By Matt Hoover
USD 475 Communications Coordinator
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. - Third grade students in Anika Hesse’s class at Seitz Elementary USD 475 recently found out that they will have a new companion for the 2025-26 school year, an adopted baby calf named Cary from Rottinghaus Holstein Farm in Seneca, Kansas.
The Heifer calf, which is a part of the Discover Dairy program, was born on Tuesday, Sept. 16 and is 32 inches tall and weighs 84 pounds. While its daily caretaker will be Farmer Stacy, the Dragons will receive monthly updates on how she is doing while also learning how farmers care for their animals.“My class is super excited. Most of our military students will never have the opportunity to see or experience anything in the farming world even though they have lived in Kansas,” said Hesse. “I was one of those military kids that never stepped foot on a farm or have any knowledge about farming, so I think it really will help paint a picture of what life is like in Kansas for many people.”
Throughout the next couple of weeks, Hesse plans to use the project to tie it into science, writing and some social emotional skills, while also exploring fun lessons about responsibility, agriculture and dairy farming. The program was also gracious enough to send over a stuffed animal cow, which Hesse is going to allow her students to take home with them over the weekend so that they can journal all about its weekend adventures on Fort Riley and surrounding areas.“We do not know if they are able to have a field trip just yet, so I told my class that they will have to earn it and am hoping that this is a great motivator for them to earn the opportunity to visit their adopted cow,” said Hesse.
Community members can also get in on the fun, beginning on November 3-5, as everyone will get to vote for Cary as America’s favorite calf by visiting www.discoverydairy.com/vote. The Discover Dairy program is an engaging, interactive, cross-curricular educational series that meets common CORE standards for math, science and reading. It is designed to demonstrate where milk comes from and the many ways dairy farms contribute to our world. There are five lessons included in the series, with each including a video motivator, comprehensive lesson plan, reading guide, board displays, and assessment-based worksheet.