Friday Feature: M&D Overstreet Ranch – 2025 Southeast Region Stewardship Award Winners

by | Aug 22, 2025 | Ag in the News, Awards & Recognition, Beef Cattle, Best Management Practices (BMPs), Conservation, Feature Video, General Agriculture, Habitat Management, Livestock, Natural Resources, Water issue, Wildlife

This week’s featured video was published by the Environmental Stewardship Award Committee of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).  Mark & Debbie Overstreet, Kathleen Florida (Polk County) were recognized at NCBA Mid-year Meeting last month as the Region II (Southeast) Stewardship Award Winners. Watch the video to hear the story of a Florida Ranch Family that has been raising cattle in the Green Swamp for the past 85 years and were recognized for their stewardship of ecologically important land in Central Florida.

M&D Overstreet Ranch sits at an urban-wildland interface in Central Florida, surrounded by one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. The Overstreet’s story is one of endurance, responsibility and a deep-rooted belief in leaving the land better than they found it. Mark Overstreet, paralyzed from the waist down since 1970, has never let his disability keep him from stewarding the land. With modified equipment, sheer determination and an unbreakable spirit, he continues to oversee rotational grazing, soil restoration and water conservation projects that benefit not just the cattle, but all of Florida.

“This land is sacred to me. My grandfather taught me to leave it better than I found it, and that’s what I intend to do,” said Mark Overstreet, M&D Overstreet Ranch. “I promised myself I would not let my circumstances be an excuse. The land didn’t quit on me, and I wasn’t going to quit on it.”

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If you enjoyed this video, you might want to check the other 300+ YouTube videos highlighted in the Friday Feature Archive

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