June is National Dairy Month so I wanted to share my recent trip to Shamrock Farms. We are a little spoiled here since there are many dairy farms in our area. Shamrock Farms started 90 years ago in Tucson with only 20 cows and now boasts a herd of over 10,000!
I will totally admit that my expectations were pretty high as this was not my first tour of a working dairy, but it was our first trip down to Shamrock Farms and I’m pleased to say that it did not disappoint! The farm is located in Stanfield, Arizona, near Casa Grande. It’s a little trek to get there, but totally worthwhile! We entered a huge red barn where my boys kept busy with displays and activities before the tour started. I was super proud when the tour guide asked if anyone knew their mascot and my 5 yo shouted, “Roxie!”
We then hopped aboard an open-air tram and toured the “Desert Oasis” where the cows are cared for so they produce quality milk. The tram stopped at “Roxie’s Outdoor Adventure” where my boys could have stayed for hours (but it’s only a 60 min tour)! There was a playground, climber with slides, and a milking parlor set up so the kids could practice milking the cows.
We then went to the real milking parlor and saw 200 cows being milked at once and watched a video of the milk processing plant. The kids had fun “mooing” at the cows and feeling the metal tubes where the milk was cooled to stay fresh.
Another quick ride on the tram and we were feeding babies at “Roxie’s Calf Nursery.” I think they were pretty full by the time we left!
We returned to the Welcome Center Barn and ate lunch. They have hot dogs, pretzels, chips, milk, and ice cream (of course!) for sale, or you could bring a sack lunch and eat at their indoor picnic tables.
We were asked to sample their new flavored sour creams, and I must say that they are delicious! They had 3 flavors to try: ranch, jalapeño, and french onion. The sour cream is a good consistency and would easily be used as dip, in a recipe, or as a topping. They kept the kids occupied with craft projects and ice cream, and I am not afraid to say I went back for seconds.
We had a lot of fun on the Shamrock Farms Tour, and although it was a little ways of a drive, I would visit again. I frequently buy Shamrock Farms products and was happy to see learn more about the farm and their cows.
Stay tuned for my review of the new Shamrock Farms flavored sour creams and my recipe using the yummy jalapeño sour cream!
Disclaimer: We were guests of Shamrock Farms. All opinions are my own.
I really want to take my 2 kids! When did you go? I was just on their website the other day and it said that they don’t have public tours in the summer. I was really bummed!
It was the tail end of April. They had invited us as part of an event, but I imagine they stop giving tours since it’s so hot right now. If you get a chance when they open back up in September, you should totally take them!