Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow hosted its 2024 Farm Tour in Blair County, Pennsylvania. A group of 68 high school students toured Penn England Farms LLC, a progressive dairy farm with more than 1,000 cows, and Ritchey’s Dairy, a dairy processing plant that bottles milk from PA dairy farms, makes ice cream and more. The annual farm tour gives students a glimpse inside the wide range of careers available in the dairy and agriculture industries.
“I was really excited when my ag teacher told us about this field trip. I’ve grown up on a dairy farm. I love promoting the industry and getting to learn more about it. I’ve really enjoyed getting to explore different career options [at this farm tour],” said Madison Mowrer, a high school senior who attended the event. “As a senior in high school, I’m trying to figure out where I’m going to go and what I want to do the rest of my life. I’m sure I want to stay in the dairy industry, but trying to figure out what that looks like – knowing I don’t exactly want to milk cows every day – is interesting. It was fun to see the different career options.”
Along with touring both businesses, the students heard from dairy farmers, veterinarians, hoof trimmers, and other agriculture professionals. They ended the day by touring Ritchey’s Dairy, a dairy processing plant in Blair County, Pa., so they could see both sides of the dairy industry – the farm level and the dairy processing level.
“Not all kids know about dairy farms, so I believe it’s important to get them out here and learn the different aspects of what’s going on. There are a lot of things that happen on dairy operations that are important, and there are a lot of jobs they could go into and learn about while they’re here at this farm tour,” said Heather Van Winkle, an agriculture teacher from Central High School in Blair County, Pa.
The Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow (DLT) program includes several on-farm experiences each year, including this farm tour. The program also includes DLT curriculum at no cost to high school educators thanks to support from sponsors and donors. The DLT program includes four main courses: Introduction to Dairy, Introduction to Dairy Herd Management, Introduction to Dairy Business Management, and Introduction to Dairy Technologies. Teachers can incorporate these courses into their classroom instruction or assign to high school students to complete independently.
DLT lesson plans and associated resources can be accessed online and downloaded at no cost once educators or students complete the DLT registration. Scholarship opportunities and on-farm learning experiences are also available to teachers and students who are enrolled in the program.
