6 Biggest Ranches in Florida

When people think of Florida, they think of sunshine, beaches, and Disney World. However, the Sunshine State is also home to some of the biggest ranches in America.

The first cattle to arrive in what is now America were brought to Florida in 1521 by Ponce de Leon. Ranching soon became an established industry in the state, with cowboys having to navigate through the swamps and thickets of Florida. The cowboys would crack their whips to guide the cattle through the swampy terrain of Flordia, gaining them the nickname Cracker Cowboys.

The cattle business remains booming in Florida, with the state ranking number nine in beef cow states in America. There are approximately 900,000 head of cattle in Florida, with the cowboy lifestyle still thriving throughout parts of the state.

Here is a look at six of the biggest ranches in Florida.

1. Lykes Ranch – 337,000 Acres

Located in the Glades and Highlands counties of Florida, Lykes Ranch spreads across a whopping 337,000 acres, making it one of the largest contiguous pieces of land in the state. Lkyes Ranch is a division of Lkyes Brothers Inc. which consists of 575,000 acres in Florida and Texas. The business has operations for cattle, farming, forestry, hunting, and land and water resources.

Lykes Ranch was founded over 100 years ago by Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes who left behind a career in medicine for a homestead in rural Hernando County. Dr. Lykes began raising cattle and growing citrus fruit.

Eventually, Dr. Lykes moved his operation to Tampa where he shipped cattle to Cuba. All of Lykes seven sons went on to join the family business and the ranch is still run by his descendants today. The Florida operation is home to integrated cow-calf, forestry, sugar cane, and landscape operations.

2. Deseret Ranch – 295,000 Acres

Deseret Ranch consists of approximately 295,000 acres of land across Orange, Osceola, and Brevard counties. The ranch, founded in 1950, is owned by Farmland Reserve, Inc., an entity of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Spanning wetlands and woodlands, the Florida ranch is home to cattle and citrus operations. They have worked to deliver safe and nutritious food to stores and pantries across the country. The ranch also operates an environmental stewardship program working to preserve the natural beauty of Florida.

Deseret Ranch has also served as a laboratory for research and innovation in agricultural sciences. Specialists from the University of Florida have worked alongside the ranch as a model for students and visitors.

3. Blue Head Ranch – 66,128 Acres

Blue Head Ranch, formerly owned by businessman Ben Hill Griffin, Jr., consists of 66,128 acres of land in Highlands County. After passing in 1990, Griffin’s children inherited the ranch and continued to manage the property.

Griffin was given ten acres of citrus grove from his father as a wedding gift. He turned the small citrus farm into a multi-million dollar business conglomerate. Blue Head Ranch has now changed ownership and its current status is unknown.

The ranch is home to fruit groves, agricultural land, and prairie lands used for cattle grazing. In addition, the property also has hay production and hunting operations. The ranch, knowns for its conservation efforts, has one of the largest natural tributaries leading into Lake Okeechobee.

4. Adams Ranch – 40,000 Acres

Adam Ranch consists of approximately 40,000 acres across St. Lucie, Madison, Okeechobee, and Osceola Counties, with its headquarters in Fort Pierce. Founded in 1937, the ranch is a fourth-generation cattle operation.

Adams Ranch is dedicated to using only natural cattle breeding, calving, weaning, and growing practices in its beautiful Florida pastures. They raise the Bradford breed of cattle and are now the 15th-ranked cow-calf ranch in the country.

In addition to raising cattle, Adams Ranch is also dedicated to preserving the natural vegetation, wildlife, and Florida’s heritage through environmental stewardship. In a span of 12 years, the ranch has placed over 6,000 acres of land in Osceola County under conservation easements.

5. King Ranch – 20,000 Acres

King Ranch is best known for being the largest ranch in America, encompassing 825,000 acres of land in Texas. However, many people don’t realize the historic cattle ranch also has a location in Florida.

Though King Ranch once had 42,000 acres of land in Florida, it has been pared down to 20,000 acres. While originally a cattle operation, the Florida location of King Ranch now consists of sugar cane, sod, sweet corn, green bean, and specialty lettuce production. In addition, King Ranch is also the largest orange juice producer in the United States.

The Florida branch of King Ranch is located in the Everglades Agricultural Area. The quality rangeland grasses allow for a highly productive sod operation.

6. Two Rivers Ranch – 11,500 Acres

Located in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Hernando Counties, Two Rivers Ranch consists of 12,000 acres of land. The ranch got its name from the two rivers that converge on the property, the Hillsborough River and Blackwater Creek.

The ranch is owned and operated by the family of Robert Thomas and is mostly a privately owned cow-calf business.

In addition to cattle, Two Rivers Ranch gained recognition for its dedication to environmental stewardship. They were even honored by the Environmental Stewardship Award Program.

In 2022, 5000 acres of the ranch were sold for $22 million to a private developer, 2000 of which will be used for a luxury golf and equestrian community.