Circle N Family Dairy — Local services in Gainesville

We had scheduled a group tour (the only way you can get a tour) and arrived quite a bit early out of anticipation for heavy traffic. But there is a fun playground set up over by the calves houses which meant we got first dibs on the hay slide! The calves knew visitors meant feeding time and were licking us, just waiting for that wonderful milk bottle to be given to them. The cutie pies!

Our guide was amazing, taking time to answer every one of our questions thoroughly. She showed us the stalls where the diary cows feed, relax, and stay cool, the water washout that cleans the stalls, the milking stations, and even let us practice our milking skills on a model cow. She explained that the cows are milked every 12 hours so our tour not only fell outside of their normal schedule, but that they would not be comfortable having stranger milking them. Which is why we practiced on a model, still very cool! Totally understandable, we want the cows to continue producing their delicious milk for all to enjoy!

We learned that raw milk, not pasteurized, is actually better since the vitamins and nature's goodness have not been heated out. After tasting the raw milk, it tastes SO delicious. You can buy some from their onsite store.

They are not selling commercially anymore and can only sell straight from their farm, so if you happen to want fresh milk, ice cream or other locally made farm goods, visit their store on location! Be sure to bring cash or Venmo.

My family enjoyed our tour and recommend every supporting our local dairy farmers at...

This is my first visit to Circle N. It's a beautiful drive out to the dairy. They have a real nice little store to browse through. In addition to dairy products, they sell some meat and homemade food in jars, beyond just jam and jelly. My daughter bought some lovely water kefir or kombucha, I don't recall which, but it was excellent. They also carry some handmade kitchen linens and handmade cosmetic products. I bought my elderly mom a little cloth cozy for bowls and mugs. She likes it. I bought some of their ice cream too but in my opinion it has way too much guar gum in it and I didn't care for it. Their milk tastes good though. I also bought cream but it didn't hold up well. I purchased it on a Monday and didn't open it until the following Sunday and it was bitter tasting. If I could suggest one thing to the dairy, it would be to mark the jugs with the date they were filled. I felt like the cream had been kept cold and should still be good, but then I realized there was no date to judge it by. I don't know how they know when to rotate their stock, but I'm sure they have a system in place. I wouldn't dissuade anyone from buying it, because I know other people who regularly buy it and have no problems. I don't know what happened with mine. Anyway, go there! Support locally grown and support raw dairy. It's...

I was so impressed by our field trip to Circle N Dairy Family Dairy yesterday! My kids and I had such a great time & learned so much! The owners were kind, hardworking & helpful. It was obvious they devote themselves to excellence in all aspects of running their farm. Their cows are privileged to be so well cared for. If I remember correctly, pregnant cows are not milked for two months leading up to delivery. When their calves are born, the mother cows go to a separate barn for milking so all their milk can go to their own calf. The newborn calves are given special care & supervision while they transition to solid feed. The farm grows their own feed to give their cows the best nutrition. Their land & water resources are also well-stewarded. I was most impressed by the clean smell & shiny, sanitized equipment in the milking barn. My kids had so much fun playing on the playground & haystacks, milking a fake cow & bottle-feeding real baby calves. Their store was cute & their prices were fair. Their milk & ice cream were delicious, rich & creamy! My husband is looking forward to going back with us after hearing about what a wonderful time we had. We look forward to trying more of...