Those Interested in Learning More About Dairy Farming and Adopt a Cow Program Can Join

The more than 39,000 classrooms participating in Discover Dairy’s Adopt a Cow program for the 2023-24 school year will be invited to participate in virtual live chats this spring to culminate their year-long experience. The Dairy Excellence Foundation and program partners, including 14 regional Dairy Checkoff-funded associations across the United States, will host the live chats with 35 dairy farm families who have participated in the program this past year. Teachers or families who are interested in experiencing the Adopt a Cow program in action can join one or more of the live chats throughout April and May.

Each live chat will be streamed on the Dairy Excellence Foundation’s YouTube channel. They will be recorded and can be re-watched at your convenience if you cannot participate during the scheduled day and time.

“The virtual live chats are one of students’ favorite parts of the Adopt a Cow program,” said Brittany Snyder, dairy education program manager with the Dairy Excellence Foundation. “The teachers and students have learned about their host farm’s history, basic calf care, and about their adopted calf through pictures and videos all year long. After seven months of updates, they finally get to virtually meet their calf and chat directly with the farmer. Students always ask insightful questions and really enjoy getting to virtually meet dairy farm families from across the United States.”

Each live chat will be a half hour long, and the chat feature will be enabled so the farmer can answer students’ questions in real time. For Spanish-speaking students, there will be a live chat on Wednesday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m EDT that will be held in Spanish with Loehmer Dairy in Indiana. Teachers are encouraged to share this live chat opportunity with Spanish teachers and students who might benefit from this event.

The farms who are hosting a live chat through the Adopt a Cow program are listed below with the time and date of their virtual event. Visit www.discoverdairy.com/live-chats to view the full schedule with connection details. All times are listed with the appropriate time zone.

• College of the Ozarks, Missouri: Tuesday, April 9 at 10:00 a.m. EDT / 9:00 a.m. CDT
• Selz-Pralle Dairy, Wisconsin: Wednesday, April 10 at 2:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. CDT
• Larson Dairy, Florida: Thursday, April 11 at 10:00 a.m. EDT
• Long Green Farms, Maryland: Thursday, April 11 at 1:30 p.m. EDT
• Four Pines Farm LTD, Ohio: Friday, April 12 at 9:30 a.m. EDT
• Gervais Family Farm, Vermont: Friday, April 12 at 2:30 p.m. EDT
• Nance Dairy, South Carolina: Monday, April 15 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
• Triple H Dairy, Kentucky: Tuesday, April 16 at 10:30 a.m. EDT / 9:30 a.m. CDT
• Takes Dairy, Iowa: Tuesday, April 16 at 2:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. CDT
• Clark Family Dairy, Utah: Tuesday, April 16 at 3:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. MT
• Rottinghaus Holstein Farm, Kansas: Wednesday, April 17 at 2:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. CDT
• Miron Farm, Minnesota: Thursday, April 18 at 11:30 a.m. EDT / 10:30 a.m. CDT
• Big Sandy Creek Dairy Farm, Georgia: Thursday, April 18 at 1:30 p.m. EDT
• Vision Aire Farms LLC, Wisconsin: Thursday, April 18 at 2:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. CDT
• Schoch Dairy & Creamery, Oregon: Thursday, April 18 at 4:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. PDT
• Dusty Road Jersey Farm, North Carolina: Friday, April 19 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
• Stargo Dairy Farm, New York: Friday, April 19 at 1:30 p.m. EDT
• Mauthe Farms, Mississippi: Monday, April 22 at 11:30 a.m. EDT / 10:30 a.m. CDT
• Barham Jersey Farm, Tennessee: Wednesday, April 24 at 9:30 a.m. EDT
• Cave Hill Dairy, Virginia: Wednesday, April 24 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
• Lueken Dairy, Indiana: Wednesday, April 24 at 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Mapleleaf Farm, Connecticut: Wednesday, April 24 at 2:00 p.m. EDT
• Jem-Lot Dairy, Michigan: Thursday, April 25 at 11:00 a.m. EDT
• Circle J Dairy, Alabama: Thursday, April 25 at 12:00 p.m. EDT / 11:00 a.m. CDT
• JJC Jerseys, Nebraska: Friday, April 26 at 2:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. CDT
• Brigeen Farms, Maine: Monday, April 29 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
• Stotz Dairy, Arizona: Monday, April 29 at 4:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. YST
• MacGlaflin Farm, New Hampshire: Tuesday, April 30 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
• Loehmer Dairy (English), Indiana: Wednesday, May 1 at 9:30 a.m. EDT
• Loehmer Dairy (Spanish), Indiana: Wednesday, May 1 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
• Zahncroft Dairy, Pennsylvania: Wednesday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Cottonwood Farms, Nevada: Wednesday, May 1 at 4:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. PDT
• Dan Maur Farms, Washington: Thursday, May 2 at 2:00 p.m. EDT / 11:00 a.m. PDT
• Berning Acres, Illinois: Friday, May 3 at 10:30 a.m. EDT / 9:30 a.m. CDT
• Orthridge Jerseys, Wisconsin: Friday, May 3 at 2:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. CDT

Each classroom that enrolls in the Adopt a Cow program is paired with a calf from a working dairy farm in the United States. Teachers and students receive photos, video updates, and activity sheets throughout the school year that allow them to watch their calf grow. Through interactive, hands-on learning activities, students gain a deeper understanding of the dairy industry and where their food comes from. The live chats are the final installment of the year-long program.

“I started using the Adopt a Cow program because it’s really important for kids to make that connection [to where their food comes from]. It’s super important to have the virtual components like the live chats because we can’t always do field trips,” said Julie Cates, a Discover Dairy participant and sixth-grade teacher from California. “It’s live and it’s natural, and the big cow’s face might be in the camera. It’s so fun for the kids. They just have a ball with it because it feels like they are right there [on the farm].”

More than 2 million students from across the globe have been impacted by the 2023-24 Adopt a Cow and Discover Dairy programs. Classrooms from all 50 states are enrolled, and the program has begun to make an international impact. Classrooms from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, and more are participating in the program.

The Adopt a Cow program is made possible through the generous support of Dairy Excellence Foundation donors and program partners, including American Dairy Association Northeast, American Dairy Association Indiana, Midwest Dairy, The Dairy Alliance, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Dairy Management West, Dairy West, New England Dairy, Dairy Farmers of Washington, American Dairy Association Mideast, Dairy Council of Florida, United Dairy Industry of Michigan, Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council, and Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council.

To join one or more of the live chats being held in April and May, visit www.discoverdairy.com/live-chats to view the full schedule and find connection details. You can also visit the Dairy Excellence Foundation’s channel on YouTube. To find the channel, search “Dairy Excellence Foundation” at www.youtube.com. To donate to the Adopt a Cow program, contact LeeAnn McLaughlin at lmclaughlin@centerfordairyexcellence.org or call 717-346-0849. You can also visit www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/donate. Any support received will support classrooms participating in the 2024-25 Adopt a Cow program.

To learn more about the program and its impact on the Pennsylvania and United States dairy industry, contact Brittany Snyder at bsnyder@centerfordairyexcellence.org or call 717-346- 0849. You can also visit www.discoverdairy.com/adopt.