Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom is celebrating National Dairy Month!
This month, we celebrate the hard-working dairy farmers across the country! The dedication these farmers have for raising and caring for their dairy cattle has allowed the American dairy industry to grow in importance and influence across the world. The milk from these cattle provides us with protein and other important nutrients, as well as all sorts of delicious products like butter, cheese, ice cream, and more!
In Minnesota, dairy production is an important part of our agriculture industry. We rank seventh in the country for milk production and sixth for cheese production! Dairy products are an important part of many of our lives, so this month, we celebrate the farmers and the cattle that provide for us.
Education Resources
MAITC provides FREE resources to educators with the goal of increasing agricultural literacy among K-12 students. Our curriculum and educational resources are designed to meet Minnesota academic standards and include exciting ways for students to connect with agriculture! For National Dairy Month, we have collected a variety of dairy-themed lesson plans and educational resources for you to share with your students.
Lesson Plan: “Whipping Butter into Shape”
This lesson plan leads students to investigate the physical changes that occur when milk is churned into butter. Using heavy whipping cream and a jar, students get active to separate the butter from the buttermilk. They’ll identify if any weight changes have occurred and discuss if the change from milk to butter was physical or chemical.
Grade level: 3-5
Lesson Plan: “Cheesemaking: From Liquid to Solid”
Another fun activity comes from our lesson plan “Cheesemaking: From Liquid to Solid.” Students make fresh mozzarella cheese and discover the science, art, and craft involved in making specialty cheeses. By the end, the class will have a delicious snack to enjoy together!
Grade level: 3-5
Education Resource: AgMag
We also feature dairy production in our AgMag 1 spring edition! Milk is a common food item found in many homes, but do you know how it got to you? The “Moo to You” activity guides students through the production steps milk takes from farm to fridge. You can explore this activity online, or get physical copies for FREE!
Explore the activity online here.
Click here to order FREE copies of our AgMags!
Even More Resources
These aren’t the only resources we have available to you! Take a look at our curriculum matrix to find lesson plans, activities, books, videos, and more!
Click here to find our dairy-themed resources!
Adopt a Cow Program
Have you ever considered adopting a cow as your class pet? Well now you can through the Adopt a Cow program offered by Discover Dairy! Don’t worry about the mess, this FREE program connects students with a dairy calf that they can watch grow up through photo updates, activity sheets, and suggested lesson plans.
Early enrollment for the program is open NOW through September 1st. Click here to sign up your class on the Discover Dairy website!
Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom
Written by Elliot Dusosky
June 9, 2026
