Nancy Dale

"Would Do, Could Do and Made Do": Florida's Pioneer "Cow Hunters" Who Tamed the Last Frontier Nancy Dale

The small family ranch today is struggling to survive in Florida, jeopardized by unmanaged urban sprawl and explosive population growth with over 1,000 people a day moving into the state. Today, land has more value than heritage, but, this hearty culture of individuals face the future with hope and promise that bailed them out against all odds in the past. Florida's pioneer "cow hunters," today's cattle ranchers, live through tough words of forebearance expressed by Bud Adams, The Adams Ranch, Ft. Pierce: "Cattlemen have always operated on the fringe. They have settled the frontier and lived apart from urban society. They have had little protection of the law, the market, prices and no protection from the weather. They have had the freedom to operate and the freedom to fail. They have made money, lost fortunes, endured hardships of heat, cold, drought, freezes and floods and they wouldn't have wanted it any other way."Hopefully this book will be well-worn in time, passed on to future generations who will take up the chalice, follow their predecessors and write their own unique history of Florida cattle ranchers.