Live chats take place all over the country this month
Photo by Dieter Krieg
HARRISBURG, Pa. – The more than 48,000 classrooms participating in Discover Dairy’s Adopt a Cow program for the 2025-26 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 14 regional Dairy Checkoff-funded associations across the United States, will host the live chats with 37 dairy farm families who 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.
Each live chat will be streamed on the Dairy Excellence Foundation’s YouTube channel. They will be recorded and can be re-watched at your convenience if you cannot participate during the scheduled day and time.
“These virtual live chats continue to be one of students’ favorite parts of the Adopt a Cow program and a memory that sticks in their minds for years to come,” said Brittany Snyder, dairy education program manager with the Dairy Excellence Foundation. “All year long, teachers and students learn about their host farm and adopted calf through pictures and videos. After seven months of updates, they finally get to virtually meet their calf and chat directly with the farmers that care for her. Students always ask insightful questions and really enjoy getting to virtually meet dairy farm families from across the United States.”
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 Monday, April 27 at 10:30 in the morning EST at Loehmer Dairy in Indiana. Teachers are encouraged to share this live chat opportunity with any Spanish teachers and students who might benefit from this event.
Farms hosting the program in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic region and South include:
- Fouts Farm, N.Y. April 13, 9:30 a.m.
- MacGlaflin Farm, N.H. April 13, 1 p.m.
- Cave Hill Dairy, Va. April 14, 10:30 a.m.
- Laggis Farm, Vt. April 14, 1 p.m.
- Barham Jersey Farm, Tenn. April 15, 10:30 a.m.
- Long Green Farms, Md: April 15, at 1:30 p.m.
- Mauthe Farms, Miss. April 15, at 1:30 p.m.
- Triple H Dairy, Ky. April 16 at 1:30 p.m.
- Myerwood Farms, N.J. April 21, 10:30 a.m
- Larson Dairy, Inc., Fla. April 23,10:30 a.m.
- Landsdowne Dairy, S.C., April 23, 1 p.m.
- Kurtland Farms, Pa., April 23, 2 p.m.
- Mountain Dairy, Conn., April 24, 9:30 a.m.
- Double Platinum Farm, Ohio, April 24, 10:30 a.m.
- Circle J Dairy, Ala., April 24, 1 p.m.
- Lone Oak Farms, Pa.: April 27, 1 p.m.
- Dusty Road Jersey Farm, N.C., April 28, 10:30 a.m.
- UMaine Witter Farm, Maine: April 28, 1:30 p.m.
- Big Sandy Creek Dairy, Ga: April 30, 1:30 p.m.
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 best part of the Adopt a Cow program was learning just how fast a calf grows. The students had so many questions about growth and when their baby calf would be added to the milking herd. It was great to see their curiosity grow, and in turn, be answered through the live chat opportunity on YouTube. Thank you for doing this every year,” said a teacher who participated in the live chat last year.
“When we visited our farm [during the virtual live chat] and saw our own cow on the screen, the moderator read our class name aloud that we put in the chat. My class lost their minds and cheered with excitement! It was a highlight of the program for us,” added another teacher who participated in the live chat last year.
