Enrollment is open for the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin’s and Discover Dairy’s 2021-22 Wisconsin “Adopt a Cow” program.
The free program enables a classroom to adopt a 1,500-pound dairy cow and receive photos and stories that will make her ‘come alive’ for students.
Each classroom that enrolls in the Adopt a Cow program is paired with a calf from a Wisconsin dairy farm. The program offers virtual chats and farm tours; teachers and students receive photos, video updates and activity sheets throughout the school year that allow them to watch their calf grow. Through hands-on activities and free curriculum, students gain a deeper understanding of the dairy industry and where their food comes from. Several lessons follow common CORE standards in math, reading and science.
“We drive past farms every day, but many students haven’t ever stepped foot in the barn,” says Kaila Fitzl, a 4th grade teacher at Loyal Elementary School in Clark County. Fitzl and her students participated in the first year of the Adopt a Cow program. “It fits perfectly into 4th grade social studies because we learn all about Wisconsin, so this is a way to dig deeper into the whole dairy industry that we already learn about.”
In its inaugural year, 1,600 classrooms and 28,000 students across the state participated in the program.
Wisconsin dairy farmers taking part in this year’s program include:
Brey Cycle Farm LLC – Sturgeon Bay
Selz-Pralle Dairy – Humbird
Orthridge Jerseys – Lancaster
To enroll in the 2021-22 Adopt a Cow program, educators should visit www.DiscoverDairy.com/adopt before the Sept. 15 deadline.
