JUDY BRONSON
District 6
Manatee, Hardee, Highlands, Sarasota, DeSoto/Charlotte and Lee
Judy Bronson represents women in District 6 on the Florida Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee. She and her husband, Steve, live on her family’s 5,800-acre ranch in Highlands County.
Judy and her husband, Steve, share a unique trait in that they’re both fifth-generation Floridians. Montsdeoca Ranch has been in Judy’s family for over 100 years and she is proud to carry on her family’s cattle ranching heritage.
Steve’s family is from neighboring Osceola County and his grandfather, Henry O. Partin, is known for bringing the first Brahman cattle herd to Florida.
The couple has been happily married for 48 years and have two grown children, Sam and Stephanie. “I feel so blessed to have raised my children on this land,” Bronson said. “I am so thankful for that.”
Judy’s father, Fred Montsdeoca, was a cattle foreman for the Seminole Indian Tribe for 40 years and is known for helping the tribe make a living through cattle ranching. Today, the Seminole Indians have one of the largest herds of cattle in the state.
After Judy’s father passed, she and Steve took over the major roles on the ranch. “We were living in Glades County at the time daddy passed and our oldest, Sam, was just two years old,” she explained. “We moved back to Monstdeoca and Steve took over the ranch in 1974.”
Today, Judy does all of the record and bookkeeping for daily operations on the ranch and she also spends a lot of her time volunteering. She credits friend and fellow Women’s Committee member, Danielle Daum, for encouraging her to join the state committee.
“I have learned so much from this wonderful group of women,” she said. “Being on the State Committee has opened my eyes to a world of opportunity far beyond Highlands County.”
Judy is also a member of the Florida Cattlewomen’s Association and is active in her local county Farm Bureau. She has served in her role on the state committee for five years.
“Everything in Farm Bureau is a learning opportunity,” she said. “We should all, especially young people, take advantage of everything Farm Bureau has to offer.”