Tony Mayo has been in agriculture his entire life, and we mean entire! Tony grew up in Marianna and at the young age of 6, he had his first job at Malloy Glad Farm, the gladiolus farm where Chick-fil-A stands today. Tony is proud of the fact that he runs a working farm and homesteads all year round, alongside his wife Reyna, AKA "The Plant Lady" and their children. Tony has 5 children, aged 11 - 33 and is a grandfather! For those who wonder about the name "Dylan Farms", it was named in honor of their child Dylan who passed away at a very young age.
Let's understand "Homesteading", which is defined as a lifestyle of self sufficiency and sustainability. The Mayos grow their own vegetables, raise their own animals and Tony homeschools the younger children. The Mayos pride themselves that everything they grow is as natural as possible, no chemicals, but if they need something you can guarantee it is OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certified. Anything you buy from Tony and Reyna is guaranteed chemical free, natural and grown with love, including the flowers and plants! This season deer were eating the majority of gladiolus that Tony planted numerous times. But as he says "that's farming life". Tony and Reyna are planting and harvesting more fruit trees for the future and moving into medicinal herbs for health and healing, in keeping with their "as natural as possible" philosophy.
The Mayo Family Homestead has an extensive collection of animals which include Billy and Bob, 2 Nubian goats resembling deer in size and stature, and known for their dairy production. The cute Dwarf Nigerian Goats stand under 20" tall at full size and are also excellent dairy producers. There are Polish chickens too (though they are thought to originate in the Netherlands) sporting combs on their head which resemble "The Road Runner" cartoon character.
Reyna is in love with her Silkies, the most beautiful, fluffy and unique chickens I have ever seen. She has them at the Market occasionally so try to catch a glimpse if you haven't seen them, you will immediately fall in love. The Silkies are Reyna's pets, while the boys have rabbits and Tony, well, he has the goats and pigs. The Mayo animals become like family so they need to be strategic in their attachments, otherwise they all become pets lol!
The life of a homesteader is a journey, but Tony and his family all pitch in to make it work for them. In addition to all the farming and animal tending, Tony manages the Marianna City Farmers' Market, which is no small feat in itself. One day his boys may take over the Mayo Family Homestead and Dylan Farms, but until then, come on down and get your fresh veggies, fruits, exotic plants, flowers, and herbs. You never know what Tony and Reyna will have for sale!
And if you can't make the market keep up with the Mayos on their YouTube channel The Mayo Family Homestead
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