FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — Four generations of the same family have spent nearly 90 years working the land at Adams Ranch in Fort Pierce — and now a fifth generation is growing up there.

“It’s just a way of life,” said ranch foreman Billy Adams. “And it’s a good way of life. Good way to bring up your family.”

Founded in 1937, Adams Ranch has become one of Florida’s most well-known cattle operations.

What started as a small cattle operation in St. Lucie County has grown into one of the largest cow-calf ranches in the country.

“The ranch was started in 1937 by my grandfather,” said Mike Adams, president of Adams Ranch.

See also: WWII Veteran, 101, Awarded France’s Highest Honor in Stuart

While much of Florida continues to grow and develop, life on the ranch looks much the same as it did generations ago.

Cowboys still move cattle on horseback. Herding dogs help guide the cattle. And before sunrise, the workday is already underway.

For Billy Adams, ranching has been part of life for as long as he can remember.

“I started here when I was five years old,” he said.

The ranch’s history is preserved throughout the property, from old family photographs to artifacts collected over decades and displayed in a ranch museum.

But the Adams family says preserving the ranch is about more than honoring the past.

As development spreads across Florida, they see ranch land as an important part of the state’s future.

“It’s squeezing some of the land in a lot of different areas of Florida,” Mike Adams said.

The family says ranches help preserve open space, support wildlife and contribute to Florida’s food supply.

“We really do not want to become in a position where we don’t provide our own food for our people,” Adams said.

Today, the ranch spans roughly 50,000 acres across several Florida counties and remains under the hands-on management of the Adams family.

For those who work there, the ranch remains more than a business.

“It taught me that hard work won’t kill you,” Billy Adams said.

And nearly 90 years after the ranch was founded, the Adams family hopes the tradition continues for generations to come.