In the 25th year for the Environmental Stewardship Award Program, seven families, including the Carlton family who owns Bull Hammock Ranch in Florida, were honored this week for their outstanding land management practices during the 2015 Cattle Industry Summer Conference.
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DENVER, COLO. (July 16, 2015) – The Carlton family, owners of Florida’s Bull Hammock Ranch, was selected as one of seven regional honorees of the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP). The award, announced during the 2015 Cattle Industry Summer Conference, recognizes the outstanding stewardship practices employed on the ranch. This year’s regional winners will compete for the national award, which will be announced during the 25th anniversary celebration in January 2016.
ESAP is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation, and is presented to farmers and ranchers who demonstrate a commitment to protecting the farm and ranch land in their care.
“Bull Hammock Ranch and the other Carlton Family (Ru-Mar) Ranches are commercial cow-calf operations. They have an outstanding record for their environmental stewardship practices, water quality programs and management of exotic and invasive plants on their property,” said Jim Handley, executive vice president of Florida Cattlemen’s Association. “They have also proven to be pioneers in the conservation of water resources through their water movement, storage, and water farming practices.”
Bull Hammock Ranch has been owned and operated by the Carlton family since 1947. The ranch is a 7,500 acre cow-calf operation located in Martin County, Fla. Over the years, conservation practices have played an increasingly important role in agricultural operations. Wes Carlton and his sister, Mary Anne Cruse, along with other members of the Carlton family and a team of employees operate Bull Hammock Ranch and recognize the importance of environmental stewardship and conservation practices.
“We have very, very good land. It’s very rich soil, probably some of the better soil in the state of Florida,” said Wes Carlton. “That provides us the opportunity to have really, really good grazing year-round. Number one, we’re a grass farmer and that’s what we do first is grow grass or grow forage for our cows.”
Bull Hammock Ranch has worked with agencies such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the South Florida Water Management District to make the ranch a showcase for water storage and environmental stewardship. The ranch currently contains a water farming area, located in a former citrus grove, which stores and treats excess water. The water farming area can treat and store approximately 240 acre feet of water, which is critical to the long-term sustainability of local water resources benefiting nearby urban areas and the fragile ecosystems found along the coast.
“Storing water provides habitat for the animals that have been displaced because of the urban development,” said Carlton. “The wading birds, deer, and other wildlife have habitat here on the ranch which provides the animals with a home after being displaced by the development around us.”
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DENVER, Colo. (July 16, 2015) – Seven families were honored today for their outstanding land management practices during the 2015 Cattle Industry Summer Conference. The Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) honors the efforts of farmers and ranchers who are dedicated to maintaining and improving their lands to ensure that they are productive for future generations.
ESAP is celebrating its 25th anniversary during the year ahead. Regional and national award recipients serve as role models among their peers in the farming and ranching community, ensuring that the innovative conservation practices are widely adopted by other land managers.
Cattlemen and women are America’s original stewards of the land and the ESAP award honors their ongoing efforts to protect the environment. The program is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, USDA-NRCS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tyson Foods, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation.
The 2015 regional winners are: Valley View Farms, Harrisonburg, Va.; Bull Hammock Ranch, Fort Pierce, Fla.; Glenn and Bev Rowe, Lorimor, Iowa; 6666 Ranch, Gutherie, Texas; American Fork Ranch, Two Dot, Mont.; Maggie Creek Ranch, Elko, Nev.; and Kopriva Angus, Raymond, S.D.
“The cattlemen and women who we honor here this evening represent the very best traditions of American agriculture’s commitment to protecting and improving the environment for this and future generations,” said NCBA President Philip Ellis. “These men and women understand the importance of protecting our nation’s land, air and water resources. They know first-hand that implementing the practices which improve habitat also benefit the bottom line of individual operations.”
For the past quarter century the Environmental Stewardship Award Program has honored one operation from each of seven regions spanning the United States. Recipients of regional awards are then forwarded for consideration for the National Environmental Stewardship Award which is announced during the Annual Cattle Industry Convention. This year’s national award winner will be announced in San Diego, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2016, in conjunction with the Environmental Stewardship Award Program’s 25th anniversary celebration.