Florida Cattle Rancher Huey Howard Lassos a Legacy
This article first appeared in Florida Farm & Family.
A cowboy on horseback may not be the first thing that comes to mind when people think about Florida, but cattle have been a fixture since Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León introduced them in 1521.
For centuries, the industry has been an essential contributor to the state’s economy. Today, nearly half of Florida’s agricultural land is devoted to cattle, generating more than $900 million annually.
When Huey Howard first arrived in Immokalee from Mississippi in 1953, he knew he wanted to be part of the historic business.
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Breaking Barriers
On his path to building what is now a thriving family cattle ranch comprising close to 7,000 acres, one of the biggest obstacles he encountered was acquiring land.
“People would tell me, ‘If I sell you some land, it’s going to make my friends mad.’ Then they wouldn’t sell it to me,” Howard, now 86, recalls.
In order to kickstart his dreams of ranching, he collaborated with a white friend to purchase 20 acres.
“He had to go buy it for me, then we went to the bank and switched it over to my name,” Howard explains.
He introduced himself to a rancher in Kissimmee who sold him his first few head of cattle, and, over time, he took every opportunity and made strategic choices to gradually increase the amount of acreage he owned.
“I was able to step in and buy some land the bank was foreclosing on,” Howard says. “And then I bought some more land when a man needed a bunch of money to pay taxes on it, and he was able to sell me some.”
Although data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows the overall number of Black growers in the U.S. has been slowly but steadily rising over the past decades, Howard points out that he and his family are a rarity among Southwest Florida ranchers.
When land was still affordable in Florida, he says, people of color were prevented from purchasing it. And now property has become prohibitively expensive.
“I don’t know of any Black farmers in Immokalee but me and my family,” he says. “There’s a lot of opportunity, but no Black farmers around and no Black cowboys either – other than my sons.”
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The Legacy Continues
When Howard and his late wife, Dorcas, started raising cattle, they originally focused on dairy calves. But after repeated struggles with disease decimating their herd, they switched to beef cows.
Dorcas, who died in 2018, was a longtime teacher and principal in the Collier County school system, and education was a high priority for the family. The Howards’ children were also involved in running the ranch.
Today, son Ivan operates the business along with his father, who says he plays a less hands-on role these days. Howard no longer joins Ivan in riding quarter horses and using dogs to round up the cattle. But he still spends time at the ranch on weekends and after he finishes his day job as a labor manager at Petoseed Co. research farm.
Along with several hundred head of commercial beef cattle, the family also keeps a herd of about 100 purebred speckled Beefmaster cows, mainly because Howard loves their interesting colors.
“They’re beautiful. I love them to death,” he says. “Ivan tells me, ‘Don’t buy those colored cows; they don’t bring as much money on the market.’ And I say, ‘I don’t buy them for the money. I’m buying them to look at.’”
Howard also keeps busy as a member of the Collier County Farm Bureau board of directors and was recognized in 2021 for his years of service with the Farm Bureau’s inaugural Floyd Crews Legacy Award.
When asked about the idea of retirement, he says he wouldn’t know how to go about that.
“I just want you to know I enjoy everything I do,” Howard says. “I enjoy the farm, and I enjoy the cattle. As long as I’m able to get up and go, I’m going to continue doing it.”