My name is Kip Hudakoz. I'm a Marine, a husband, and a farmer.

When I came home from the service, I wanted what most veterans want — quiet land, honest work, and something to build with my hands. My wife Heidi and I found that here, in the Black Hammock community of Oviedo, Florida. A piece of land that had been farmed for more than a hundred years, in an area where neighbors still know each other and the rural way of life still means something.

We built Black Hammock Farm from there. Today, we manage almost 17 acres across five properties. We raise 115 Katahdin sheep, along with pigs, chickens, and turkeys. We have invested over $150,000 of our own money into commercial-grade infrastructure — a storm-rated livestock shelter, four permanent sheep barns, poultry housing, lambing stalls, fencing across every parcel. We are members of the Florida Farm Bureau, Katahdin Hair Sheep International, and the Farmer Veteran Coalition. We follow every rule the state of Florida sets for a working farm, because we built this to last.

And right now, we are fighting to keep it.

In 2025, the county denied our agricultural classification — the basic legal recognition that says "yes, this land is being used as a farm." Properties around us that show far less agricultural activity, some of them just wooded acreage, hold that same classification without issue. Neighboring parcels pay pennies on land used the same way ours is used. Our property, with more than a hundred animals on it and six-figure infrastructure investments, was singled out for denial.

We hired a land-use attorney. We filed our appeal. We've documented everything — over a hundred years of agricultural history on this land, professional wetlands surveys, multi-year photography, business records, livestock records, every receipt. We won. But the legal fight is not free, and the bills keep coming.

We are not alone in this. Across Seminole County and across Florida, small family farms are quietly disappearing. Florida lost nearly 3,000 farms in just five years. Each year, the state loses farmland faster than the year before. Most of those losses happen without a single headline — a tax bill arrives, a classification is denied, an operation can no longer afford to operate, and a family quietly closes the gate. We don't want to be one of those farms.

That's why we're also launching the Black Hammock Coalition — a community of Seminole County neighbors, farmers, food lovers, conservationists, and veterans who believe that small farms are worth protecting. The Coalition is the long game. Your donation today supports the immediate legal fight, and it also helps us build something bigger: a county-wide effort to make sure no farm has to fight this alone.

Here is exactly what your donation funds:

• $12,000 — Legal defense. Attorney fees, expert witnesses, hearing preparation, and appeal filings through the Value Adjustment Board process.

• $5,000 — Operational continuity. Feed, hay, veterinary care, and supplies to keep 115 animals healthy while we fight.

• $4,000 — Coalition launch. The website, organizing materials, and outreach to bring other affected Seminole County farms into the conversation.

• $2,500 — Infrastructure completion. Finishing the shelters and stalls that the legal fight has paused, so the farm can keep operating as a farm.

• $1,500 — Reserve fund. A buffer for unexpected legal or operational costs so we are not back here in 90 days asking again.

Every dollar is accounted for. We will publish updates on this page as funds are spent.

If you can give, thank you. Any amount makes a difference — $25, $50, $100, or more. If you cannot give, sharing this story is just as valuable. Send it to a neighbor. Post it on Facebook. Forward it to your local farmer or your veteran's group.

If you want to do more than donate, visit the Black Hammock Coalition at blackhammockfarm.com/bhf-coalition (live soon). The Coalition is open to anyone who believes in protecting small farms — you can sign on as a Friend, an Advocate, or a Defender, depending on how you want to help.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for considering us. Thank you for caring about small farms when so many people no longer remember they exist.

With gratitude,

Kip and Heidi Hudakoz

Black Hammock Farm, Oviedo, Florida

Founding Members, The Black Hammock Coalition