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A year-long FREE experience in your classroom

Forget the guinea pig. How about adopting a 100-pound dairy calf for your classroom mascot by joining the Adopt A Cow program? Don’t worry about finding a pen big enough to hold her. The photos and stories we’ll send you about her life on the farm will make her “come alive” for your students! The best part? It is FREE!

Read why other teachers love the Adopt A Cow program…

Connect students during virtual and in-person learning.

“This program was definitely a blessing. It gave my students something to look forward to. Even when we were back in person, there were some kids who were still doing online learning. The Adopt a Cow program was a good way to connect all of us, whether we were at home or in the classroom. Kids love animals, so it was a great way for them to engage and learn new facts.” –Fredie Boudrie, Summit School teacher in Phoenix, Arizona

Click here to read Fredie’s story.

Build connections in the community.

“This program helped us celebrate our rural location and learn more about our community. It was great to include my distance learners as well, and the calf photo and video updates that we received were very easy to share digitally. We thoroughly enjoyed this program, and we even had a page about it in our yearbook this year.” –Abby Hennington, Atlanta, Georgia

Click here to read Abby’s story.

Cow Code For 22-23 Program Participants

Your Cow Code from the 22-23 school year will work until August 30, 2023. After August 30, all Cow Codes will be reset to prepare for the next program year. 22-23 Cow Codes will no longer work after August 30, 2023.

Need your Cow Code from the 22-23 school year? CLICK HERE to enter your email address to receive your Cow Code!

Discover Dairy App

You can access your adopted calf information on our Discover Dairy App! Click the links below to download the apps. Once the app is downloaded click on “Adopt A Cow > My Adopted Calf” and enter your Cow Code. View, save, and share photos right from the app!

IOS Discover Dairy App Download
Android Discover Dairy App Download

Program Details

  • This program is completely FREE! No costs from beginning to end.
    • NO! The Adopt A Cow program is FREE for everyone to enjoy! If you’d like to donate to the program, you are more than welcome to Donate Here!
  • No approval process! Once you complete and submit the enrollment form below, your classroom will be registered to adopt a cow for the current school year.
  • Registration for each academic year is from May 1 to September 15.
  • No information will be sent out until the calves are born and registration is closed.
  • IMPORTANT! To receive the updates, please mark the email “info@discoverdairy.com” as a safe sender email. Otherwise, your updates are likely to go into your spam folder.
  1. October: Host Farm and Calf announcement is emailed and posted to your Adopt A Cow portal.
  2. November: Introductory email (sent via email) and kit with details about the host farm and calf (sent via snail mail) are sent. The first 30,000 registrants will receive this mailer, everyone else will receive their information digitally only.
    • NOTE: The mailed kit is only for registrants in the United States. All out-of-country registrants will receive the materials in digital form.
  3. December: Update #1 is emailed and posted to your Adopt A Cow portal.
  4. February: Update #2 is emailed and posted to your Adopt A Cow portal.
  5. April: Update #3 is emailed and posted to your Adopt A Cow portal.
  6. April/May: An opportunity to live chat your calf and host farm via YouTube.

You can find a detailed program calendar under the “Program Calendar.”

  • Teach in a traditional classroom setting.
  • Are homeschooling your kids/family members/friends.
  • Run an after-school program.
  • Facilitate a library or 4-H program, or programs alike.
  • Have an agriculture program at your museum or kid’s center.
  • Nursing homes and assisted living centers
  • Are one of the above and are teaching/leading from in or outside of the United States (yes, anyone can join the program, even from New Zealand!)

Throughout the program, you’ll find out what her name is, when her birthday is, where she lives and how the farmer takes care of her. We’ll also send photos of the cow, activity sheets for the students, a PowerPoint full of information and photos, and a suggested lesson that follows Common CORE standards and Next Generation Science Standards through email and the Adopt A Cow portal.

We encourage classes to fully engage in this program and even write letters to their calf and host farm family, not only to practice their writing skills but also to show their love for their calf. In the end, we keep you posted on her progress while you and your students enjoy the cuteness of your adorable calf. The Adopt A Cow Program is just one of many ways to Discover Dairy in your classroom!

What is the Cow Code?

Your Cow Code will give you access to your calf’s information all school year long through the online portal and the Discover Dairy app. For the 23-24 program year, your Cow Code will be sent to you in October 2023.

How do I retrieve my Cow Code?

CLICK HERE to request your Cow CODE via email from the 22-23 program year. Then go to the Calf Updates page, enter your COW CODE, and it will unlock your host farm and calf information.

Make sure the COW CODE is in ALL CAPS.

*NOTE: If you were not in the program for the 22-23 school year, you do not have a Cow Code. You will receive your Cow Code in October 2023.

Does the Adopt A Cow program cost anything?

NO! The Adopt A Cow program is FREE for everyone to enjoy! If you’d like to donate to the program, you are more than welcome to Donate HERE!

How do I register for the Adopt A Cow Program?

Registration is open from May 1, 2023, and closes on September 15, 2023. We do not accept late registrations. We hope to see you join the program!

Why do you need my mailing address?

If you are one of the first 30,000 to sign up, you will get a photo of your calf and your official adoption certificate mailed to you in November. We hope you enjoy it! If funding is available, we will send one to everyone.

How do I contact my farmer?

In October we will share a link to use to connect with your host farmer via an online message board. We do not provide the farmer’s personal information or address, but we hope you use the “Contact Your Farmer” feature to contact your farmer!

Can I write letters to my farmer and calf?

Absolutely! Please realize, that these farmers are receiving many letters and it isn’t realistic for them to write back, but please know they LOVE getting your beautiful letters in the mail. It brightens their day. Please send all your letters to us and we will pass them along:
Dairy Excellence Foundation, Attn: Brittany Snyder, 2301 N Cameron Street, Suite 407, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Do I get my very own calf?

The Adopt A Cow Program works diligently to provide an individual experience for everyone involved. However, as a FREE program, we do only work with about 85 calves in the program, and we have more than 40,000 registrants this year. We do adopt each calf multiple times to provide everyone with a calf.

When will I get updates about my calf?

We will announce your calf adoption in October, and send updates in December, February, and April. In between the updates, we will share activity and lesson ideas through our Sunday Funday resource emails and landing page.

What is the Cow Kit?

We will offer the Cow Kit option again starting on August 1, 2023. Cow Kits are a $35 donation and in return you get a stuffed cow, a classroom journal, a lesson with standards, and a packet full of classroom ideas to try with the Adopt A Cow program.

NOTE: Any donations given to the program through our general donate page will be considered general contributions to our Foundation and will NOT add get you a Cow Kit. Cow Kits will only be given when the donation is made through the Cow Kit order form.

How do I donate to the Adopt A Cow Program?

As a 501c3 non-profit organization, we greatly appreciate your donations! Your support allows us to offer this program for free for nearly 1 MILLION students around the world.

To Donate, CLICK HERE!

See Sample PowerPoint

Did you participate in the 22-23 program year? If yes, make sure to log into your account first, then confirm your information and re-enroll!

Register For Adopt A Cow