Prominent sugarcane farmer and cattle rancher dies at 79

Longtime sugarcane and cattle industry rancher Joe Marlin Hilliard, a Fort Myers native and 2017 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame inductee, died Aug. 26. He was 79. 

Hilliard died surrounded by family and friends at his home in Naples, according to his official obituary. Born into a ranching family, Hilliard grew up on Hilliard Ranch in Hendry County. Following graduation from Clewiston High School in 1961, he began his career working on Hilliard Brothers Cattle Ranch, which his grandfather founded in 1906. Hilliard’s father and uncle took over ownership in the 1920s. Hilliard later expanded the family business, the obituary states, “enhancing the cattle operation with large investments in sugarcane, citrus and vegetable production.”

Hilliard also developed thousands of acres of native pine and palmetto woods into pasture by allowing farmers to clear and farm the land for two years, then planting improved grass, his Hall of Fame entry states. He also collaborated with the UF-Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to teach South Florida farmers about the tropical soda apple weed.