A 498-acre cattle ranch in Florida’s Martin County has been permanently protected from future development through a $7.48 million conservation easement, allowing the family that has managed the property for generations to continue its agricultural operations.Known as Turnpike Dairy, the ranch will remain in private ownership under the agreement, with Martin County contributing $3.74 million towards the easement. The property includes grazing pasture, wetlands and bayheads that provide wildlife habitat.The ranch is among several agricultural properties approved for protection under Florida’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, which seeks to preserve working farms and ranches as development pressure increases.
Conservation deal keeps ranch in agricultural use
Turnpike Dairy lies within the Florida Wildlife Corridor and borders conservation land managed by the South Florida Water Management District. It is also close to other properties covered by conservation easements, helping maintain connections between protected areas.The property contains improved pasture alongside scattered wetlands and bayheads, which support wildlife and contribute to the wider landscape.The ranch is enrolled in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Best Management Practices programme, which promotes agricultural practices designed to protect natural resources.Under a rural lands protection easement, development rights are purchased to prevent future development while allowing farming and ranching to continue. The land remains privately owned rather than being transferred to the state.
Florida programme has protected more than 251,000 acres
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced on September 29. that the governor and Cabinet had approved the preservation of more than 4,500 acres of agricultural land through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.Established in 2001 under the Rural and Family Lands Protection Act, the programme works with farmers and ranchers to keep agricultural properties in production while protecting natural resources.Simpson said the arrangement allows Florida to conserve working land without removing it from private ownership or creating the long-term maintenance costs associated with state-owned conservation properties.Since the programme began, more than 251,000 acres of working agricultural land have been permanently preserved, including nearly 186,000 acres during Simpson’s tenure, according to the department.Other properties approved for protection include Blandford Farm & Ranch, a 349-acre sod and hay farm in Lake County, and Encore Farms, a 194-acre horse and cattle operation in the same county. Fair Bluff Ranch, a 618-acre cattle property in Martin County, was also included in the approvals.The agreements are intended to keep agricultural operations viable while limiting the conversion of working land to other uses.
