2021 Florida Ranches Calendar Celebrates 500-Year Anniversary of Cattle Ranching in Florida

Five hundred years ago, Ponce De Leon brought cattle to America’s first city of St. Augustine, making Florida our country’s first cattle state. Generations later, these cattlemen and cattlewomen are doing their part across the state to maintain natural Florida and preserve the environmental and cultural heritage on their ranch lands.  This year’s Florida Ranches Calendar will celebrate this milestone by highlighting a diversity of ranches and showcase the critical role they play in preserving Florida’s environmental, agricultural, and cultural heritage.

Stunning photographs from famed photojournalist and eighth-generation Floridian, Carlton Ward Jr. as well as wildlife photographer and conservation advocate Adam Bass are featured throughout the months along with winners from a photo contest conducted earlier this year. More than one hundred photos depicting daily life on ranches throughout the state were submitted to the online contest.

Coupled with informative captions for each image, the calendar offers a glimpse into life on a working ranch as well as their conservation successes and the continued progress of the Florida Wildlife Corridor – a statewide network of lands and waters that supports wildlife and people.

“Since the first printing of our award-winning Florida Ranches Calendar in 2006, we’ve used it as a tool to tell the story of Florida’s cattle ranches. It offers people everywhere a beautiful perspective and appreciation for Florida’s oldest environmental stewards,” said Stacy Ranieri, president and Chief Illuminator of the Firefly Group and publisher of the Florida Ranches Calendar.

In a time when everything seems to be online and digital, where a beautiful image is something you just scroll past in an Instagram feed, the Florida Ranches Calendar is a classic, printed wall calendar that people can enjoy all year round. 

“Let us also not forget that in these challenging times, ranchers are part of the essential workforce providing food for our nation. Their stories need to be shared and we are honored to help tell them,” added Ranieri.

Sponsors and supporters of the 2021 calendar include: Adams Ranch; Arcadia Stockyard; Archbold Buck Island; Blackbeard’s Ranch; Bonnie Landry & Associates; Carlton Ward; Conservation Floirda; Dean Mead; Family Lands Remembered; Flatwoods Consulting; Florida Cattlemen’s Association; Florida Cattlemen’s Foundation; Florida Crystals; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Florida Mineral Salt & Agricultural Products; Fraiser Family Farm; Kimley Horn & Associates; Kitson & Partners/ Babcock Ranch; Lucido & Associates; Neilco Cattle; Southport Ranch; Strickland Ranch; and Urban Economics.

To purchase the 2021 Florida Ranches Calendar go to floridaranchescalendar.com, call 772-287-5272, or email tiffany@fireflyforyou.com. Bulk order, wholesale and nonprofit rates are also available.

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Suggested photo caption: Three generations of the Lightsey family, along with crew, drive a herd of cattle across Otter Slough near the shoreline of Lake Kissimmee. Photography by Carlton Ward Jr. and featured as the cover of the 2020 Florida Ranches Calendar.