L&L Content Creation

Keeping Florida agriculture alive through one cowboy’s conservation and photography

Photo By: Nathan Smothers

Smothers is pictured riding through a pasture on his horse.

By Abby Duke

BARTOW, FLA, May 3 – As Florida’s agriculture industry has seen its better days, with blights of disease and the dying off of citrus, there are ranchers continuing to keep it alive today. Twenty-three-year-old Nathan Smothers is one of those ranchers, with a passion for the conservation of Florida wildlife and sharing the hidden beauty behind his work, Smothers is bringing a new light to the industry.

Through his photography, Crooked.S, Smothers share’s the parts of old Florida that not many are aware of. Capturing images of cattle, Florida’s sunsets, swamps, and the life that lives within its rivers and state parks in hopes to preserve the land.

Many days start with coffee and the limelight of the sunrise peeking through the horizon as Smothers saddles his horse. Working cattle through miles of Florida’s hammocks, Smothers stops throughout his rides to capture the environment around him.

“Putting content out and learning more about the conservation of Florida land has helped open doors in finding people who appreciate the land just like me,” says Smothers. “There’s a lot of grey areas that get overlooked in ranching and agriculture; I want to help put a spotlight on them again.”

With the growth of his content, he hopes to take all profits and put them towards the conservation of Florida with organizations such as Florida Forever and panther research.

With a passion for the land, Smothers started his photography with snapshots throughout his workday sharing them to Instagram and TikTok in hopes others will find the beauty inside central Florida’s hidden forests.

Through Crooked.S photography, Smothers shares the wildlife and environment he observes day to day while ranching, in hopes of educating others on the life behind agriculture. “I want to share the beauty I see every day in the line of work I’m in with everyone, hopefully bringing an appreciation for the land to others,” Smothers says.

At the age of 15, Smothers began working his family’s land learning the ins and outs of ranching. When deciding on the type of education to pursue, he chose to further his career in agriculture. Attending Warner University in their agriculture program, Smothers’ passion for the industry grew.

“My love of agriculture was on fire,” Smothers said. “Waking up at four a.m. every morning and jumping on a horse, seeing the sunrise through the trees, it just does it for me.”

Smothers helps produce and co-host the Rule1 podcast along with ranching and photography. The mission is to “spotlight those in all walks of life,” the podcast highlights those helping to conserve Florida’s land along with those from industries in sports, music, education, photography, and entrepreneurial developments.

Conservation of Florida wildlife and nature became Smothers goal as he sought out more ways to inform people about the world around him.

“Agriculture can be pushed to the side and forgotten about, but there are those out there who pursue the life and find a purpose through it,” says Millie Bolin, a generational Florida rancher and advocate for keeping traditions of old Florida alive.

More ranchers are seeking out ways to enrich the industry and keep traditions alive. Social media has changed the scene of agriculture and those, such as Smothers, have shown the value of sharing their hidden lands.

Following the trends of social media and creating educational opportunities for those unbeknownst to the citrus side of agriculture in Florida, Jo-B Himrod is one more rancher gaining traction in finding ways to keep his business growing.

“I didn’t know people would grab hold so quickly to sharing our work online,” says Himrod. “We are able to educate those on the hardships and breakthroughs in Florida citrus, it’s been a wonderful thing to share what we experience day to day with others.”

Creating opportunities of growth and education through social media has changed the game for ranchers and farmers of Florida hoping to keep their lifestyles in agriculture alive for future generations. Sharing the beauty they see every day, along with the challenges of managing the land puts their reality into perspective for those that do not know what goes on behind the scenes of the Florida agriculture industry.

Photographing the secret corners of Florida is just the start for Smothers as he continues his journey for conserving Florida’s land and wildlife. As his following grows, he is creating a website to publish and sell his photography, with profits going toward Florida conservation organizations.

As the pathway to the conservation of Florida land and agriculture continues, Smothers hopes to “just keep ranching.”

Image by: Nathan Smothers

This is a group of cattle photographed by Smothers, the tagged 212 is pictured munching on hay.

Image by: Nathan Smothers

This is an oak tree spreading its roots in the river, surrounded by native Florida palm trees.