Vick and Faye Blackstone came to Florida as traveling rodeo performers and made the state their home, dedicating themselves to agricultural pursuits and to passing on their knowledge of horses and cattle to future generations. Among Vick’s many remarkable achievements was being named several times Florida Rodeo Cowboy of the Year by virtue of earning...

Al Bellotto He is a respected leader in much of Florida’s agriculture industry, but Al Bellotto will always be known as one of the state’s renowned cattlemen and citrus growers. Born February 15, 1925, in a Dundee, Florida, log house, Bellotto started his cattle herd at age 11. Working for 50 cents a day, he...

Bert J. Harris, Jr. Known as a champion of private property rights in Florida, former State Representative Bert J. Harris Jr., made the promotion of agriculture his life’s avocation. A 1943 honors graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in agriculture, Harris served as a corporal in the U.S. Army Air Corps during...

Alto “Bud” Lee Adams, Jr., is renowned for his outstanding environmental stewardship and wildlife preservation, while running a successful cattle operation at Adams Ranch in Fort Pierce, where he demonstrated that agriculture and land conservation can be successfully integrated. His environmental efforts include innovations in exotic plant pest control and wetlands management. Adams provided access...

Edna Pearce Lockett A distinguished cattle rancher, an effective legislator and a pioneer for women, the late Edna Pearce Lockett was as comfortable on a ranch chatting with a Cracker cowboy as she was working the halls of the Legislature. Born in Fort Basinger, Fla., to a Central Florida pioneer family, she grew up on...

Raymon F. Tucker is a fifth-generation, self-described “Florida Cracker” born in Christmas, and a champion quarter horse breeder and cattleman. He graduated from the University of Florida in 1938 with a degree in animal science. He is credited with popularizing quarter horse racing in the Southeast and was instrumental in the passage of legislation permitting...

Barnette E. “Barney” Green, Jr. As president of Greene’s Citrus Management, Inc., and owner of Bar-G-Bar Ranch, Inc., Barnette E. “Barney” Green, Jr., is a well-known cattle rancher and citrus grower in Vero Beach and served as the first chairman of the board of what became the Orange Avenue Citrus Growers, Inc. He is also...