North Florida residents can get an inside look at how dairy farms produce milk at the 2014 Family Day at the Dairy Farm, a free open-house event presented by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences with support from Florida Dairy Farmers. The event will be now be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12. at the UF/IFAS dairy farm in Hague and is open to the public.

“This is our third year and we’ve planned to make this the biggest and best Family Day at the Dairy Farm yet,” said organizer Albert De Vries, a UF/IFAS animal sciences associate professor. “It’s a great way to learn where dairy foods come from, and it’s a lot of fun.”

New features for this year’s event include opportunities to buy refreshments, a seating area, face-painting and info booth. There will also be a “milkable cow” that will allow visitors to get a hands-on experience with traditional milking.

Attendees can also see cows being milked, tour the barn, examine cattle feed, pet calves, sample dairy products, make butter, participate in a hayride and jump behind the drivers seat of a tractor.

Opened in 1949, the UF dairy farm sits on 850 acres and is home to about 500 Holstein cows, which are milked twice daily. Florida is home to about 130 dairy farms and more than 122,000 cows, producing 272 million gallons of milk each year. In terms of the amount of milk produced, the Sunshine State ranks 17th nationally.

Students from UF animal sciences and veterinary programs work at the farm as part of their training. Many of the current dairy students and faculty members are presenters at the event, educating visitors at more than 20 displays around the farm.

“If you’ve never visited a farm before, you’ll come away with a better appreciation of the hard work that goes into producing food,” said Jerry Wasdin, coordinator of the farm’s research programs and services. “This is a 365 days-a-year commitment for our staff, and for all Florida dairy farmers.”

Visitors should wear closed-toed shoes, sunscreen and hats. To protect herd health, pets are not allowed at the event, De Vries said. Restroom facilities and complimentary bottled water will be available on-site.

Cameras are welcome, and visitors can post their Family Day at the Dairy Farm photos on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #UFDAIRYDAY.