When most people think of farming, they visualize fields of waving grain, fruit-laden orchards, or rows of vegetable crops. The image of a "farm" teeming with toothy alligators certainly doesn't come to mind.

But alligator farming has not only developed as a viable commercial enterprise, yielding a host of high-value products, it also has resulted in a conservation strategy for a once-endangered natural resource.

During the first two-thirds of this century, the American alligator endured unrestrained  harvest, primarily for the hides. Conservation laws in the 1960s and early 1970s put a halt to rampant exploitation, and by the mid 1970s, populations began showing progressive increases. Estimates indicate that there are now more than 1 million wild alligators in Florida alone.

The increase in the alligator population also generated an increase in nuisance alligator complaints from the public. An economic result of thousands of nuisance complaints was the eventual lifting of the hunting bans and the proliferation of the 'Gator' farm.

Now with the over abundance of Alligator meat and skins there has never been a better time for you to taste the delightfully rich flavor of this other, other 'white meat'. And don't forget you can now pick up anything from hatbands and cigar cases to luggage and jackets!