobee Livestock Market Restaurant.”

The original Great Florida Cattle Drive was held in 1995 as a way for Florida Cattlemen to commemorate the state's 150th birthday. The vision was to reenact one of the historic Cracker Cattle Drives, involving members of the Florida Cattlemen's Association from each of the state's cattle counties.

That drive involved 1,000 head of certified Cracker Cattle, more than 600 horses and riders, 25 wagons and a few hardy re-enactors who walked the entire way.

That drive sparked the formation of the Florida Cow Culture Preservation Committee. In 2006, the committee organized a second drive, with 500 cattle and about 450 horses and riders.

Ten years later, the third Great Florida Cattle Drive took place in 2016. This time the participants faced harsh weather with heavy rains and cold temperatures. They endured, proving the drive's motto "It' aint for sissies!"

The committee discussed holding the drive every 10 years. They made a special exception for a special drive to honor the 500th anniversary of the arrival of cattle in Florida. This drive -- originally planned for 2021 but delayed a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic -- recognized Florida as the birthplace of the American cattle industry.

Jan. 26-31, 2026, the Great Florida Cattle Drive rides again. The 2026 drive follows the 10-year interval of the regular drives. The drive will start near Yeehaw Junction and go south this time, zig-zagging over ranchland to the Okeechobee Cattlemen's Rodeo Arena on U.S. 441.