SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FARMER

Our family has been milking cows in Manatee County, Florida since 1973. Cameron, Farren and Jerry Dakin own the three remaining dairy farms in the County, and are amongst the fewer than 150 dairies remaining in Florida.

In 2008 we designed and added a farm tour path, a farm fun play area under our incredibly gorgeous oak hammock, and a milk bottling facility 75 feet away from our milking parlor attached by a bridge. Our walking tour ends in the Milk Plant learning about the process of pasteurization and the bottling of our own "Farm Fresh" milk.

Our first bottle of milk came off the line March of 2009. Local restaurants started using our milk and cream immediately, excited about having FRESH local milk straight from the farm where they could actually come see where it was being produced and bottled. The local Sweetbay Grocery stores and Whole Foods state wide also jumped on our “Local Farm” produced and bottled milk as well as many local Farmers Markets. Click here to find a store near you.

Please take the time to read “Our History” page where you will learn how the Dakin Family Farms evolved. Each year we become more and more sustainable, recycling and reusing our natural resources right here on the farm.

Come “support your local farmer”, enjoy an educational, fun tour of our dairy with a hayride that takes you a little deeper into the farm to complete your “farm experience”. Our oak hammock has turned into a place where kids just want to play for hours on tire swings, climbing sand mountains, feeding goats, digging for fossils and MORE. Picnic tables and camp fires abound making it an ideal place for Kids Birthday Parties, family gatherings and Church Picnics. From October through December we offer a 7 Acre Maze with miles of winding trails and hidden posts to locate with some sort of reward for locating all 10-12 posts. Thanksgiving to Christmas we offer Christmas Carol Hayrides and Live Manger family photo opportunities complete with costumes, they make adorable Christmas cards, it really is precious.

Visit our FARM TOURS page for more details.

Spend some time in our Farm Market where gifts & products, such as Honey harvested from local bees, can be found or just relax under the oak hammock and enjoy an “Old Fashioned Country Picnic” complete with picnic basket featuring an “It’s All About The Cheese” Menu, Slow Roasted Pulled Pork, Angus Hot Dogs roasted over a campfire and more. This is our newest addition which just seems to “fit” the overall theme “Good Ole Country Farm Fun”!