Junior Florida Cattlemen’s Association Gives Back to Rookery Bay

On June 20th, the Florida Cattlemen’s Association (FCA) and Allied Trade Show just concluded its annual 2024 Convention held at the JW Marriott on Marco Island. FCA confirmed that they will be back at the same location for 2025 – 2028. Members of the Junior Florida Cattlemen’s Association (JFCA) were also part of the convention, holding its own general session/business meeting, Youth Appreciation Lunch, and Junior Dance.

JFCA is open to those 21 and under who are producers and non-producers and want to serve as an essential part of Florida’s cattle industry. The members of the JFCA hold ranch tours and meetings and discuss current issues facing the cattle industry, and many are generational representatives of their families’ agri-business.

For their last day on Marco, members of the JFCA also took this opportunity to give back to the community by joining staff from the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve to help maintain the trails, remove exotic vegetation, and pick up trash from Keewaydin Island. For four hours, much work was done while they learned about Florida’s coastal ecosystem.

During the boat ride, Jared Franklin, Stewardship Coordinator for Rookery Bay, doubling as boat captain, also gave a quick overview of the importance of the mangroves serving as the first line of defense against storm surge for coastal communities.

It was a hot day, and Donna Young, volunteer coordinator for Rookery Bay, made sure that volunteers were prepared for the heat. Also unique to Keewaydin Island at this time of the year is the presence of caged sea turtle nests and fresh sea turtle tracks. This was something new to this young generation of future ranchers.