Author: info@discoverdairy.com

Dairy Fun Fact

Dairy farmers use a lot of innovative technology to help make their farms more efficient, productive and profitable. Robotic milking technology is one example of that.  One robotic milker can actually milk 60-70 cows each day. Larger robotic dairy farms have multiple robots working around the clock to keep cows happy and milked. Share this fact with your students during Robotics Week this April!

Teachers Invited to Join ‘Adopt a Cow’ Spring Live Chats With 35 Dairy Farms

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.

View the Live Chat Schedule

Introduce New Curious Clover Book During Ag Literacy Week (March 18-22)

Did you know Ag Literacy Week is happening this month on March 18-22? It’s the perfect time to introduce our NEW Discover Dairy book and activity, called, Curious Clover, to your students! Curious Clover was designed to encourage students of all ages to build curiosity about the world around them while learning about the journey of milk from the farm to your fridge. 

How It Works

Age group? The book and activity are ideal for elementary and middle school students.

View the Curious Clover Resources

March Is National Nutrition Month: What’s In Your Glass & What Cows Eat to Stay Healthy

March is National Nutrition Month! From the milk you drink for breakfast to the ingredients that cows consume on a daily basis to produce the milk in your glass, nutrition is a huge part of the dairy industry. Here are some interactive nutrition activities you can share with your students this month: 

  • What Do Cows Eat to Stay Healthy? Watch this short animated video to discover what dairy cows eat every day as part of a well-balanced diet. Dairy farmers work with nutritionists to develop special diets for cows to make sure they get the nutrients they need. See what goes into a cow’s total mixed ration (TMR) — you may be surprised by some of the ingredients! Age group? This video is ideal for students of all ages.
  • What’s In Your Glass? Choices are great, but they can be overwhelming. This at-a-glance chart can help you understand what’s in your 8-ounce glass of milk. Age group? This chart is ideal for middle school and high school students.
  • “Nutritionary” Game. This game celebrates artistic fun and nutrition! Players will sketch or sculpt clay into a food listed on their Nutritionary Food Card and see who can name their creation. Click here to download directions for the game. Age group? This game is ideal for grades K – 5.
  • Health Education Lessons. These lesson plans teach students the importance of choosing healthy beverages for their growing bodies. Understanding Nutrition Facts Labels, weight management, and the economic impact of empty calories are all included in this two-part series. Age group? These lessons are ideal for 7th through 12th grade students.

How Water Is Recycled on Dairy Farms: Celebrate World Water Day

World Water Day is happening on March 22! This is a great time to plan lessons and activities focused on the environment and this important resource. Plant- and animal-based foods, including dairy, require water to grow and create the delicious, nutritious foods that sustain us. Water is a vital resource on dairy farms for the many roles it plays, and farmers do what they can to make every drop count! 

Introduction: Click here to watch how water is recycled on dairy farms. It includes an introductory video you can watch that features a dairy farmer explaining how much they value water.

Dive Deeper: Dairy farmers are innovative when it comes to how they recycle water. In this article, dive deeper into this topic and see how a barn roof at Blan Dougherty’s farm in southeast Tennessee not only is used to shade and protect his cows from the elements, it is used to catch rainwater. Read more.

Take It a Step Further: Do you live in California or another state in the Western United States? Access to safe, quality water is more uncertain throughout the West, meaning effective management of the precious resource is increasingly important. Nearly 50% of the country’s dairy production is in the Western U.S., but farms face an arid climate with moderate to extreme drought conditions. By reducing, reusing, and recycling water, Western U.S. dairy farmers get the most out of every drop. Read more about their approach to water management. 

Watch How Dairy Farmers Recycle Water

Dairy Fun Fact: Milk Is 87% Water

Did you know milk is 87 percent water? This is a relevant statistic to share with your students as you celebrate National Water Day and Nutrition Month using this week’s Sunday Funday activities!  With milk being filled with so much water, that’s why cows drink a lot of water on a daily basis. They actually drink more than a bathtub full of water each and every day!

Shamrock Shaped Havarti Cheese Display for St. Patrick’s Day

Try this festive Shamrock Shaped Havarti Cheese Display for a St. Patrick’s Day inspired snack board in or out of the classroom.
Directions
1. Find a 20″ x 14.5″ wood-framed chalk board. Hobby Lobby or other craft stores may have one. Rub it with food-safe beeswax to use for serving. 
2. Start by making a shamrock for the middle of the board out of Havarti dill cheese or a similar type of cheese. 
3. Take 3 slices and cut each one with a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Then, press each heart into a plate of finely cut fresh dill to make it more green before placing them together in the middle of the board to form the shamrock shape. 
4. Use one of the cheese scraps to form the “stem.”
5. Finish your cheese display by putting various meats, veggies, fruits, dips, spreads, etc. on your board.
View the Recipe

Make a Craft & Watch Your Farm Tour Video

Have you watched your Adopt a Cow Farm Tour video yet with your host farm? These videos are all available on our YouTube channel! This kindergarten class watched their farm tour video and made a fun cow headband craft to go along with the viewing experience.

“My kindergarten class loves learning about our adopted cow Margie and Long Green Farm. We watched the farm tour video and the students kept looking for Margie. As a class craft, each student made a cow headband so they could look like the cows in the video,” shared Melissa, their teacher. 

Watch Your Farm Tour Video

New Dairy-Focused Animal Health Lessons Available for Elementary and Middle School Teachers

The Lessons Are Available At No Cost to Teachers Who Sign Up for the Discover Dairy Program

Discover Dairy, a multi-level lesson series, has several free dairy-focused lessons available for teachers and students in a variety of learning environments, including traditional classrooms and home school settings. A new Animal Health lesson, focused on helping students explore the career of dairy farming and how farmers care for their cows, was recently published for the following grade levels: kindergarten to second grade, third to fifth grade, and sixth to eighth grade. There are four other dairy lessons available at no cost on the Discover Dairy website, with additional lessons expected to be released in the fall of 2024.

Managed by the Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania and its partners, Discover Dairy is an interactive cross-curricular, multi-level lesson series that meets Pennsylvania state education standards and anchors for science, math and reading. The program also incorporates social studies concepts to show students where milk comes from and how dairy farms contribute to our world. The lessons include video motivators, reading guides, lab resources, assessment-based worksheets, and more.

“Discover Dairy was created to bring the dairy farm into the classroom. These lessons are not only informative, but we’ve worked hard to make them interactive and engaging for students at all grade levels. With a variety of hands-on labs and activities, students begin to understand all the ways that dairy farming connects to their communities and the foods they consume on a daily basis,” said Brittany Snyder, Dairy Education Program Manager at the Dairy Excellence Foundation. “We’re excited to launch the new Animal Health lessons this spring and release additional lessons in the fall to share the world of dairy farming with even more classrooms.”

The following lessons are available to teachers on the Discover Dairy website:

  • Animal Health – Students learn about the career of dairy farming and how dairy farmers care for their cows to ensure they are healthy and comfortable.
  • Milk Quality & Safety – Students will learn the steps that milk goes through from the farm to the grocery store to ensure safe and high-quality dairy products.
  • Dairy In Our Environment – Students will learn about the importance of connecting the farmer, the consumer and the environment. They will understand the roles dairy farmers fill in protecting the environment such as recycling.
  • Dairy In Our Community – Students will learn how dairy farms contribute and impact consumers, retailers, and communities. They will also discover how milk and farm products come from healthy, natural resources.
  • Dairy and Good Nutrition – Students will learn how choices affect their diet, health and nutrition. They will then explore the number of servings needed from each food group in the “MyPlate” Food Guidelines.

“I try to keep dairy in our units because there’s a lot of other science I have to cover in social studies. We can get all the standards in with dairy. I started with lesson one in Discover Dairy. We’ve learned about the chemical components of milk, that farmers don’t put antibiotics in milk, and how they take care of their cows,” said Julie Cates, a sixth-grade teacher in California. “We did an activity making butter, because we learn about homogenization and pasteurization [in the lessons]. We can bring in other sciences to supplement everything. This year was very exciting because none of my sixth-graders had ever made butter using cream. The butter-making activity is really fun because it’s so hands-on and it’s simple, too.”

Teachers can sign up for a free Discover Dairy account and have access to all lessons and activities at no cost. There are additional classroom enrichment activities offered on the platform, including dairy books, games, videos, posters, activities, virtual farm tours, and more. Discover Dairy teachers also have access to farm tour field trip grant opportunities every school year. The Adopt a Cow Program, which impacts more than one million students worldwide each school year, is a flagship component of the Discover Dairy program and another interactive learning opportunity for students.

“The Discover Dairy lessons have been really easy to follow along with. The first one was as simple as opening up the video and using the conversation questions. I appreciate that the prep work is quick, whether I’m planning three weeks in advance or the night before. I like that it’s quick to put together,” said Becky Norton, a home school teacher in Georgia. “My kids are very close in age, but for a home school family that has multiple grade levels, it would be very easy to adapt to a greater age span. In a classroom setting, teachers could pick out age-appropriate activities and do a lot of cross-curricular activities. You can pull in agriculture, math and language arts, too.”

Visit www.discoverdairy.com to create a teacher account, access the free lessons, and view the wide range of activities. To learn more about the program and how you can share it with teachers in your community, contact Brittany Snyder at bsnyder@centerfordairyexcellence.org or call 717-788-0297.

Discover Dairy is an educational series managed by the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania in partnership with American Dairy Association Northeast, American Dairy Association Indiana, Midwest Dairy, The Dairy Alliance, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Dairy Council of Arizona and Nevada, 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.