Since the 1920s, generations of the Ryals family have called Florida home. They have worked hard on their land surrounding Prairie Creek and developed a deep-rooted connection to Florida’s rich agricultural heritage. This year marks a significant milestone for Ryals Citrus and Cattle, as the family’s cow-calf and watermelon operation east of Port Charlotte proudly celebrates 100 years in business. Reaching that century mark is a testament to their resilience and commitment to sustainable ranching.
Located in one of the country’s fastest-growing regions, the Ryals Citrus and Cattle ranch faces mounting development pressure from encroaching residential and solar projects. The Punta Gorda Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Charlotte County, is ranked the fifth-largest area for population growth, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
“We are seeing more parking lots and houses than ever before,” said fourth-generation rancher Jay Ryals.” “Everybody wants to come to Florida because it’s beautiful, the sun is shining, everything’s wonderful, but I don’t think it’s really understood that there are people here working that land to keep it that way,” explained Ryals.
To counter the development pressure and preserve agricultural land, the Ryals family prioritizes the overall health of their land and its contribution to the southwest Florida ecosystem.
Last year, the Florida Conservation Group (FCG) assisted the Ryals family in conserving nearly 3,000 aces in Charlotte County. The conservation easement through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) allows the Ryals to continue their operations but takes the land permanently out of the path of development.
FCG is now working with the Ryals family to conserve an additional 4,000 acres through partnerships with RFLPP and the (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service. That conservation easement will protect more land by leveraging state and federal funding to accomplish landscape-scale preservation. Work at this scale is crucial to protecting the headwaters of Charlotte Harbor, one of the most important estuaries and fisheries in the state of Florida.
Protecting the headwaters to Charlotte Harbor relies on preserving a network of natural and agricultural lands in the Peace River Valley. The region is crucial to the health of the Charlotte Harbor Estuary, which is an Estuary of National Significance. Charlotte Harbor’s headwaters begin upstream in the creeks and rivers running through vast ranchlands including Ryals Citrus and Cattle. Protecting these lands and tributaries is critical to maintaining source water protection, water quality, wildlife habitat and climate resilience in the fast-growing region.
“Charlotte Harbor is the second-largest estuary in Florida, and it’s cleaner than most because of land and water conservation programs that landowners like us have gotten involved with,” said Ryals. “The importance of these programs is keeping natural resources natural.”
The Ryals property contains a 1.5-mile stretch of Prairie Creek, situated just two miles north of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fred. C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area. This proximity enhances the ecological value of the Ryals’ land and contributes significantly to the regional hydrology.
The ranch serves as a crucial wildlife and habitat corridor, connecting Babcock Ranch and the Myakka River State Park. It also acts as a bridge between Shell and Prairie Creek, both of which feed the reservoir that supplies drinking water for the city of Punta Gorda. This dual role as both agricultural land and ecological protector highlights the importance of preserving working landscapes.
While the Ryals family has implemented improved pastures for business efficiency, they have made a concerted effort to preserve all-natural gullies and waterways on the property as natural buffers. This approach has allowed the acreage to flourish with extensive native flora and thriving wildlife, including endangered and imperiled species like the Florida panther, black bear and bald eagle.
The RFLPP ensures the acreage will remain working land, contributing to Florida’s agricultural landscape. “Agriculture is an integral part of why people are in Florida, and they don’t even realize it,” emphasized Ryals. “If you eat, you’re involved in agriculture.”
For four generations, the Ryals family has nurtured their land with a steadfast resolve to continue their stewardship. They think beyond the borders of their ranch, and it shows.
“Love and stewardship is something that can’t be bought, it’s taught,” Ryals said. “Ultimately, it’s our duty [to protect the land].”
That sentiment is at the core of the Ryals family’s legacy—one of resilience, responsibility and profound love for the land that has sustained them for a century. The family is committed to conservation and the continuity of ranching for generations to come.
Photo by Lauren Yoho/Wildpath