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(FDACS/TALLAHASSEE, FL/Oct. 23, 2024) — Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation announced Cary and Marcia Lightsey, Madeline Mellinger, and Jim Strickland as the 2025 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame inductees. Since 1980, the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame has honored men and women who have made lasting contributions to agriculture in the state and to mentoring of our youth, who represent the future of agriculture in Florida. The induction ceremony will be held at the Florida State Fair’s Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet on February 11, 2025.
“Today, I am proud to announce new inductees into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame for their outstanding contributions to Florida’s agriculture community,” said Commissioner Simpson. “Cary and Marcia Lightsey, Madeline Mellinger, and Jim Strickland have each made remarkable contributions that extend well beyond their own operations, driving progress in conservation, sustainability, and leadership. Their impact will be felt across our state for years to come.”
Cary and Marcia Lightsey
Cary Lightsey is a sixth-generation Florida cattle rancher who married his high school sweetheart, Marcia, in 1973. Together, they not only saved the family ranch during hard economic times, they also expanded and diversified the operations and became leaders in the conservation arena.
The Lightseys strongly believe in landowners participating in strategies that benefit all of society. They strive to highlight the stewardship ranchers provide for wildlife and water. They have committed 80 percent of their land to conservation easements. In doing so, they have preserved thousands of environmentally sensitive acres, wetlands and areas populated by endangered plant and animal species, creating a vast holding of lands that will allow generations of Floridians to see landscapes much like those of centuries ago. This includes the notable Brama Island, home to bald eagles, caracaras, snail kites and dozens of other rare and endangered species.
The Lightseys are also passionate about sharing the conservation story. They have been featured in several documentaries, media pieces, and social media posts throughout the years. Their latest focus is working with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation and its “The Path of the Panther” project. They have also hosted numerous tours of their ranches and ecological sites to allow students and other groups to see the operations firsthand for a better appreciation of their impacts.
Cary and Marcia are also active in mentoring Florida’s youth. Among other activities, Cary has shared his experience and expertise at Warner University’s Agricultural Program while Marcia has served as a volunteer teacher for Florida’s Agriculture in the Classroom program since 1999.
The couple is involved with a multitude of organizations including the local, state and national Cattlemen’s Association and CattleWomen, Inc., the local and state Farm Bureau, the Nature Conservancy, Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, the Florida State Fair, Florida Cattle Ranchers, Warner University, and more.
Previous recognitions and awards include Southeast Expo/Swisher Sweets Farmer of the Year, Florida Agriculture Commissioner’s Ag-Environmental Leadership Award, Florida Wildlife Federation Land Conservationist of the Year, Conservation Legacy Award from Conservation Florida and the Audubon of Florida Sustainable Rancher of the Year, among others. Notably, Marcia was also honored as Florida’s 2009 Woman of the Year in Agriculture.
Cary and Marcia work the ranches with their children and grandchildren, passing their legacy on to the seventh and eighth generations of Florida cattle ranchers.
Madeline Mellinger
Madeline Mellinger is an innovator in the field of integrated pest management and sustainable systems production who has dedicated more than 50 years to Florida agriculture. As a business owner, scientist and mentor, she has contributed greatly to the agricultural industry and to the development of its next generation of growers.
Madeline Mellinger founded Glades Crop Care Inc. in 1972. She remains its CEO today. Through her business, Madeline has changed the way farmers in Florida approach pest and disease control. Among other achievements, her work showed producers that they could shift from calendar-based to need-based pesticide application, saving farmers money and reducing negative environmental impact while assuring high quality harvests. As a result, Glades Crop Care Inc. was selected as a founding supporter of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program.
Madeline’s expertise benefitted several organizations. She has served as an advisor to the U.S. Congress, National Academy of Sciences, the Environmental Protection Agency, the federal and state Extension Service and various universities. Beginning in 1992, she was appointed by three U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture to the National Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Council. She is a Farm Foundation Fellow and Past President of the National Alliance of Crop Consultants and the Florida Ag Council.
Madeline has also contributed to our state’s agricultural industry by tirelessly advocating for the land-grant system. Since 1997, she has served as a University of Florida delegate to the Council for Agriculture Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. She also served as the liaison to the Extension Committee on Policy and the National Association of Counties.
Madeline is also well known for her passion and support for the development of young professionals within the agricultural industry. She is recognized among her peers for her work as a mentor to women seeking to become agricultural leaders and for the establishment of the Foundation of Environmental Agriculture Education, which funds scholarships for students who major in crop production or related fields. She is called the Godmother of the University of Florida Doctor of Plant Medicine program for her efforts in starting and supporting that unique program.
Repeatedly recognized for her service, Madeline has been named Florida’s Woman of the Year in Agriculture, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Outstanding Extension Volunteer, UF/IFAS Friend of IFAS, the National Association of County Agricultural Agents’ Outstanding Agriculturalist, and one of Florida Trend’s Florida 500: Florida’s Most Influential Business Leaders. She has also been inducted into the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative Research and Extension Services Hall of Fame.
Jim Strickland
James Arthur “Jim” Strickland, Sr., has six decades of ranching experience. Born into a family that has been ranching in Florida since the 1800s, Jim grew up working with his father along the west coast of Florida. When his father died in the 1970s, Jim took over the family cattle operations at the age of 17, primarily leasing land for cattle. He and his family own Strickland Ranch and Lost Girl Prairie Ranch; he is also the managing partner of Big Red Cattle Company and Blackbeard’s Ranch.
His passion for agriculture and conservation began at a young age, as increasing development pushed his operations farther and farther inland. He serves as co-chair of the Florida Climate Smart Agriculture Work Group, which focuses on addressing climate change impacts via agricultural land conservation and furthering research on the ecosystem services provided by agricultural land. He is also vice chair of the Florida Conservation Group, a science-based organization focused on protecting Florida’s ranchlands. In this capacity, he serves as a spokesman on ranchland conservation and on the need for conservation funding to protect Florida.
Jim is a past President of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association and past Chairman of the Florida Cattlemen’s Foundation. He has also served two terms as the Chairman of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Political Action Committee. He is active in the Farm Bureau on the county, state and federal levels and is a Florida State Committee Member of the USDA Farm Service Agency. He sits on the board of the Florida Agriculture Center and Horse Park. Jim also sits on the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Environmental Stewardship Awards Selection Committee, which recognizes and awards the ranches demonstrating outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements across the nation.
Jim has been widely recognized for his work in agriculture and conservation. He was honored as the 2019 Audubon Florida’s Sustainable Rancher of the Year and named as one of Florida Trend’s Florida 500: Most Influential Business Leaders from 2018 to 2023. Under his leadership, Blackbeard’s Ranch was awarded the 2018 Florida Cattlemen’s Association Environmental Stewardship Award, Florida Agricultural Commissioner’s 2018 Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award and was the national winner for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s 2019 Environmental Stewardship Award.
Jim lives in southwest Florida with his wife Julie and their two daughters, Ayla and Sabal. Jim’s son JJ is a United States Diplomat and Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army; JJ resides overseas with his wife Sara and Jim’s granddaughter Quinn. Jim looks forward to his daughters and granddaughter taking over the family ranching operations one day.
More information on the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame and the banquet can be found at FloridaAgHallofFame.org
For more information about Commissioner Simpson and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FDACS.gov.