

Skimming the Surface of Manatee County's Dairy Industry
There is a strong force of habit or perhaps a sixth sense that the cows on a dairy farm possess…or maybe it is simply the discomfort of a full udder. But if you have ever visited a dairy farm, it is so interesting to see the “girls” moving toward the milking parlor at the same time each day. If a farm has a schedule of milking twice a day, morning and evening, you can be assured that the cows will make their way to just the right gate at the right time; three times a day – th


Bone Mizell – Florida Cow Man & Figure in Folklore
Around 1862 a cow hunter by the name of Morgan Mizell and his wife, Mary Fletcher Tucker, moved from Hernando County to a little-populated area in Manatee County called Horse Creek. A year later in 1863, Morgan Bonaparte Mizell – affectionately known as Bone to his eleven brothers and sisters – was born. In 1885-86 Horse Creek became the site of Pine Level, Manatee County’s town seat. Later still, this land became part of Desoto County. In 1895, cowboy artist Frederic Remingt