Cows in Florida

[NatashaDisneyCM]

I live in dairy country- when we went to Florida and saw those measly little cows we wanted to herd em up and bring them back with us.

haa haa!! is that not so true?? I was from Vermont and I am into dairy myself! and around here we have the nice plump Holsten cows!! Now the ones in Florida look like they need a cheeseburger!! with fries on the side!!

 

[goofyernmost]

I am not an expert but I would be willing to bet that if you had been in Kissimmee or the general vicinity of WDW about 50 years ago you would have come face to face with a lot of cattle.

As was stated before, if the cattle are being raised as Dairy cattle then you would likely see barns, used primarily for milking. If they are raised for the beef, then barns are not necessary.

 

[Jennasis]

Animal Kingdom used to be a big cow pasture.

 

[Art 1]

haa haa!! is that not so true?? I was from Vermont and I am into dairy myself! and around here we have the nice plump Holsten cows!! Now the ones in Florida look like they need a cheeseburger!! with fries on the side!!

The people around here are thinner as well. It's amazing how large the tourists are that I see at WDW and the beaches.

 

[golfgal]

TEN LARGEST STATES--2008

Number Head (in millions) % of U.S.

1. Texas ----------13.8------- 14.3%
2. Kansas ---------6.7 --------6.9
3. Nebraska ------6.6 --------6.8
4. California ------5.5 --------5.6
5. Oklahoma -----5.4 --------5.6
6. Missouri -------4.3 --------4.5
7. Iowa -----------4.0 --------4.1
8. South Dakota 3.7 --------3.8
9. Wisconsin -----3.4 --------3.5
10. Colorado -----2.8-------- 2.8

Total for ten largest 56.2 57.9%
U.S. total 99.7



The answer above is for all cattle (including dairy). The question asks specifically about beef cattle. The top ten in beef cattle is:
TX
MO
OK
NE
SD
KS
MT
KY
TN
IA

Sorry, FL folks, you don't even make the top 10.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

The people around here are thinner as well. It's amazing how large the tourists are that I see at WDW and the beaches.

Agreed!! BUT, that is because when I lived in Florida, the food everywhere, is just....really...really bad!

 

[GeorgeG]

We used to have buffalo here in The Villages. They weren't native, though, and I was told the original landowners brought them here when they settled. There were a about a hundred, but kept in groups of about six in various corals. Like some people do with cows, their main purpose was tax breaks on the property until it was developed. Unfortunately, even thought there were warning signs posted, stupid people would climb over the fences with their grandchildren for photo ops and there were injuries followed by lawsuits. The buffalo were replaced with cows and the cows are being replaced with buildings.

 

[AlleyKat]

Okay, this is going to sound really dumb. I noticed on my way to MCO the other day (I noticed last August too) that along the highway there are many fields. In these fields are cows. But I don't see barns anywhere!
Who do these cows belong too? Is there such a thing as wild cows?
I saw one big bull with horns and what looked like two smaller cows laying beside it. I just thought it was strange. Like I said, I noticed it going to the Florida airport last August as well. Anyone know?

When we visited Mickey several months ago, I also wondered about these "free range" animals so I asked our Magical Express driver to clue me in

He stated the cattle (and sometimes horses) are trucked in for the day from area farms. The land mass is huge in some areas so these animals have more to munch on plus they keep mowing costs down. The driver also stated these areas are often much larger than the farms the animals come from so they happily roam.

Our driver also stated that the animal's owners sometimes have a hard time corraling them back into the trucks as they like the off-highway areas a lot.

He stated it's pretty much a daily occurance and that the trucks are huge, making several trips each way.

 

[Art 1]

Agreed!! BUT, that is because when I lived in Florida, the food everywhere, is just....really...really bad!

Where did you eat? All kinds of good restaurants in Fla. There are plenty in WDW alone. If you ever come back let me know what you like, I'll be happy to recommend more than a few places.

 

[golfgal]

Where did you eat? All kinds of good restaurants in Fla. There are plenty in WDW alone. If you ever come back let me know what you like, I'll be happy to recommend more than a few places.

I will take you up on that because I have to agree, the food we got in Florida wasn't all that great (5 separate trips to Fl and only a couple good meals).

 

[Art 1]

I will take you up on that because I have to agree, the food we got in Florida wasn't all that great (5 separate trips to Fl and only a couple good meals).

You are probably eating in the tourist area. We have immigrants here from many places. There are some wonderful German, Polish, Vietnamese, French, Italian, Cuban, Peruvian and others. You just have to know where they are located. Rarely do you see a tourist in these places, if ever.

 

[Magic Mom]

You are probably eating in the tourist area. We have immigrants here from many places. There are some wonderful German, Polish, Vietnamese, French, Italian, Cuban, Peruvian and others. You just have to know where they are located. Rarely do you see a tourist in these places, if ever.

I agree. If you can't find good food in central Florida, then you aren't looking in the right place.

 

[goofyernmost]

The people around here are thinner as well. It's amazing how large the tourists are that I see at WDW and the beaches.

OK, not even slightly humorous or germane to the topic. BTW, germane means...connected in anyway to the discussion at hand. Thanks for your observation, however!

 

[SandrA9810]

as a native to fl, what we think is good, is only average in other areas.

i just got back from a huge farming area in california. And while i think our oranges are better, i have never had such sweet fruits and veggies. Which can really make the world of difference when cooking.
And i've discovered huge differences in mexican food from cuban/island food, even when its called the same thing.
Here, spanish rice is yellow, out there, it's orange.

 

[Magic Mom]

as a native to fl, what we think is good, is only average in other areas.

Speak for yourself. I've lived all over the country (and world) and I can say there are some great restaurants in Florida.

 

[SandrA9810]

maybe i'm not too adventurous then...

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

Where did you eat? All kinds of good restaurants in Fla. There are plenty in WDW alone. If you ever come back let me know what you like, I'll be happy to recommend more than a few places.

I have lived there off and on for many years, I do not think I need any help. It is the food in general! I am now a vegetarian, it is just Florida food in general!
The chinese food is gross, the food in the grocery stores, like when I used to buy meats....gross. the only good I would ever find is the farmers markets, the fresh veggies and fruits were great....Up in the north, there is awesome chinese food, the meats, are the BEST of anywhere! and thou I do not eat meat, the roast beef shops rock! you guys just do not have good food in every since of the word in florida!

 

[sorcerormickey]

I have lived there off and on for many years, I do not think I need any help. It is the food in general! I am now a vegetarian, it is just Florida food in general!
The chinese food is gross, the food in the grocery stores, like when I used to buy meats....gross. the only good I would ever find is the farmers markets, the fresh veggies and fruits were great....Up in the north, there is awesome chinese food, the meats, are the BEST of anywhere! and thou I do not eat meat, the roast beef shops rock! you guys just do not have good food in every since of the word in florida!

An AWESOME Chinese place just opened here in my town about a year ago - it is SO good! FINALLY!!

And a great pizza place finally opened too. Both places are always JAM PACKED since there are no good restaurants here.

 

[Planogirl]

An AWESOME Chinese place just opened here in my town about a year ago - it is SO good! FINALLY!!

And a great pizza place finally opened too. Both places are always JAM PACKED since there are no good restaurants here.

Good pizza? Please tell where!

 

[floridacrackers]

Just to set a few things straight:

There have been cows (along with horses, dogs, pigs and citrus plants) in Florida since 1521, 19 years before Coronado brought them to the American southwest...

Florida is one of the biggest cattle producing states in the US...

The legends of the "Wild West" are mostly fiction, written by Frederic Remington in the 1800s for Harper's Bazaar Magazine...

There were more killings in one year in the Arcadia, FL. cattle war alone, than in the 10 years of the 'great cattle drives' of the West...

It is more economical to ship the calves to feed lots out west than bringing the food here...

Deseret Ranch (a subsidiary of the Mormon Church) near Kissimmee, Fl. has the most cattle east of the Mississippi...

Most Florida cattle are free range cattle, raised for breeding and beef, not dairy....

Florida has just started to import more milk than exporting it, due mostly to the almost 20 times growth of population since 1965; and the loss of land to development...

What is now Disney World (and all surrounding area) was prime cattle ranch land until the 1960s, with Orlando being a little know small town....

There are more cowboys in Florida than there are in Texas...

The first 'American Cowboys' were native Indians, hired to herd cattle by the monks of St. Augustine, Fl.....

and so on...