Grants available for schools to fund field trips to local dairy farms

Any classroom enrolled in Discover Dairy Program can apply for grant up to $500

Teachers who have classrooms that are enrolled in the Discover Dairy program are eligible to apply for one of 80 grants available to fund a field trip to a local dairy farm. Grants will be up to $500 based on the type of field trip planned. Funds from the grant can assist in covering the cost of busing, the farm tour itself, lunch, or a dairy treat. There are 15 grants designated specifically for Pennsylvania classrooms, 40 grants designated for Wisconsin classrooms, and 10 grants designated for Vermont classrooms. Farm tour field trip grant applications must be submitted online by February 1, 2023.

“If you want to teach your students how dairy farmers care for their cows, conserve their natural resources and how milk impacts your local economy, there’s no better way than seeing it firsthand and touring a dairy farm in your community,” said Brittany Snyder, Dairy Education Program Manager at the Dairy Excellence Foundation. “We hope these grants serve as an engaging activity for classrooms this spring and help expose students to all that goes into running a successful dairy operation.”

Selection is based on the number of students eligible to attend the tour and previous and future plans of dairy education in the classroom. Discover Dairy staff do not provide farm suggestions for the dairy farm trip. Teachers who apply for the grants must plan the trip and contact a farm in their community to make arrangements for the tour.

“Our first-grade students learned about dairy cows and how well they are cared for, what they eat and drink, and how they are milked. The highlight of the farm tour field trip was seeing the newborn calves and the forage harvester. Students were also treated to ice cream after the tour,” said Jennifer Metzler of Williamsburg Community Elementary School in Pennsylvania, a previous grant recipient.

Farm tour field trip grant applications will be accepted until February 1, 2023. Grant selection will be ongoing on a first-come, first-served basis. The application is to receive up to $500 in funds for a farm field trip that is planned by the applicant. Applications without a specified dairy farm to tour will not be considered for the grant.

“Some of the kids started the tour withdrawn and distant, but by the tour’s end, even the most timid ones in the group wanted to shake my hand and say ‘thank you,’” shared Mark Rodgers of Hillcrest Farms, Inc. in Georgia, one of the farms who hosted a previous field trip. “They learned a lot about dairy, and I think they will go home and share what they learned about milk, dairy products, and all the things their local farmer does to produce it.”

Visit www.discoverdairy.com/take-trip-dairy-farm to apply or share with a teacher you know. Contact Brittany Snyder at bsnyder@centerfordairyexcellence.org or call 717-346-0849 for more information.

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 Council of Arizona and Nevada, Dairy West, New England Dairy, Dairy Farmers of Washington, American Dairy Association Mideast, Dairy Council of Florida, United Dairy Industry of Michigan, and Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council.