An Udderly Unique Day at the Farm…

27 Apr An Udderly Unique Day at the Farm…

When we first arrived, there was so much to look at! Buildings, equipment, rolling hills, pastures, and cows! We were able to wander around the property and get in some good petting time with the calves before our 10 am tour started.

Our sweet tour guide Michelle, who also works on the farm, told us that Circle N Dairy farm has been around since 1967. She gave us all the details about the buildings and what life is like on a dairy farm. The beautiful silo holds 400 tons of wheat and barley feed for the cows. Right now they have about 45 cows that they milk daily. One of my favorite tidbits that Michelle shared was about the fake bird call that goes off every few minutes in the large covered barn. This fake bird device lets out a fake distress call to alert all the real birds in the area that there is danger nearby and to get out of the area. We watched it work many times, as large flocks of birds nearby would fly away after getting faked out lol! The birds are too dirty and pesky, and didn’t need to be near the covered barn, or as I call it- the cow’s “luxury lounge”. Those fancy cows had fans and misters to stay cool, and mattresses to lay on! HA! It’s good being a cow at the Circle N.

Michelle took us through the milking process and equipment they use on a daily basis. For sanitation purposes, we did not have the opportunity to milk a cow ourselves. However, there is Holly, a fake cow who “milks” water. Holly was so patient with our crew and a good sport! The absolute BEST part of the tour was saved for the end. We got to bottle feed the calves who were about 3-5 weeks old. I couldn’t hide my excitement!! I want one…or two!!!

Did I say the best part already? Maybe I did. Well, THIS is actually the best part. Tasting the milk that is included with the price of the tour was definitely one of my kids favorite parts! Since there were 4 of us sharing and sipping the milk, it was a little difficult to taste test without straws (I can be a germaphobe sometimes). Make sure to pack straws on your trip, or just don’t share your milk with your kids haha! My kids barely let me drink any of it anyway, before they gulped it ALL. You could choose to sample strawberry, chocolate or regular white milk. So fresh and refreshing! This farm also has the cutest little playground setup for the kids. Such a bonus to have after they finish drinking the milk and want to play.

Ok, so I know I already said that the best part was feeding the calves and drinking the milk, BUT this is ACTUALLY the very best part of it all! All the fresh and yummy foods to purchase in the country store…like ice cream!! Here is where I made a mistake on this day trip. First, I didn’t bring a large enough cooler to hold all my yummy things, and had to make very tough decisions on what would fit and what didn’t make the cut. I’m still a little sad about that. Also, I think if I were to do it again, I would schedule our Dairy Farm tour in the afternoon, so I can have the morning to explore all the interesting things Gainesville and surrounding areas have to offer during the morning hours. Instead, I had to rush straight home with my ice cream and had no time for exploring. Let me say this though, I’m not complaining too much about rushing home to eat my ice cream!

We were able to fit cheese (Gouda with dill), Apple Jelly, and 4 different flavors of ice cream (Strawberry, Texas Oatmeal Cookie, Double Chocolate Fudge, and Chunky Chocolate Mocha) in our cooler. We rushed home to begin the taste test. My personal favorite, although all of them were delicious, was the CHUNKY CHOCOLATE MOCHA!! It has a creamy dreamy chocolate and coffee flavor that won me over immediately! I’m obsessed.

A few more quick notes about the Circle N Dairy Farm:

• pack straws if you prefer for the milk tasting
• tours must be scheduled ahead of time- visit their website https://www.circlendairy.com/
• tour price is $7.00 a person for those over 2 yrs
• there is a restroom on the property
• the property is small enough and easy enough to get around that I didn’t need my stroller for my youngest
• plenty of picnic tables available to use

Ya’ll have to get this trip on your calendar. It is so fun for the whole family! Thank you Michelle, and the whole crew working at Circle N Dairy Farm, providing us with fresh and yummy dairy products 7 days week. God bless Texas, and God bless those baby calves!

Have you visited Circle N Dairy Farm?? What are your favorite things to do in Gainesville? Do you have any questions about our trip? Share your experience or questions with me! Comment below!