Florida Rancher, Braford Breeder Alto Bud۪ Adams Passes Away at 91
A Florida ranching icon and creator of the Braford breed Alto ‘Bud’ Adams, Jr. passed away at his family ranch on Sept. 23, at 91 years old.
Bud was born on April 4th, 1926 in Fort Pierce, Fla. In 1937, his father Alto Adams, Sr, founded what would become Adams Ranch, Inc. when he purchased land in St. Lucie County.
The family moved to Tallahassee in 1939 when Bud’s father became a Supreme Court Justice for the State of Florida. Bud would graduate from Leon High School in 1944, often coming back to the ranch to work when on breaks from school.
After high school he participated in the Naval ROTC program at both Emory University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Bud finished his education after World War II, earning a degree in Economics and Business from the University of Florida in 1948. The following year Bud Adams and Dorothy Snively were married.
In 1947, Bud partnered with his father on the family ranch and went back to manage the 1,600 cow operation upon graduation. By 1948 he was starting the development of what would become the Braford breed by crossing Hereford bulls with Brahman cows. The ranch started selling composite bulls in the 1960’s to local cattlemen.
In 1969, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recognized Bradford cattle as a new breed. That same year he founded the International Braford Association, which later became United Braford Breeders when the IBA and American Braford Association combined in 1994.
Bud remained actively involved in the ranch through the years as his children and grandchildren began taking over day-to-day duties of the now fourth generation ranch.
Adams Ranch is 50,000 acres with land in St. Lucie, Madison, Okeechobee and Osceola counties and is the 16th largest cow-calf operation in the U.S., according to CattleFax data. In addition to developing the Braford breed, Adams Ranch has a number of other composites including ABEEF, ARRAB and ARGEL.
Bud served the beef industry on many committees and boards, serving as Florida Cattlemen’s Association president in 1959. He was nominated to the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1999.
Bud was an avid wildlife photographer and conservationist. He had photos featured in several magazines and books. He was recognized by both the Florida Cattlemen’s Association and National Cattlemen’s Association for environmental stewardship. Bud was also named landowner of the year by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conversation Commission.
