Bring the Dairy Farm into Your Classroom!
Discover Dairy is an interactive cross-curricular, multi-leveled 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. In 2014, lessons were revised to incorporate Common CORE and STEM standards, with more writing assessment opportunities. View educational standard matrix.
Five lesson plans, with video motivators, reading guides, and assessment-based worksheets, are available for upper elementary level classrooms. Four two-part lessons, with video motivators, reading guides, and lab resources, are available for middle school. Education standards and anchors are listed with each individual lesson plan.
All lessons and associated materials are available to download at no cost. Adopt A Cow, Farm Field Trip Grants, and other opportunities are also offered through the program.
This resource was made possible by the American Dairy Association Northeast and the Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania, with assistance from the American Dairy Association Indiana, American Dairy Association Mideast, Dairy Alliance, Dairy Council of Florida, Dairy Farmers of Washington, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Dairy Management West, Dairy West, Maine Dairy Promotion Board, Midwest Dairy Association, New England Dairy, United Dairy Industry of Michigan, and the Center for Dairy Excellence.
For more information, contact:
Discover Dairy
Phone: 717-346-0849
Email: info@discoverdairy.com
https://www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/donate-adopt-a-cow/
The Adopt a Cow program is a free, year‑long, interactive agricultural education experience for classrooms and youth groups. It’s part of the Discover Dairy learning series, which is managed by the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania.
Students “adopt” a real dairy calf from a participating farm. They don’t take the calf home — instead, they follow her growth and life on the farm through:
- Photos
- Videos
- Farmer updates
- Classroom activities
- Virtual farm tours
The idea is to help students understand where dairy foods come from and what modern dairy farming looks like.
🎒 Who It’s For
- K–12 classrooms
- Homeschool groups
- 4‑H clubs
- After‑school programs
- Libraries and community groups
Last year, the program reached over 1.2 million students worldwide.
📦 What You Get
Once you enroll, your class receives:
- A specific calf assigned to you
- A “calf biography”
- Regular updates throughout the school year
- Access to hands‑on activities and STEM lessons
- Opportunities to interact with the dairy farmer
The program is completely free thanks to donors and dairy industry partners.
📅 Enrollment
Enrollment typically opens in May and runs until September 15 for the upcoming school year.
💛 Support & Donations
The Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation accepts donations to help keep the program free for schools.
🌾 Why It Matters
Adopt a Cow is designed to:
- Build agricultural literacy
- Connect students with real farmers
- Make food systems education fun and personal
- Support Pennsylvania’s dairy industry and beyond
It’s one of the most successful farm‑to‑classroom programs in the country.
If you want, I can also help you:
- Enroll a class
- Find local PA farms involved
- Explain how the program fits into curriculum standards
- Draft a message to parents or administrators about participating