This spring, two New England dairy farmers hosted live chats with students from across the region who “adopted” calves as part of the Adopt a Cow Program, a year-long virtual educational program administered by the Dairy Excellence Foundation with support from New England Dairy.
At the heart of the program is the ability for students to watch a calf grow throughout the school year while paired with a New England dairy farm. Through photo & video updates, hands-on learning activities, curriculum, and virtual visits, students and teachers gain a deeper understanding of dairy farming and milk’s journey from farm to fridge. The program culminated in these live chats, where students could interact with the farmer, meet the calves, and get questions answered in real time. Questions asked during the live chat focused on topics including cow care, sustainability, and more.
Daona Farm in Vermont and Oakridge Dairy in Connecticut served as the 2024-2025 host farms.
This is the fourth year that New England Dairy has partnered with the Dairy Excellence Foundation for the Adopt a Cow Program. In its first year, the program had 1,200 participating schools in New England, reaching 36,000 students. During the 2024-2025 school year, the Adopt a Cow Program reached over 105,000 students in more than 3,000 classrooms across our region.
Watch the live chats
How can farmers support the Adopt a Cow Program?
- The Adopt a Cow Program will return for the 2025-2026 school year in September. Want to see the Adopt a Cow Program in your local schools? Share registration information with teachers in your community. Registration closes September 15, 2025.
- Mention this program when you’re talking about New England Dairy’s work in schools. You can share the results and impact of the program detailed above. You can also send your dairy farmer peers the live chat so they can experience it firsthand.
- Consider being a future Adopt a Cow host farm. We’re always looking for new farms to highlight through the program.