On August 1st, Pennsylvania legislators gathered at Kurtland Farms, a dairy farm in Berks County, PA, for an immersive agriculture experience. Five state representatives and other staff joined the family for a farm tour, met the calf they “adopted” through Discover Dairy’s Adopt a Cow program, and heard from the Dairy Excellence Foundation team and farm staff. The Adopt a Cow program is managed through the Dairy Excellence Foundation to bring dairy farming to life for classrooms in Pennsylvania and beyond. The PA House of Representatives decided to participate in the program this year to learn what Pennsylvania dairy farming looks like.
Through their participation in the Adopt a Cow program, Representative Emily Kinkead, representing the 20th district, led an exciting movement in the House of Representatives by sending calf updates to the Congress and staff members. When elected, Rep. Kinkead had a passion for working on hunger issues. Because of this interest, she joined the Agriculture Committee which eventually led to her current position as Vice Chair of the House Agriculture Committee. When she learned about the Adopt a Cow program and its impact on food literacy, Rep. Kinkead started thinking outside the box. She realized this program could be used to educate her fellow representatives, too.
“We can actually learn about what goes into raising dairy cows and what happens on a dairy farm for people who wouldn’t necessarily be able to actually get out to a farm in person,” Rep. Kinkead shared.
Throughout the last year, members of the House received monthly calf updates from Kurtland Farms and watched their adopted calf, Mootilda, grow. These updates included calf photos and dairy information to help connect state legislators to the dairy industry.
“We got a lot of buy-in from staff as well, which was fun. I would get emails in response to the calf updates, saying ‘This is a great way to start the week. I love hearing about Mootilda,’” Rep. Kinkead added.
As their excitement built throughout the year, the program came to life when Kurtland Farms hosted the August farm tour for these legislators. Representatives were captivated by the display of technology across the farm since Kurtland Farms is a 330-cow dairy operation that uses robotic milkers.
The highlight came when the legislative group was able to meet the celebrity of the day, their adopted calf Mootilda. Representative Kinkead and the Adopt a Cow program work together to share this knowledge with the House of Representatives, giving legislators the opportunity to obtain their information about agriculture directly from Pennsylvania dairy farmers.
