Empowering the next generation of dairy producers starts with knowledge, education, and experience. The Dairy Excellence Foundation provides cross-curricular lesson series, educational programming, on-farm internships, and scholarship opportunities for students of all ages. Additionally, our programs and initiatives partner well with other organizations and community partners, engaging everyone in and out of the classroom.
Both the on-farm internship and the Calving Corner internship helped me realize how much I enjoyed working with other people – dairy farmers, my peers, and also the general public. A lot of people think being a veterinarian isn’t really a 'people' job, but it’s kind of the opposite. The animals are just the context for human interaction. I realized how much I enjoyed working with other people through [the Foundation internships], and how much and I really liked school, too. Those experiences solidified that I wanted to keep going with vet school and to keep learning.
Our programs include:
- Discover Dairy – This program is an engaging, interactive, multi-level lesson series that shows upper elementary and middle school students where milk comes from and how dairy farmers contribute to our communities. More than 70,000 teachers are enrolled in the Discover Dairy program reaching more than 2.1 million students through the Adopt A Cow program each year. Since 2020, the program has reached 9.4 million students worldwide.
- Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow – Designed specifically to prepare high school students to work in the dairy industry, this program provides dairy business and herd management courses to high school educators and students interested in a dairy production career. More than 700 educators are enrolled in the DLT program.
- On-Farm Internships – The Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association and Dairy Excellence Foundation offer $3,000 grants for farms and students to 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.
- Scholarship Opportunities – The Dairy Excellence Foundation offers a wide variety of scholarships for students and beginning farmers to pursue higher education or to grow their dairy management skill set.
The Dairy Excellence Foundation also supports programs and organizations across the industry that help our youth gain relevant experience in the dairy industry and develop future career goals.
- Young Dairy Leaders Institute – The Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI) is the premier leadership program in the dairy industry. Young adults, ages 22-45, apply for the program which consists of three phases over a one-year period. Two three-day, interactive meetings bookend tasks that participants complete in their home communities to practice what they learn
- Oregon Dairy Days – Designed to promote the value of modern agriculture, Oregon Dairy Days and Family Farm Days help increase awareness of the important role our farms have in the community. Families receive an educational, firsthand experience at a working dairy farm through tractor and wagon rides, tours of the barn and milking facilities, and samples of Oregon Dairy products.
- All-American Dairy Show -The All-American Dairy Show features dairy cattle and exhibitors across the United States and Canada. It also gives youth the opportunity to get involved in the industry through four days of youth shows, contests, and programs.
- All-American Junior Management Contest – As part of the annual All-American Dairy Show, the Junior Dairy Management Contest was established to give 4-H and FFA students—the dairy producers of the future—the opportunity to test their dairy management knowledge, evaluate animals, and gain experience with evaluation and decision-making.
- Cornerstone Dairy Academy™ – Designed for professionals and producers who are interested in enhancing their leadership skills, Cornerstone Dairy Academy is a two-day event™ to help motivate the next generation.
- Calving Corner – Pennsylvania’s Dairy Birthing Center is hosted each year at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Four Pennsylvania dairy farm families will be bringing their cows to the exhibit, so attendees can witness the miracle of birth.
- Farm Safety Trainings – The Dairy Excellence Foundation works with Kay Moyer, a contractor who works to build awareness and educate farms and rural communities across Pennsylvania about farm safety.
- Somerset County Career Day – Held in May each year, this event brings in over 400 eighth grade students from all the schools in Somerset County to give them an idea of the wide variety of careers available in ag-related professions. We enjoy supporting this event to highlight careers available for students in the dairy industry.
- County and State Dairy Promotion Teams across the US – The Discover Dairy program provides resources, materials and training to local county and state dairy promotion programs across the country to help develop the next group of agriculture advocates and share the word about our consumer education programs.