As published in the 2005 Founder’s Review Magazine
Back in the 40’s and 50’s Ralph and Norma Scroggie were raising beef cattle on their farm south of Belleview, and also raising three sons; Casey, Steve, and Gene. Their farm was the ‘old home and farm’ of Norma’s parents, Henry and Lorena Smith, and before them her parents, Warren Eli and Mary Lillian Smith, who homesteaded the property in 1880. Ralph grew up nearby at Pedro, the son of John & Alfa Redding Scroggie. His parents were William and Ava Jane McDermitt Scroggie. They homesteaded their property in 1877.
In 1959 Casey came home from college and asked his parents on changing from raising beef cattle to dairy cattle and start a dairy business. The first thing was to find someone to buy their milk, and the Borden Company agreed to do so. That was the beginning of Scroggie’s Dairy, operated by Ralph, Casey and Gene when they were still in high school. Ralph gave Steve and Gene, upon graduation from high school, a choice of going to college or into the dairy business. Gene chose to go into the dairy business, Steve decided he wanted to go to college and become an engineer with the State of Florida. A few local people liked their raw milk and began to come to the dairy to buy it. As that business grew, they began a route selling raw milk from a tub with ice out of the back of a pickup truck. The Borden Company soon got wind of that and discouraged them from doing so.
The Scroggies liked the route and home delivery business, and obtained the necessary equipment to pasteurizing their own milk. Not long after that they were selling a full line of dairy products; raw, pasteurized, and homogenized with Vitamin D. The productions were increased and chocolate was added, which was rich in butter fat and people said it tasted like a milkshake. Also to round out the complete line was heavy cream, buttermilk, and home churned butter. Soon their two trucks were delivering fresh milk in Belleview and around south Marion County and also parts of Ocala. They operated a home delivery service in Belleview, Ocklawaha and Weirsdale, and wholesaled from Wildwood to North Ocala. Scroggie’s Dairy was credited as being the last commercial dairy in the state of Florida to sell raw milk and the first dairy to introduce the gallon plastic jug.
They operated their dairy for a number of years before selling their equipment to TG Lee Dairies and continued to sell their milk to them for 2 to 3 more years. They then went back into raising Black Angus and dairy heifers.
Finally Ralph retired and Casey and Gene now own Century 21 Scroggie Realty, Inc., and Casey owns Casey Scroggie Realty and is raising beef cows.
