Family Day at the Dairy Farm

Saturday, February 10, 2024

9 AM - 2 PM

The eighth UF/IFAS Family Day at the Dairy Farm (FDDF) will be held at the UF Dairy Unit on Saturday, February 10th, 2024. Family Day at the Dairy Farm is an open house for the general public and is organized by faculty and staff of the Department of Animal Sciences, the staff of the UF Dairy Unit, and Florida Dairy Farmers Inc.

First held in 2012, Family Day at the Dairy Farm is designed to be educational for children and adults alike. An important objective is to show a real working dairy farm to the public and be transparent about dairy farming practices. The visitors can visit information stations where they learn about dairy management and milk quality and how UF/IFAS dairy research and Extension help dairy farmers produce better milk at lower cost while keeping their herds comfortable, healthy, and being stewards of the environment. Activities organized by ANS faculty and graduate students provide opportunities for visitors to watch cows being milked, pet calves, make butter, tour barn facilities, learn about nutrition, physiology, reproduction, and how milk is produced, stored, and transported. Florida Dairy Farmers, the Florida Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and Alachua County 4-H also have stations during the event.