Adopt a Cow 2022-2023

Hey everyone!  I hope your year is off to a great start!  If you haven't started, enjoy your remaining days of summer.  As you begin to transition back, here's an exciting opportunity to keep in mind!

You may remember that last year, about this same time, I shared about a great program called "Adopt a Cow."  This program by Discovery Dairy is a super fun and highly engaging year-long program that gives students a peek inside dairy farming.  It's a great way to expose children to agriculture.  Here's how it works:

Students and teachers "adopt" a dairy cow for their classroom and receive updates on the cow's growth through photos and live virtual chats with farmers.  Farm tours are also available!  Activity sheets and suggest lessons that are Common Core aligned will be sent to you as well.  Students will also have an opportunity to write friendly letters to their cow...so fun!  

Last year, more than 30,000 elementary and middle school classrooms, home school families, scout troops, library groups, and other organizations participated in the program.

Adopt-a-Cow was designed for students in grades 3-5, but all grades can benefit from the program as well.  The Adopt a Cow program is FREE for teachers!  It's available to teachers everywhere!  Homeschool teachers, after-school care program teachers, as well as those managing a library or agriculture program can also sign up.  

In Ohio and West Virginia, classrooms will be virtually paired with a calf from an Ohio dairy farm.  Students will find out what her name is, when her birthday is, where she lives, and how the farmer takes care of her. 

Here's a quick video highlighting the Adopt a Cow program.

 

Check out this timeline of what you can expect from the program:  

• October-host farm and calf announcement is emailed and posted to your Adopt-a-Cow portal. 
• November-introductory email kit sent with details about the host farm and calf.  The first 5,000 registrants will receive the mailer; everyone else receives this in digital form (Note: The mailed kit is only available for registrants in the United States).  
• December-Update #1 will be emailed and posted to your portal.  
• February-Update #2 will be emailed and posted to your portal.  
• April-Update #3 will be emailed and posted to your portal.  
• April/May-The opportunity to live chat your calf and host farm via YouTube.

Ready to sign up and provide your students with a unique opportunity?  Click here to register!  Please note that no information will be sent out until registration closes and the calves are born.  Keep your eyes peeled on your inbox!  

The Adopt a Cow program is a national program made possible in Ohio and West Virginia by the American Dairy Association Mideast through a partnership with the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania, who developed and manages the program as part of their Discover Dairy education series.

xo

Megan