ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Cattle ranchers are often thought of in states like Texas and Oklahoma, but Florida has its own share of ranches. “Florida, in fact, is where the beef cattle industry in the United States started right here in St. Johns County when Ponce de Leon brought cattle in," said Matt Hersom, a beef cattle specialist at the University of Florida. "As they lose land, they are selling cows and eventually shrinking their operations or ultimately getting out of the business entirely," Hersom said of the cattle industry. “With the encroachment of all the developments, that’s putting me kind of out of the cattle business because of lack of pastoral land. Without the Florida cattle industry, we would feel the effects all the way into the grocery stores,” said Hersom.

Source: Fox News April 24, 2019 17:09 UTC