to take off, it’s easy to see the promise of how
stunning it will look in the future.
The cows are not owned by the Hagers. A
rancher uses the land, and each of the cows
has a different destiny. Many will be taken
away at some point for sale, a few will make
it onto someone’s dinner table. It seems as
though there are always a few calves running
around, and one cow with large horns
is always very noticeable from the road. You
may think it’s a bull, but she’s actually a dainty
girl named Pearl. One of Pearl’s sidekicks is
an old-timer named Granny, who sports a
patchwork face and a strange, misshapen
horn on one side of her head that curls in.
She can boast that she’s raised 18 calves and,
according to the rancher, Granny is not going
anywhere.
Watching Archie and Debbie interact with
the cattle, it’s easy to see there is a lot of love.
Debbie comes out with food every day, as
well as treats such as oranges. They may be
somewhat ungainly as companion animals,
but the cows seem very comfortable with the
Hagers.
The bees are handled by Joe Studier
out of Arcadia and Georgia, owner and
operator of Studier Apiaries, Inc. It is a family
owned-and-operated business that has
grown to have more than 4,000 hives since
beginning with just a few in 1940. Debbie
said they have taken the hives from the
Hager farm all the way to California to pollinate
pistachio crops, to Georgia to pollinate
peaches ... any place that has a need for
hard-working bees and where many don’t
live. This means the Hagers get free local
honey for the use of their land, from a very
famous queen bee and her colony.
The Hagers have meticulously created a
dream that they will continue to pursue for
years to come – to keep this little piece of
Florida beautiful and preserved, just as it is,
as a gentle reminder of what used to be.
“I’ve been called to make this a better
place, back to the way it was,” Archie said.
“Progress can cost us everything.”