Horse Farms Forever and the Alachua Conservation Trust Announce Partnership to Protect Land in the Farmland Preservation Area

Horse Farms Forever and the Alachua Conservation Trust Announce Partnership to Protect Land in the Farmland Preservation Area

by | Oct 6, 2020 | News, Plan

by Busy Shires Byerly, October, 2020

Horse Farms Forever is pleased to announce a partnership with the Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) to help protect land in Marion County’s Farmland Preservation Area. This partnership will help further the mission of Horse Farms Forever (HFF) of preserving the character and culture that makes Ocala the Horse Capital of the World®.

ACT is a non-profit land trust working to protect the natural, historic, scenic and recreational resources in 16 counties across north central Florida. They protect land through purchase, donation, and conservation easements and have facilitated the conservation of over 54,000 acres of land since 1988.

This partnership is supported by a generous $20,000 grant from the Felburn Foundation to facilitate the preservation of agricultural lands located in Marion County’s Farmland Preservation Area with conservation easements.

The Felburn Foundation’s generous support will allow HFF and ACT to expand our educational initiatives about land conservation options and work with willing landowners to protect land.

There are several land conservation options to help protect land, but conservation easements are the primary tool ACT uses for land conservation. Conservation easements preserve natural areas and farming practices and are tailored to meet a landowner’s desired future land use. The property is never open to the public and remains a private holding. Conservation easements can be sold by selling the development rights and may also qualify for powerful income, estate, and property tax incentives.

Most of all, conservation easements can provide peace of mind by protecting property in perpetuity regardless of who owns it in the future. Landowners are able to ensure that their legacy is passed on to the next generation.

To learn more about how to protect your farm through conservation easements, contact Tom Kay, Executive Director, Alachua Conservation Trust
7204 SE CR 234 Gainesville, FL 32641

www.alachuaconservationtrust.org

352.373.1078

About the Felburn Foundation

The Foundation was founded by Phil Felburn and is a charitable foundation that provides funding for nature libraries, museums, state parks, land conservation, springs protection, and environmental education.

Guy Marwick, who now serves as one of the Directors of The Felburn Foundation, was the original founder and Director of the Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center. The museum opened nearly 30 years ago in 1991 and is a partnership with Marion County Public Schools.

Marwick is a visionary and a dreamer. Over 30 years ago, he was a science teacher at Osceola Middle School in Marion County. He saw the need to expand the activities and learning programs in his classroom. His dream was to create an outdoor learning center for children.

“One thing about science, is that the hands-on experience makes kids want to learn,” he said as part of the 20th anniversary event of the museum.

Marwick was able to make his dream come to fruition with a fellowship from the Christa McAuliffe Fellowship Program. With this transformative donation, additional donors also supported the development of the museum and education center.

Each school day, students are bused to the museum for classes. Fourth-grade students visit as part of their Florida history requirement. Students in 4th and 5th grades visit for science instruction.

The museum is closed during the week to the public as Marion County school children attend classes. On weekends, the museum is staffed by park service personnel and volunteers and is open to the public.

Over 20,000 people visit the museum each year, 10,000 of whom are children on field trips.

The museum is located within Silver Springs State Park.

CONSERVATION SUMMIT

Preserving Open Spaces & Beautiful Places

November 19 at Golden Ocala

 Learn More!

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We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members' interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County's 193,000 acre Farmland Preservation Area.

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Tri Eagle Sales Sponsors Conservation Summit

Tri Eagle Sales Sponsors Conservation Summit

by | Sep 30, 2020 | Events, News

Anheuser-Busch Distributor Has Long Been a Community Partner

Another Founding Corporate Member has extended support at the Gold level for our upcoming Conservation Summit. We welcome Tri-Eagle Sales as a sponsor.

Tri-Eagle’s corporate mission is “making friends is our business,” and they demonstrate this by sponsoring hundreds of events, donating to causes and serving on boards around Ocala. As a Founder and Gold Sponsor, they are voicing strong support for open spaces and beautiful places.

Tri-Eagle Sales has been the leading beverage wholesaler in the North and North Central Florida area for a quarter of a century. They proudly market, sell, and distribute Anheuser-Busch InBev brands such as Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Goose Island, and Stella Artois. Their portfolio of world-class craft and import brands is led by local Tallahassee brewer Proof Brewing Co., and includes well-known brands such as Cigar City, Oskar Blues, Founders, SweetWater, and Duvel Moortgat. In addition to beer they sell and market a diverse line of ciders, wine, and spirits and offer a specialty beverage portfolio that includes gluten-free beers as well as non-alcohol products.

The sponsorship of Tri-Eagle, along with Brook Ledge Horse Transportation, Ocala Horse Properties, Showcase Properties, Cone Distributing, Bridlewood Farm and Newport Hay enables us to bring you top-notch speakers on the subject of farmland conservation for the November 19 event at a world class facility – Golden Ocala. Be sure to register for the Summit! You can attend online or in person.

Tri Eagle Sales is proud to sponsor this summit to continue the great work of Horse Farms Forever supporting the preservation of our horse farms and the associated equestrian life that makes Ocala so unique and special.

Susie Busch-Transou

Tri-Eagle Sales
Summit Info

Always Watching

We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members' interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County's 193,000 acre Farmland Preservation Area.

Join the herd. Every voice matters.

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Horse Farms Forever Is Honored with the Robert N. Clay Award

Horse Farms Forever Is Honored with the Robert N. Clay Award

by | Sep 27, 2020 | Events, News

We Thank TOBA and ELCR for Recognizing Our Conservation Efforts With This Honor

Last night, at the 35th Annual Virtual Awards of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), Horse Farms Forever received the 2020 Robert N. Clay Conservation Award. Established in 2014 as a partnership between TOBA and the Equine Land Conservation Resource (ELCR), the purpose of this award is to increase awareness of the importance of land conservation to the Thoroughbred industry and serve as an inspiration to others within the industry. It was named in recognition of Robert N. Clay’s equine land conservation leadership in the Thoroughbred industry.

“We are pleased to work with and support the efforts of Horse Farms Forever and others to protect Marion County’s unique equine heritage and industry,” said ELCR President, Ken Haddad. “Local advocacy groups, like Horse Farms Forever, are not only key to protecting local horse lands but they can also serve as successful models for other communities working to protect equine access to land.  We applaud the commitment of Horse Farms Forever to help preserve the unique character and culture of the Horse Capital of the World® for the benefit of this and future generations.”

As we at Horse Farms Forever strive to engage and inspire the community to preserve its open spaces and beautiful places, we look forward to our Conservation Summit with guest speakers Adam Putnam from Ducks Unlimited and Billy Van Pelt from the American Farmland Trust. Please consider joining us for the Summit, either in person at Golden Ocala on November 19, or virtually by live stream.

About the Equine Land Conservation Resource (ELCR): ELCR builds awareness of the loss of lands available for horse-related activities and facilitates the protection and preservation of those lands. We work to ensure America’s equine heritage lives on and the emotional, physical and economic benefits of the horse-human relationship remains accessible. ELCR serves as an information resource and clearinghouse on conserving horse properties, land use planning, land stewardship/best management practices, trails, liability and equine economic development. For more information about the ELCR visit www.elcr.org or call (859) 455-8383

About the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA): TOBA, based in Lexington, Ky., was formed in 1961 and is a national trade organization of leading Thoroughbred breeders and owners. TOBA’s mission is to improve the economics, integrity and pleasure of the sport on behalf of Thoroughbred owners and breeders. Projects managed by TOBA include the American Graded Stakes Committee, Claiming Crown, Ownership Seminars, Ownerview.com and the Sales Integrity Program. TOBA provides international representation for U.S. owners and breeders on the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee, International Cataloguing Standards Committee and International Breeders Federation. Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) is the charitable arm of TOBA. TOBA is the owner of The Blood-Horse Inc., and is represented as a founding member on the board of directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium.

It is a true honor to accept the Robert N. Clay award on behalf of Horse Farms Forever tonight in recognition for our efforts to protect and preserve the very thing that makes Ocala so unique and special – our horses and horse farms. Thank you to all of our supporters.

Sara Fennessy

Director of Community Affairs, Horse Farms Forever
Summit Info

See All The Awards!

Always Watching

We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members’ interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County.

Join the herd. Every voice matters.

Join or Donate Now
Ocala Horse Properties is Conservation Summit Gold Sponsor

Ocala Horse Properties is Conservation Summit Gold Sponsor

by | Sep 23, 2020 | Events, News

Equestrian Real Estate Firm is Sold on Farmland Preservation

You’ve seen their handsome faces on billboards everywhere: brothers Rob and Chris Desino and Matt Varney – partners in Ocala Horse Properties. Since the founding of HFF in 2018, they have gone to lengths to show their passion for our mission of preserving the character and culture that horses and horse farms bring to Ocala/Marion County.

Now, they have stepped up to the plate as Gold Sponsors of our first Conservation Summit. The support of Ocala Horse Properties and the rest of our sponsors ensures that the Summit, to take place on November 19 at Golden Ocala, will be a first-class event.

Although it is easy to see why a firm specializing in equestrian real estate would want to see horse farms and farmland continue to thrive in Marion County, the partners are connected to Horse Farms Forever and our mission in much deeper ways. Rob is an HFF Founder, Chris and Matt are Charter Members, and both Rob and Matt are Directors.

“Horse Farms Forever is instrumental in monitoring and advocating for the protection of horse farms and the Farmland Preservation Area in Ocala. Turning the Farmland Preservation Area into another mass of concrete strip plazas is not necessary and certainly not desirable.” Rob Desino

The partners are all horsemen, farm owners and active members of our local equestrian community. Chris and Rob are owners of Deniro Z, a standout 5 Star event horse, expertly campaigned by Liz Halliday-Sharp, also an HFF member. Liz and Deniro Z recently won the 4 Star at Plantation Field International Horse Trials. Matt enjoys riding recreationally, but he lives his equestrian competitiveness vicariously through his wife, Dr. Courtney Varney, DVM. Matt enjoys accompanying Courtney, an accomplished FEI Dressage rider, USDF gold medalist, and equine veterinarian, on as many competitions as his busy schedule will allow.

Ocala Horse Properties has been the top Ocala farm realtor for more than a decade, representing the largest portfolio of Ocala Farms available. Their success is built on a love for people and the community. They are big supporters of equestrian events both here in Ocala and in Wellington, where they operate a sister company, Wellington Equestrian Realty.

Once again, thank you, Ocala Horse Properties, for demonstrating your commitment to the open spaces and beautiful places of Marion County.

Be sure to register for the Summit! You can attend online or in person.

I was motivated to join to protect an area that I find to be one of the most irreplaceable destinations in the entire country; an area where horse pasture is uniquely more valuable per acre as farmland than if a developer was able to purchase it. Coming from a family of developers I know how incredibly rare that is.

Matt Varney

Ocala Horse Properties
Summit Info

Always Watching

We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members' interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County's 193,000 acre Farmland Preservation Area.

Join the herd. Every voice matters.

Join Today!
Join or Donate Now