Author: info@discoverdairy.com

Oregon School Cafeteria Adopts a Cow to Get Students Excited About Drinking Milk

What does it look like when an entire school cafeteria adopts a calf from a dairy farm? For Lynne Shore, Nutrition Services Director at Willamina School District in Oregon, she made this a reality for the 800 students (K-12) her cafeteria serves. After planning a farmer’s markets for students a year earlier, Lynn and her team decided to take it a step further by participating in Discover Dairy’s “Adopt a Cow” program.

“I don’t think kids have much experience with dairy farms other than just driving by them. We have a farm-to-school education grant, and last year we did a farmer’s market where the kids could actually buy food from a farmer and take it home,” Lynne shared. “We had the Dairy Princess Ambassador come and she actually brought a calf. That’s kind of where the connection started, so we have been following that connection along with the Adopt a Cow program. It has been really eye-opening, especially for kids who don’t see dairy farms every day.”

With the cafeteria being a central point between all the schools in the Oregon school district, Lynne enjoys adding bursts of education and fun into the students’ lunch experience. After adopting a calf through the program, she received regular photos, video updates, lesson ideas and other activities throughout the year to share with students when they visited the cafeteria.

“I’m always looking for educational opportunities and this looked like a good one. It kind of went with our mission of providing milk for the kids,” she added. “I’m always looking for things that are touch-and-go education, because we really don’t have the kids in our cafeteria for very long and they have to eat while they’re here.”

Lynne created a bulletin board to share updates about their adopted calf Mabel, including photos and a growth chart. She also led a gender reveal activity where students used stickers to vote if the calf was going to be a boy or a girl. After receiving their calf announcement, she sent each classroom a box to open with a pink cow inside. On Valentine’s Day, she customized the valentine templates sent through the program and added a “Love from your cafeteria calf” message to them.

The farm tour videos provided through the Adopt a Cow program have been especially valuable for the cafeteria setting. Lynne will loop the videos on a monitor in the cafeteria to give students a virtual tour of a working dairy farm.

“They love it. One day they wanted more videos, so I put up the dairy farm tour. I’ve had kids ask if the milk they were drinking came from our dairy cow. I had another student who had no idea milk even came from a cow. They are asking good questions,” Lynne explained.

At a broader level, the Adopt a Cow program is helping the cafeteria staff make important nutrition-based learning moments with students – who now understand exactly where their milk comes from and have a personal connection with the farmers and animals that produce it.

“I think the program is really encouraging the kids to drink milk. It’s always important for kids to know where their food comes from, but especially milk and foods they see every day. It’s really important to see where it comes from and the process. It has been really fun for the kids,” Lynne shared.

Click here to sign up for the free program by September 15.

Discover Dairy is an educational series managed by the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania in partnership with American Dairy Association Northeast, American Dairy Association Indiana, Midwest Dairy, The Dairy Alliance, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Dairy Management West, Dairy West, New England Dairy, Dairy Farmers of Washington, American Dairy Association Mideast, Dairy Council of Florida, United Dairy Industry of Michigan, Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council, and Oregon Dairy Council.

Make a Cow Habitat

Make a Cow Habitat

Melanie, a third-grade teacher in Pennsylvania, is helping bring the Adopt a Cow program to life for her students through hands-on activities. The students have used their imagination and creativity to create their own barnyard habitats. Each habitat needed to provide the essential things to care for the animals like shelter, food, and water. What a fun way to review the Adopt A Cow program!

Garlic Herb Whipped Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese can be for everyone. Have you tried it whipped with seasonings? Check out this Garlic Herb Whipped Cottage Cheese dip. It is sure to change your mind about cottage cheese!

Ingredients/Supplies: 
– 1 -16- ounce container full-fat cottage cheese
– 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper – 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
– 2 garlic cloves
– 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
– 2 tablespoons fresh chives
– 2 tablespoons fresh basil – Food processor or blender – Fresh cut up veggies for dipping
Directions:
1. Add the cottage cheese to a high-speed food processor or blender along with the black pepper. Blend until smooth.2. Add the olive oil, garlic, parsley, chives and basil with the cottage cheese and black pepper to a high-speed blender and process until smooth.
3. Taste and season with more salt and pepper to taste. If you want a thinner texture, you can add a tad more olive oil or lemon juice.
4. Serve in a shallow bowl with herbs and crushed red pepper. Serve with fresh vegetables and pita chips

Dairy Fun Fact

Today’s Dairy Fun Fact:

Did you know mor than 80 of what dairy cows eat cannot be consumed by humans? Dairy cows can eat byproducts like brewers grain, citrus pulp, and chocolate, and turn into energy and milk.

Cows are the ultimate up-cyclers. They can eat our food waste products that would otherwise go into a landfill and turn it into energy. With the help of a nutritionist, a cow’s diet uniquely incorporates fats, proteins, and carbohydrates from grasses, grains, and biproducts!

Cows Are Superheroes

We all have someone in our lives that we consider our hero. Maybe it is your mom, cousin, pastor, or best friend. Whoever it is, they are our superhero because of the amazing things they do.

On this National Superhero Day (April 28), we are giving the spotlight to the dairy cow! Dairy cows positively contribute to our earth’s sustainability through their superhero powers like: 

  1. Produce nutritious food: Milk is a powerhouse beverage, containing 13 of the essential nutrients we need in our daily diets. Learn more about the power of milk from Undeniably Dairy. 
  2. Convert food waste to energy: Almost 40% of a dairy cow’s diet is made up of byproducts. Depending on where the farm is located, each farm has access to different byproducts. Some byproducts that are excellent sources of energy for cows are almond hulls, soybean meal, citrus pulp, distillers grain, or the leftover pieces from making juices and foods like lemons, pomegranates, oranges, and even chocolate! Watch the “Can Dairy Cows Reduce Food Waste?” video to learn more. Take a deeper dive into the science withDr. Frank Mitloehner’ by reading his article while working with UC Davis.
  3. Increase energy efficiency for homes: Not only do cows produce milk, but they also produce a lot of manure! That manure is a valuable asset on a dairy farm. Farms with methane digesters can convert the manure to electricity and power their farm and the local community! Click here to watch a video to learn more about the methane digester and how it works.
  4. Enrich soil for future crops: Manure is also a nutrient-rich product that dairy farmers can use on their fields for fertilizer. Dairy farmers make sure to apply fertilizer from the right source, at the right rate, during the right time and to the right place to use it most efficiently. Read this article by the American Dairy Association Mideast to learn more. 

In honor of National Superhero Day, take time to say thank you to the superheroes in your life. Whether it is a parent, a dairy farmer, or a dairy cow, they all deserve a thank you! Feel free to send a note of thanks to Farmer through the Contact Your Farmer tool. 

Happy Earth Day: Environment-Themed Activities to Try This April

In honor of Earth Day on April 22, Discover Dairy has several free lessons that you can utilize with your students this month. 

– “Dairy In Our Environment” Lesson. For there to be successful farms, there must be clean water. This lesson will explain the importance of connecting the farmer, the consumer and the environment. Students will learn the roles dairy farmers fill in protecting our environment, such as recycling. Click here to view the lesson. 

Age group? This lesson is ideal for students in grades 3-5.

– “Sustainability in Dairy Farming” Lesson. To learn more about how dairy farmers display sustainability day in and day out, check out our NEW lesson. From manure management to water conservation, dairy farmers respect the environment and work to reduce waste, recycle water, and conserve fossil fuels by becoming innovative in how they manage their farms. This lesson takes about 90 minutes of class time. Click here to view the lesson. 

Age group? This lesson is ideal for upper middle school and high school students.   

Want to take it a step further? Here are two other Earth Day connections you can make with students:

Cow Power and Gardening. CowPots are the only biodegradable pot made from 100% renewable and recycled cow manure. These biodegradable pots help you to have a more sustainable garden, reducing your reliance on plastic and peat. The porous pot walls encourage root penetration and healthy air pruning. For a fun classroom activity with your kids, these CowPots are ideal for home gardens or school gardens!

Dairy’s Surprising Tie to Renewable Energy. The U.S. dairy industry is committing to carbon neutrality by 2050. See how dairy farmers are using “cow power” — among other sustainable practices like manure management — to ensure dairy is part of the environmental solution. Watch this short, three-minute video.

How Dairy Farmers Go Green

Dairy farmers were going green long before it was trending, and they continue to innovate on how they can protect natural resources. With the onset of spring, dairy farmers must find the right time to spread manure on cropland as a natural fertilizer, following federal, state and local clean water laws, so nutrients are absorbed by crops, not groundwater. From recycling water through multiple uses such as irrigating fields, cleaning barns and cooling milk to reusing sand bedding, discover six ways dairy farmers reduce, reuse and recycle in this article.

Read the Article

Dairy Fun Fact

Did you know there are more than 330 methane digesters in the United States? These digesters turn cow poop into electricity that powers their local communities!  With Earth Day happening this month, this is the perfect time to share this fun fact with your students and explain how dairy farmers protect the environment

Flower Cheeseboard Recipe Idea

Try this spring-themed Flower Cheeseboard, which features cream cheese and lemon curd for a sweet, spring snack.
Ingredients/Supplies:
– Cream cheese
– Lemon curd
– Walnuts (optional)
– Grapes (optional)
– Figs (optional)
– Gouda cheese (optional)
– Berries (optional)

Directions:
1. Find a cutting board or some other tray to use as a cheeseboard.
2. Spread cream cheese on the board in multiple petal shapes/flower leaves.
3. Drop a dollop of lemon curd into the middle of the cream cheese flower petals. 
4. Add optional garnishes and snacks to the board such as walnuts, grapes, figs, gouda cheese, berries, etc. Serve with bread, crackers, cookies or other fun treats!
View the Recipe