Learn where dairy foods come from – and other fun stuff -- at Family Day at the Dairy Farm

Who: Faculty and students with the animal sciences department at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences -- as well as volunteers -- will staff stations to educate the public about how milk is produced and where dairy foods come from at a typical dairy farm.

What: Fifth annual Family Day at the Dairy Farm. UF/IFAS, with support from Florida Dairy Farmers – the organization that promotes dairy farmers in the Sunshine State - invites the public to visit a working dairy farm. The event is free and open to the public.

Visitors can drop by any or all of the 18 stations, where they will learn what cows eat, how cows are milked, tour barn facilities, pet calves, sample dairy products, make butter, take a hayride and even climb into a tractor. The public also can meet researchers and veterinarians who work to improve Florida’s dairy production.

The 850-acre facility is home to about 550 Holstein cows that are milked twice daily. In 2017, 1,600 people came to the event. 

• Please wear closed-toed, flat shoes.
• Children must be accompanied by an adult. No pets allowed.
• The event will go on, rain or shine.

When:

9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, March 31.

Where:

The UF Dairy Unit, 13200 NW 59th Drive, Gainesville, Florida, is about 20 minutes northwest of the Gainesville city limits. The event site is http://bit.ly/2FLZct7.

For more information, please contact Albert De Vries at devries@ufl.edu, 352-392-5594, ext. 227, or Jimena Laporta at jlaporta@ufl.edu, 352-392-1981, Ext. 229.

By: Brad Buck, 352-294-3303, bradbuck@ufl.edu