Adopt-A-Calf Classroom Program

Bring the Dairy Farm to Your Classroom

St. Louis District Dairy Council has partnered with dairy farmers in Illinois and Missouri to bring our Adopt-A-Calf program to classrooms. The no-cost program allows classes to “adopt” a calf from one of our farmers, name it, and receive monthly pictures and updates. E-mail updates will arrive from a local dairy farmer from September through May. Content is tailored to the grade level of the student, so ALL grades Prek-12 can participate!

How the Adopt-A-Calf Program Works

Upon signing up for the program and adopting a calf, the classroom will receive a downloadable birth certificate to name their cow and a poster* to track the calf’s growth through the monthly photos that the teacher will receive via email.

What Your Classroom Receives Each Month

In addition to the monthly photo, updates on the growth and development of the calf will be provided along with various downloadable educational materials, such as:

  • Dairy farm videos
  • Hands-on activities
  • Student-friendly infographics

Classroom Contests and Dairy Cool Prizes

In addition, fun contests are offered throughout the school year for classrooms to win dairy cool prizes!

Adoption Barn Status: Closed for the Current School Year

The barn is now closed for the current school year. Fill out the form below to be notified when the adoption barn opens for the 26-27 school year.

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Teacher Testimonials: See Adopt-A-Calf in Action

If you want to see how other classrooms have used the Adopt-A-Calf program, check out our testimonials.

Eugene Field Elementary – 1st grade

We love Rose the calf! During our information writing unit, we used our new calf knowledge to teach others. The students also wanted to learn more about Rose’s ear tag. I live on a goat farm, so I brought in my ear tag tool to show them how it works.

Click a thumbnail for larger version or the video icon to watch the video

Bourbon Elementary – K

Our class practiced modeled writing each month when our picture of Rosie came. The students also wrote about the program in journals and read them to the class. We also used the program for lessons in comparing and contrasting and math word problems.

Click a thumbnail for larger version

Altamont Grade School – 1st grade

Our 1st grade class used the Adopt-A-Cow program to practice the alphabet.

Click the video icon to watch the video

Nell Holcomb School – 1st grade

My first graders have loved watching our cow grow with pictures! They enjoy reading the updates about Ruby and learning more facts about cows. They have also become excited about dairy food and had a great time trying new dairy foods!

Click a thumbnail for larger version

Mill Creek Elementary – 1st grade

Our class absolutely LOVES our dairy cow, Millie! Each student keeps track of her growth and their learning in their “Adopt-A-Cow Journals”. We enjoy learning all about how dairy farmers take care of their cows and how we get milk to drink!

Click a thumbnail for larger version

Adopt-a-calf FAQ

St. Louis District Dairy Council is providing this program at no-cost to schools, courtesy of local dairy farmers.

Updates will come every month, October through May, on the first Monday of each month, via an email from the farmer. The first photo of your cow will come immediately after you adopt your cow.

No, the adoption barn is only open for about 6 weeks, from mid-August to late-September. However, we’re always taking names of teachers who want to adopt a cow for the next school year.

If you don’t see the email in your inbox on the first Monday of the month, please check your spam folder. If you still do not see it, please contact St. Louis District Dairy Council at [email protected]. An alternate email address may be required.

No, multiple classrooms may adopt the same cow. However, the name you choose for your cow is unique to you/your students. If multiple teachers in your school plan to adopt a cow, we suggest talking to one another to adopt different cows for your building.

Not all of the farmers and calves from the previous school years are featured in the adoption barn this year. However, we’ve added new farmers to showcase how diverse the local dairy farms are.

Please do not reach out to the farmer. They are busy running the farm and taking care of their cows. Please contact St. Louis District Dairy Council about opportunities to visit a dairy farm.

Photographs of cows are taken by the farmer, not a professional photographer, so please keep that in mind when assessing the quality of the photo. Photos are not taken in the same month you receive the email from your farmer. Photos are taken in 9 consecutive months but may not correlate with the Sept.-May sequence in which you receive them.

Reach out any time!

PHONE
314.835.9668

FAX
314.835.9969

EMAIL
[email protected]

MAIN OFFICE – ST. LOUIS
325 North Kirkwood Road, Suite 222
St. Louis, Missouri 63122

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