Virtually Starting Ag Literacy Engines

American Dairy Association Indiana, Inc. (ADAI)

Focus Areas:Agriculture

Services:Virtual Farm Trips™

American Dairy Association Indiana, Inc. (ADAI) is a not-for-profit promotion, communication and nutrition education organization funded by and serving Indiana dairy farm families. ADAI champions a thriving Indiana dairy community by promoting and educating about the importance of dairy products and dairy farming, sustainable nutrition and youth wellness.

The Work

ADAI partnered with Shift•ology to host a LIVE Virtual Farm Trip® for K-12 students to a dairy owned by the farmer handing the traditional jar of milk to the winner of the 2023 Indianapolis 500. The engaging trip helped students connect the dots from the farm to the winner’s circle.

The Wins

94 teachers registered 110 classrooms for the trip, representing 2,036 students from 7 different states
Facebook and YouTube live streams provided an additional live 142 viewers
On average, teachers rated the trip an 8.5 on a 10-point scale, with 86 percent responding that they were “very willing” to participate in future VFTs.
Teachers responding with a “Very positive” or “Positive” opinion of dairy farming increased from 93 percent before the VFT to a unanimous 100 percent following the VFT.
Teachers responding that they felt “Very knowledgeable” or “Knowledgeable” about dairy farming increased from 63 percent pre-VFT to 69 percent post-VFT — an increase of 6 percentage points.

Quotes from teachers:

“The farmer had incredible energy and shared relatable information in a great way. We loved it all!”
“The explanation about what goes into the feed and why was great. This is my favorite trip yet!”
“We loved learning how milk is produced, seeing and learning about the cows.”