Deseret Ranches
Deseret Ranches () refers to the ranching operations of the Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Central Florida. The Ranches include several organizations, including Deseret Ranches of Florida, Deseret Cattle and Citrus, Taylor Creek Management, East Central Florida Services, AgReserves, and Farmland Reserve. Located southeast of the Orlando International Airport and west of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Currently, Deseret Ranches is the most productive cow-calf ranch in the United States. Geography This ranch, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), spreads over the three central Florida counties of Osceola, Orange, and Brevard. Covering almost of land, 90 ranchers and their families live on the ranch. The ranch maintains 44,000 head of beef cattle. It is a for-profit operation and is not a normal part of the humanitarian efforts of the LDS Church. Gordon B. Hinckley, former president of the church, has said, "We have felt that good farms, over a long period, represent a safe investment where the assets of the Church may be preserved and enhanced, while at the same time, they are available as an agricultural resource to feed people should there come a time of