The Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association, and Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania offer $3,000 grants to students who participate in a 10-12 week on-farm internship program, intended to provide on-farm learning experiences to the next generation of dairy managers in Pennsylvania.
Applicants must be one of the following:
- Currently enrolled in, or a recent graduate of, a Pennsylvania university or college, or
- A resident of Pennsylvania who is currently enrolled in, or a recent graduate of an out-of-state university or college, or
- A resident of Pennsylvania with a high school diploma and between ages of 18 and 25 as of June 15, 2026, who has agriculture experience and an interest in dairy farming.
- Majoring in Animal Sciences or related agriculture field or have experience in production agriculture.
- Interested in the production aspect of the dairy industry and/or an on-farm learning experience.
Students are required to:
- Participate in an in-person interview at the host farm location prior to acceptance into the on-farm internship program
- Determine goals, area of focus, and project for the internship.
- Complete the OSHA 10 General Agriculture online course successfully before the start of the on-farm internship.
- Participate in a pre-internship informational session giving a copy of driver’s license and completing a W-9 form.
- Maintain confidentiality in work.
- Familiarize themselves with and adhere to organization’s relevant policies/procedures and appropriate standards and ethical conduct.
- Participate in weekly discussion via Zoom with On-Farm Internship Coordinator and other interns.
- Participate in 30-day and final evaluations with the host farm.
- Present a final presentation about the internship experience to On-Farm Internship Committee upon conclusion of the on-farm internship.
In addition to completing this application, submit the following to scholars@centerfordairyexcellence.org by November 8, 2025, to be an eligible applicant:
- A Cover Letter
- A Resume
- Dairy related and/or former employer references
- A letter of recommendation from a dairy-faculty advisor (college) or past educator (high school grad)
- An additional letter of recommendation is required for high school grads from a dairy producer.
Note: We recommend you answer the open-ended questions in a Word document and then copy and paste your answers in the application when you are ready to submit.
- Briefly outline and explain any previous experiences with dairy farms and dairy animals.
- Why are you interested in this on-farm internship?
- What goals do you hope to achieve during your on-farm internship?
- During this on-farm internship, you will be expected to complete a summer project.
- Provide an idea and focus area for a dairy management improvement project that you would be interested in carrying out during your on-farm internship?