Online courses help dairy producers, managers, and agricultural professionals improve communication with Spanish-speaking team members
AgvoKate, an agricultural language education business founded by dairy farmer, educator, and Spanish instructor Katie Dotterer, has opened enrollment for its Fall 2026 Spanish for Dairy courses. The nine-week online courses are designed to help dairy producers, managers, employees, and agricultural professionals build practical Spanish skills they can use every day on the farm.
This fall, AgvoKate will offer two course levels: Dairy/Ag Beginners and Dairy/Ag Intermediate. Both courses begin September 22 and run through November 19, 2026, with live, interactive classes held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. The Beginner course will meet from 7:45 to 9 p.m. EST, while the Intermediate course will meet from 6 to 7 p.m. EST. All classes are recorded, allowing students to watch on demand and access course content around busy farm schedules.
“Spanish for agriculture is not generic Spanish,” said Dotterer, founder of AgvoKate. “Dairy producers and ag professionals need language they can actually use, whether it’s in the parlor, in the barn, during herd health conversations, or throughout the workday. These courses are built around the real words, phrases, and situations that happen on farms.”
The Beginner course is designed for students with little to no Spanish experience and focuses on foundational language skills, everyday agricultural vocabulary, and practical phrases for on-farm communication. The Intermediate course is designed for students who already know basic Spanish and want to build confidence using expanded vocabulary, past and future tenses, and more complete conversations in agricultural settings. Many agriculture professionals outside the dairy industry find great value in AgvoKate’s dairy sector course. A free Spanish level assessment is available at agvokate.com
“The language barrier is real, but so is the solution,” Dotterer said. “When agricultural teams communicate more clearly, they can improve safety, strengthen workplace relationships and build more confidence on both sides of the language gap. My goal is no fluff and no endless grammar lessons, just targeted, real-world Spanish for dairy operations.”
The online courses include live instruction, class recordings, interactive discussions, practical activities, ag-specific vocabulary, one-on-one support from the instructor, and downloadable course resources. Students also receive access to digital flashcards, vocabulary lists, and resource links. Individuals who enroll by September 10 will also receive AgvoKate’s Cattle Health Survival Kit, a bilingual vocabulary and anatomy guide focused on cattle health language, symptoms, diagnoses, tools, and common phrases. This $97 value download is sold separately after the early bird window closes.
Dotterer brings more than two decades of experience working with native Spanish speakers in agriculture. A lifelong dairy farmer and former Spanish teacher, she has developed and taught online language courses for the agriculture and dairy industry for eight years, serving more than 1,000 students across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. She is also certified in ESL (English as a Second Language) and teaches ESL to members of the Hispanic community.
“I would be lost without this class,” said Derik, a dairy farmer who completed the course. “This class put together a lot of material and concepts that I couldn’t have found easily on my own. Previously, I didn’t even know where to begin. I wouldn’t be where I am today in my Spanish journey without this class.”
Another former student, Cassie, a dairy educator, said Dotterer’s course helped her apply Spanish directly to her work in agriculture. “I really enjoyed the class and Katie’s style of teaching,” Cassie said. “I learned more than my whole year of Ag Spanish in college. I am so excited because the course is helping me bridge the gap and communicate with the people I am working with in my milking parlor trainings.”
To support dairy producers, the Center for Dairy Excellence is offering a $200 discount for eligible producers who enroll in either the Beginner or Intermediate course by September 18. The discount is available on a first-come, first-served basis while funds remain available.
For Pennsylvania residents or those working for a PA agriculture company, a 50% course reimbursement is available through Worker Connect Training Funds.
Enrollment for AgvoKate’s Fall 2026 Spanish for Dairy courses closes September 18. Courses begin September 22.
To learn more or enroll, visit:
https://courses.agvokate.com/p/fall2026courses
Dairy producers interested in the Center for Dairy Excellence discount can learn more at:
www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/spanish-discount
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