OUR STORY

DAKIN DAIRY FARMS IN MANATEE COUNTY

Then the family dairy farm reached the next level. After settling in Parrish, Florida, Pete purchased 60 acres, built two chicken houses and began chicken farming. He also bought 400 feeder bulls. After five years of chicken farming, his contract was over and the bottom fell out of the beef business. After exclaiming years before “he’d never milk another cow again” he proclaimed “dairying is the only business where we made money.” So he built a milking parlor in 1974 between the two chicken houses and converted them to feed barns. He scraped the rest of his money together and bought 110 springing (ready to calve) heifers. Then he started purchasing the 200 surrounding acres.

Later, in 1980 his two eldest sons, Cameron and Farren, purchased and built their own Dairy Farms in Myakka City. They operate today as Cameron Dakin Dairy and Farren Dakin Dairy. In 1990, Pete retired from Dairy Farming with a herd of 750 Holsteins which he sold to his two youngest sons, Rodney and Jerry. Then in 2001 Jerry purchased his own property in Myakka City. Pete passed away and the family converted the Parrish homestead property to a small beef ranch.

100% LOCALLY PRODUCED NATURAL MILK

Today, Dakin Dairy Farms is the only family dairy farm in Florida open to the public that produces and bottles their own milk right on the farm. Dakin Dairy Farms offers a wide variety of milk products (link) filled with nutrition and rooted in sustainable farming practices. We believe in the positive impact local farming has on the product and the community. Manatee County’s year round production of fresh grasses rich in omegas and conjugated linoleic acids are incorporated into our cows’ diet. Fresh grass provides the best source of natural beta-carotene, vitamin D and vitamin E, for better cow health and more nutritious milk. The result is nutrition-packed milk with amazing flavor and an off the chart chocolate milk!

Sustainable Farming Practices

Dakin Dairy Farms is proud to be a sustainable family dairy farm. And, we are one of the last local dairy farms amongst fewer than 150 dairy farms remaining in Florida. Dakin Dairy Farms has been a major part of the Manatee County community for over two decades. We offer a variety of nutritious products, and the entire process is completed locally. From milking the cows to the production and bottling, it all takes place on our Manatee County farm. The Dakin family has been milking cows in Manatee County, Florida since 1973.

Our farms are built on sustainable farming practices and prioritizing the health and diet of our cows. And we believe that the diet of our cows makes all the difference in our natural milk. Because of this, we strive to keep the process as organic as possible. The Dakin family dairy farm is proud to offer fresh delicious products, from our family to yours.