Welcome New Corporate Member, Tillman Engineering

Welcome New Corporate Member, Tillman Engineering

by | Nov 23, 2020 | News

David Tillman (center) with Doug Cone of Cone Distributing (left) and HFF Board President, Bernie Little (right) at the Conservation Summit on November 19. Photo by Dillon Video.

Engineering Sensible Growth

As we inspire Marion County to uphold and protect its global brand as the Horse Capital of the World®, it is gratifying to see the wide range of members who are joining us. Everyone has a stake in keeping Ocala/Marion County open and beautiful, including our development and real estate companies. We’re going to grow. The question is where, when and how.

One new member who is an expert in sensible growth planning and natural resource protection is Tillman and Associates Engineering. Tillman sponsored and attended our Conservation Summit last week. We are grateful for their support and the expertise that President David Tillman brings to the table. As experts in civil engineering who also recognize the importance of preserving the character and culture that horses and horse farms bring to Ocala/Marion County, Tillman is an important ally and resource.

I am excited to be a part of Horse Farms Forever. I have always felt that a healthy balance of preservation and growth will be the success of Marion County. Our horse farms are a true treasure worthy of protection.

David Tillman

President, Tillman and Associates Engineering

We are especially pleased to welcome David Tillman as the newest corporate member of Horse Farms Forever. Not only are David and his company the ‘gold standard’ in roadway, storm water, and bridge design, traffic operations, maintenance, survey, materials investigation, and construction engineering, David is an avid outdoorsman and a champion of preserving the landscapes that make Ocala/Marion County a great place for outdoor recreation.

Bernie Little

President, Horse Farms Forever

Tillman and Associates’ staff of land development and entitlement professionals has over 100 years of combined Civil Engineering, Land Planning, Surveying, Landscape Architecture, and Environmental Engineering experience. Mr. Tillman has served in many different aspects of the civil engineering field. These include: roadway design, storm water design, bridge design, traffic operations, maintenance, survey, materials investigation, and construction engineering. Currently, he is working with the Roberts family on Golden Ocala and the World Equestrian Center. He has managed the permitting for over 16,000 acres within The Villages Project, as well as over 40 FEMA map revisions. Mr. Tillman was the engineer of record on US 441 widening at The Villages as well as the widening of CR 42, just north of The Villages. Mr. Tillman is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. He serves on the Marion County LDRC as Chairman, holds the treasury position for the Ocala Silver Springs Rotary Club, is a chapter coordinator for Mathcounts sponsored by the Florida Engineering Society, and is also an FDEP Certified Stormwater Management Inspector. He is also a member of the Marion County Building Industry Association and the CEP.

Corporate Membership

Looking for a way to show that you care about open spaces and promote your business throughout the equine community?
Becoming a Horse Farms Forever Corporate Member gives you access to our members in Ocala/Marion County and beyond.  Donating to Horse Farms Forever, a registered 501(c)3 with the IRS, reaches our members, friends, and subscribers though our newsletters, social media, advertising, and events.

To learn more or to join please contact our Director of Community Affairs,
Sara Fennessy 

Join Now

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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.

Join the herd. Every voice matters.

Join or Donate Now
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!

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!
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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
Brook Ledge Horse Transportation is Title Sponsor of Conservation Summit

Brook Ledge Horse Transportation is Title Sponsor of Conservation Summit

by | Sep 17, 2020 | Events, News, Plan

Support for Farmland Conservation from a Premier Horse Transportation Company

As we look forward to our First Conservation Summit in just two short months, we are thrilled to announce Brook Ledge Horse Transportation as our Title Sponsor. An HFF member since 2018, Brook Ledge is distinguishing themselves as a family business that cares about Marion County’s horses and horse farms.

In 1955, Bill and Bob Gotwals started in the trucking business with one truck. Since that time, the family owned and operated business has grown to include Brook Ledge Inc. and XpressWay. Brook Ledge Inc. is now one of the largest Horse Transportation companies in North America. In addition to operating out of its home office in Oley, PA, Brook Ledge Inc. maintains terminals on small farms in Lexington, KY and Ocala, FL. There are 3 generations of Gotwals currently working at Brook Ledge.
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