HARRISBURG, Pa. — The more than 40,000 classrooms participating in Discover Dairy’s Adopt a Cow program for the 2022-23 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 13 regional Dairy Checkoff-funded associations across the United States, will host the live chats with the 34 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 and Facebook channels. 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 bring the Adopt a Cow program full circle,” 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.”
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 3 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. All times are listed with the appropriate time zone.
- Berning Acres, Illinois: Monday, April 17 at 11:30 a.m. EDT / 10:30 a.m. CDT
- R& T Farms, Kentucky: Monday, April 17 at 1:30 p.m. EDT
- Larson Dairy, Inc., Florida: Wednesday, April 19 at 9:30 a.m. EDT
- EMMA Acres, Rhode Island: Thursday, April 20 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
- Miron Farm, Minnesota: Thursday, April 20 at 11:30 a.m. EDT / 10:30 a.m. CDT
- Stotz Dairy, Arizona: Thursday, April 20 at 1:00 p.m. EDT / 11:00 a.m. MT
- Synergy Dairy, Wisconsin: Thursday, April 20 at 2:00 p.m. EDT / 1:00 p.m. CDT
- Four Pines Farm LTD, Ohio: Friday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m. EDT
- Dusty Road Jersey Farm, North Carolina: Wednesday, April 26 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
- College of the Ozarks, Missouri: Thursday, April 27 at 11:00 a.m. EDT / 10:00 a.m. CDT
- Orthridge Jerseys, Wisconsin: Friday, April 28 at 2:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. CDT
- JJC Jerseys, Nebraska: Monday, May 1 at 2:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. CDT
- Brigeen Farms, Maine: Tuesday, May 2 at 9:30 a.m. EDT
- Rottinghaus Holsteins, Kansas: Tuesday, May 2 at 2:00 p.m. EDT
- Mauthe’s Progress Milk Barn, Mississippi: Tuesday, May 2 at 3:00 p.m. EDT / 2:00 p.m. CDT
- Loehmer Dairy, Indiana: Wednesday, May 3 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
- Spanish Live Chat – Loehmer Dairy, Indiana: Wednesday, May 3 at 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Takes Dairy, Iowa: Wednesday, May 3 at 2:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. CDT
- Cottonwood Farms, Nevada: Wednesday, May 3 at 4:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. PDT
- Liberty Hill Farm, Vermont: Thursday, May 4 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
- Sunbow Jerseys, Tennessee: Thursday, May 4 at 1:30 p.m. EDT / 12:30 p.m. CDT
- Big Sandy Creek Dairy, Georgia: Friday, May 5 at 10 a.m. EDT
- Belden Farm, Massachusetts: Friday, May 5 at 1:30 p.m. EDT
- Crandall Dairy Farms, Michigan: Friday, May 5 at 2:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. CDT
- Catawba View Dairy, Virginia: Monday, May 8 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
- Groeneveld Dairy, Washington: Monday, May 8 at 3:30 p.m. EDT / 12:30 p.m. PDT
- Smith’s Cream Pitcher Jerseys, Utah: Monday, May 8 at 4:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. PDT
- Walmoore Holsteins, Pennsylvania: Tuesday, May 9 at 9 a.m. EDT
- Middleton Farm, Mississippi: Tuesday, May 9 at 11:00 a.m. EDT / 10:00 a.m. CDT
- Long Green Farms, Maryland: Tuesday, May 9 at 1:30 p.m. EDT
- Fort Hill Farms, ConneCDTicut: Wednesday, May 10 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
- Vision Aire Farms, LLC, Wisconsin: Wednesday, May 10 at 12:00 p.m. EDT / 11:00 a.m. CDT
- Nance Dairy Farm, South Carolina: Wednesday, May 10 at 1:30 p.m. EDT
- Stargo Dairy Farm LLC, New York: Thursday, May 11 at 1:30 p.m. EDT
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.
“The virtual live chats are one of students’ favorite parts of the Adopt a Cow program,” Snyder added. “The students are so excited every time they receive updates about their calf throughout the year, but this time, they can virtually step onto the farm where their calf lives and ask the questions that are on their minds. This is where their appreciation for dairy and agriculture begins.”
More than 1.2 million students from across the globe have been impacted by the 2022-23 Adopt a Cow program. 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 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, and Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council. These 13 regional Dairy Checkoff farmer-funded organizations provide significant financial support to the program, in addition to assisting in coordinating the farms and promoting the program.
To join one or more of the live chats being held in April and May, 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 Jayne Sebright at jsebright@centerfordairyexcellence.org or call 717-346-0849. You can also visit www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/donate. Any support received will support classrooms participating in the 2023-24 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.
–Emily Barge, Center for Dairy Excellence