Region II
Immokalee, FL
FLORIDA RANCH HONORED FOR OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
JB Ranch is a third-generation cow-calf operation, owned and operated by Liesa and Russell Priddy. The ranch provides important habitat for more than 20 protected animal species including panthers, the Florida state animal. Resource management goals are intertwined and inseparable, and the removal of invasive species as well as ensuring water integrity are priorities. The Priddy’s have reduced invasive plant species by 90% utilizing various methods, including mechanical removal, prescribed burning and rotational grazing. Water quality has improved with the use of control structures and solar wells. As development encroaches, JB Ranch remains an oasis, and the Priddy’s have diversified their operation by harvesting cabbage palms and sod for landscaping as well as offering guided hunts.
“Our goal is quite simple: to ensure that the natural resources under our care are improved and maintained for the benefit of all living things that depend on the land for survival in an economically viable way,” said Liesa Priddy with JB Ranch. “We utilize a variety of practices to make that happen.”
