Students from 22 states tour dairies with ‘Discover Dairy’ grants

A group of 69 elementary and middle school teachers from 22 states provided their students with hands-on learning experiences at local dairy farms this spring.

The teachers who are enrolled in the Dairy Excellence Foundation’s Discover Dairy program received dairy farm field trip grants through the Dairy Excellence Foundation, Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association, and Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. The grants, which amounted to more than $30,000, allowed more than 2,900 students to tour dairy farms in their community and talk firsthand with dairy farmers and their families.

During the farm tours, students discovered how farmers care for their cows, conserve their natural resources, and produce nutritious dairy products. Teachers also used the farm tour field trip as an opportunity to build connections to their educational curriculum and the local community.

“These dairy farm field trips give students the opportunity to get on the farm and expand on what they’ve learned through their Discover Dairy lessons and activities. Nothing is more memorable than receiving an up-close look at a dairy operation, especially for those students who have never seen one before,” said Brittany Snyder, Dairy Education Program Manager at the Dairy Excellence Foundation. “Congratulations to these teachers for receiving grants that could help them plan hands-on learning experiences on local farms.”

Funds from the dairy farm field trip grants can assist teachers in paying for busing, farm tours, lunch, or dairy treats. Any classroom currently enrolled in the Discover Dairy program is eligible to apply, with several grants designated specifically for Pennsylvania and Wisconsin classrooms.

The farm tour field trip grants allowed classrooms to make meaningful connections within their communities. Through these hands-on learning experiences, students gained an appreciation for:

• How important dairy farming is to their community. “The generous grant from Discover Dairy enabled 25 first-grade students to visit a working dairy farm where they learned about different types of cows, what cows eat, and their favorite dairy products. The students were also able to meet undergraduate students majoring in dairy science who work at the farm. The trip really highlighted to students how important dairy farming is to our community. It reinforced the care and process used to get milk from cows to our tables at home. I cannot wait to participate in the Discover Dairy program again this year. I appreciated how organized and well thought out each email, activity, and update was,” wrote Sarah, a first-grade teacher from Virginia and farm tour field trip grant recipient.
• The work that goes into dairy products on grocery store shelves. “The grant provided a wonderful opportunity for my pre-k students and their families. It gave us the opportunity to see the calves and young animals on the farm, make butter, create a fun cow craft, and take a wagon ride to the dairy barn and observe cows being milked. Students and their families had a lot of great questions and learned about what it takes to run a dairy farm. We all left with a greater appreciation for the hard work and dedication that goes into putting dairy products onto grocery store shelves,” wrote Martha, a pre-kindergarten teacher from Maine and farm tour field trip grant recipient.
• Making their own food. “We visited a working dairy farm in Pennsylvania, Walmoore Holsteins.  I bought a read-aloud story [about dairy farms], and we made our own butter. We loved all of the opportunities this grant afforded us,” wrote Tanya, a fourth-grade teacher from Pennsylvania and farm tour field trip grant recipient.
• Interacting with animals. “My pre-kindergarten students traveled to a local dairy farm in Texas. When we pulled into the driveway, our students began clapping on the bus. It was the sweetest gesture of gratitude expressed by four and five-year-old students. Our students got to interact with baby calves and each student was given the opportunity to milk a cow. We are very grateful for the grant that enabled us to fund this field trip,” wrote Doedee, a pre-kindergarten teacher from Texas and farm tour field trip grant recipient.
• Setting foot on a farm. “My third graders loved going to a dairy farm in Illinois! For many of the students, it was their first time setting foot on a farm. Each child had the opportunity to pet a cow, feed a calf, feed a goat, and milk a cow. They loved this experience,” wrote Elly, an elementary school teacher from Illinois and farm tour field trip grant recipient

Discover Dairy, managed by the Dairy Excellence Foundation, is an engaging, interactive, multi-level educational series that shows upper elementary and middle school students where milk comes from and how dairy farmers contribute to our communities. Applications for upcoming dairy farm field trip grants will be available on November 1, 2024, for teachers who are enrolled in the Discover Dairy program. Learn more about the program and grant opportunities. 

The Discover Dairy program also includes the popular Adopt a Cow program, which impacts more than one million students yearly and connects classrooms directly to a calf from a progressive dairy operation. Teachers who enroll in the Adopt a Cow program will receive an introductory update this fall with details about their calf. Classrooms will receive monthly updates, including suggestions on components of the Discover Dairy curriculum that teachers can incorporate into their virtual or in-person lesson plans.