The Florida Grazing Lands Coalition, or FGLC, and the Florida Section of the Society for Range Management of have announced they’ve presented Williamson Cattle Company Okeechobee, Florida with the second annual Grazing Lands Stewardship Award. This award recognizes contributions to the ranching community in the areas of grazing and wildlife management.
Williamson Cattle Company is a family owned and operated agricultural business located in rural Okeechobee, Florida. Okeechobee is one of the largest cattle counties in the Southeast and is unique for Florida in that there are four times as many cattle as residents. Okeechobee is located with-in 150 miles of 10 million Florida residents.
Frank Williamson Senior’s father John Williamson came to Florida in 1896. Frank Williamson Sr. came to Okeechobee in 1941 from Pinellas County and purchased the land, which came to be known as Williamson Cattle Company in the late 1940s. Frank “Sonny” Williamson Jr. and his son Frank “Wes” Williamson III currently run the 9,000-acre Okeechobee ranch. Wes’ son John Williamson, the fourth generation cattleman of the family, runs the Alabama ranch. The fifth, sixth and seventh generation Floridians pride themselves in running a hands-on owner operated ranch. In 2000 the Williamson’s celebrated 50 years of Ranching in Okeechobee, Florida. They are looking forward to the future challenges and rewards associated with agricultural life in Florida and Alabama.
On October 21, 2010, during a joint SRM and FGLC meeting and tour of the ranch, an award will be presented to the Williamson Cattle Company.
For more information about the award please visit:
Florida Section of the Society for Range Management (SRM)
http://flsrm.ces.fau.edu/index.php
or
Florida Grazing Lands Coalition (FGLC)
http://www.ces.fau.edu/fglc/
For more information about the Williamson Cattle Company –
http://www.williamsoncattleco.com/