Out of the Classroom and Into the Fields Local School to Meet Adopted Calf

Students learning about how feed is made.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 11, 2018 (Oak Ridge, MO). – 13 students from East Carter County Elementary swapped the whiteboard for a milking parlor as winners of the 2018 Adopt-A-Cow field trip contest. The contest marked the year-end culmination of their participation in the Adopt-A-Cow program. Students adopted a newborn calf from a dairy farm last fall and have been watching her grow ever since.

The program, developed by St. Louis District Dairy Council, aims to give students a personal look at life on a dairy farm. Over 1200 classrooms in Missouri and Illinois are enrolled and receive monthly emails from their farmer, along with photos of their growing calf. “Our goal is to help connect students with how food is grown. When it comes to agriculture, many students are disconnected. Adopt-A-Cow helps to close that gap by bringing the farm directly into the classroom,” notes Dairy Council Nutrition Educator Erin McGraw.

East Carter County students adopted “Daisy” from the Knebel family dairy farm, located in Pocahontas, Illinois. They were awarded a dairy farm field trip after submitting a summary and photos showing how their calf and farmer have become part of the school this school year. The winning submission captured a bulletin board made to highlight the farmer, calf, and what they have learned over the past 8 months.

East Carter County Elementary 4th Grade class with Farmer Melinda Morrison.

The 4th grade students visited a farm closer to home, the Schoen family farm in Oak Ridge, Missouri, earlier this week. While on-site, they learned how farmers take care of their cows and the land around them. Farmer Melinda Schoen-Morrison gave students an up-close look at the Holstein herd, barn, feeding areas and milking parlor. And they got an opportunity to meet calves who are the same age as their adopted calf, Daisy.

For some students, the tour marked the first time they have set foot on a farm. “This real life experience of farming can help students understand how food is grown and the hard work farmers do every day to feed millions of people,” notes McGraw.

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Farmer Melinda Morrison showing East Carter Elementary students how their dairy cows are kept safe and comfortable.

For more information on the Adopt-A-Cow program, call St. Louis District Dairy Council at 314-835-9668 or email at emcgraw@stldairycouncil.org. For more information on dairy foods, visit www.stldairycouncil.org .