Midwest Dairy partnered with North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension during the winter and spring to help bring science, agriculture, and dairy to life for students and teachers statewide. Through fun and educational events, thousands of students learned how dairy connects to nutrition, animal care, sustainability, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).
Two major Living Ag Classroom events in Bismarck and Fargo reached nearly 3,000 fourth graders from 50 different schools and more than 100 teachers. NDSU students hosted the Dairy Booth, offering interactive lessons and a closer look at where dairy comes from.
In Ramsey County, a Field to Fork event brought together 155 students, seven teachers, and over 20 volunteers, parents, and chaperones. At this event, local FFA members from the Maddock FFA Chapter led the Dairy Booth, including a student who had won the State FFA Dairy Competition.
Teachers received dairy-themed coloring books and valuable resources, including the Discovery Dairy website, Adopt a Cow program details, and Virtual farm tour tutorials. These tools help educators meaningfully integrate agriculture into the classroom.
At the beginning of April, Midwest Dairy supported a professional development day for 30 science teachers from three Bismarck high schools at the Gateway to Science Center. Each teacher serves 100 to 120 students, potentially reaching a total of about 3,000 students. During the training, teachers explored agriculture-focused curricula aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). They also received six classroom toolkits to support modules related to food and farming.
According to Alisha Kelim, Gateway’s Onsite Education Director, “The teachers were incredibly appreciative of the kits for their schools, and they enjoyed trying them out during the workshops!”
A post-event survey showed that teachers were eager to use what they learned, as all verbalized they were somewhat likely to very likely to include food and farming topics in their classrooms.
Teacher feedback included:
- “I am currently scheduled to teach a new class this year and would likely incorporate food/food production into this class.”
- “It would be interesting for the students to learn more about food production as it’s relatable to their daily life.”
From coloring books to science standards, Midwest Dairy is helping to build a strong foundation of agricultural literacy in North Dakota. These efforts equip students and teachers with tools to connect the food on their plates to the science behind how it’s made, creating a lasting impact in classrooms across the state.