James Arthur “Jim” Strickland, Sr., has six decades of ranching experience. Born into a family that has been ranching in Florida since the 1800s, Jim grew up working with his father along the west coast of Florida. When his father died in the 1970’s, Jim took over the family cattle operations at the age of 17, primarily leasing land for cattle. He and his family own Strickland Ranch and Lost Girl Prairie Ranch; he is also the managing partner of Big Red Cattle Company and Blackbeard’s Ranch.
His passion for agriculture and conservation began at a young age, as increasing development pushed his operations farther and farther inland. He serves as co-chair of the Florida Climate Smart Agriculture Work Group, which focuses on addressing climate change impacts via agricultural land conservation and furthering research on the ecosystem services provided by agricultural land. He is also vice-chair of the Florida Conservation Group, a science-based organization focused on protecting Florida’s ranchlands. In this capacity he serves as a spokesman on ranchland conservation and on the need for conservation funding to protect Florida.
Jim is a past President of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association and past Chairman of the Florida Cattlemen’s Foundation. He has also served two terms as the Chairman of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Political Action Committee. He is active in the Farm Bureau on the county, state and federal levels and is a Florida State Committee Member of the USDA Farm Service Agency. He sits on the board of the Florida Agriculture Center and Horse Park. Jim also sits on the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Environmental Stewardship Awards Selection Committee, which recognizes and awards the ranches demonstrating outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements across the nation
Jim’s has been widely recognized for his work in agriculture and conservation. He was honored as the 2019 Audubon Florida’s Sustainable Rancher of the Year and named as one of Florida Trends 500 Most Influential Business Leaders from 2018-2023. Under his leadership, Blackbeard’s Ranch was awarded the 2018 Florida Cattleman’s Association Environmental Stewardship Award, Florida Agricultural Commissioner’s 2018 Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award and was the national winner for the National Cattleman’s Beef Association’s 2019 Environmental Stewardship Award.
Jim’s son JJ is a United States Diplomat and Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army; JJ resides overseas with his wife Sara and Jim’s granddaughter Quinn. Jim lives in southwest Florida with his wife Julie and their two daughters, Ayla and Sabal. Jim looks forward to his daughters and granddaughter taking over the family ranching operations one day.