A Southwest Florida rancher is getting a high honor: he's going into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame.
"When I got the call, it was extremely humbling," Jim Strickland said.
The 59-year old looks every bit the cowboy from central casting. Strickland has an athletic build, dark-tanned face and silver hair under a white hat.
And soon, he'll be a hall of famer.
"I won't say it was cataclysmic, but close to it. I'm so happy," he said.
Strickland said his ancestors started raising cattle in what's now Manatee County in 1860.
He owns 1,600 acres, and manages another 7,000. His ranches stretch over parts of Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties.
"I have been blessed to get up nearly every morning of my life and know — what I do makes my heart full," Strickland said.
Christa Kirby said what he does, is innovate and help others. She's the livestock extension agent in Manatee County, and has known, and learned from, Jim Strickland since she was in 4-H. That was more than 30 years ago.
"He's very caring and giving," Kirby said. "He's always been open to allow us to come to his ranches and do research and do trials. He is open to tours of his land, and he's always volunteering to serve on advisory groups and committees dealing with agriculture."
Strickland's innovations include putting cell phones around the necks of 500 of his cows.
He uses GPS tracking to locate them, and round them up, after a hurricane, or if fences go down.
"And it's kind of where old meets new," he explained. "Our cows wear cell phones but we still ride horses!"
He also said he has some remote-controlled fences around some of the wetlands on his properties. He can click the laptop in his office and the fences will come up or go down. He said he brings them up during nesting season for wading birds.
Strickland said farms and ranches help the environment by filtering nutrients out of water before it flows to both coasts. And the green space provides habitat for birds and animals, including endangered panthers. He said he saw a panther on his land recently.
He said he believes people in agriculture and environmentalists should get along because they are on the same side of many issues.
But he said his ultimate goal has remained the same over the years: putting food on our tables, and helping the next generation of ranchers and famers do the same.
"Look at food security for the state of Florida and our nation, with everything that is happening in the world," Strickland said. "If you have a passion to get into agriculture, get into agriculture."
Jim Strickland will be inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame during the state fair in February.
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