SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – Fourteen calves are currently being raised at Dordt University’s Agriculture Stewardship Center (ASC) in Sioux Center through a unique partnership between Dordt’s Animal Science Department and local 4-H youth, called Adopt-a-Calf program.

Officials said the program provides hands-on agricultural education and mentorship opportunities for students of all ages.

Holly DeVries, DVM, Dordt University associate professor of agriculture, told Farm World the calves were donated by the Tri-Cross Dairy in Viborg, S.D., for the university’s Animal Science Department to get hands-on experience raising calves.

“They are being housed in the Spronk Animal Science Education Center at the Dordt ASC,” she said. “They will stay there until the Sioux County Youth Fair (July 10-17). The 4-H students will show the calves in the bottle-bucket calf show.

“The dairy in South Dakota is owned by two families from California that are strong Dordt supporters and have committed to helping our students learn,” she added. “Donating calves for this project is their way of supporting our program.” 

She said Mike Schouten, the ASC farm steward, approached the Sioux County 4-H Pulse leaders about creating a partnership and developing the Adopt-a-Calf program: “It is designed to allow 4-H-ers who don’t otherwise have access to a calf (i.e., location, financial) to be able to show a calf. We house the animals and feed them throughout the entire process, so there is no cost to the student and family, other than costs incurred to enter the show.”

She added, “We have been doing the calf raising project with our college students for many years, but with the addition of the new building last spring, inviting the 4-H group to be a part of it, has allowed this dream to become a reality. This opportunity is a win-win for all those involved.”

She said the agriculture students are not only given the opportunity to raise a calf, they are also asked to mentor a 4-H student along the way: “It has been really fun to watch the excitement and bonding that has taken place in the barn over the past few months, not only between calf and student, but also student-to-student.”

She said the college students are learning what it means to teach the next generation about agriculture, while at the same time learning new things themselves: “It has also been a great joy to engage in conversations with the parents of these 4-H-ers,” adding that the students must be accompanied by a parent.

“Some of them are very familiar with Dordt as they are alumni and some know very little about Dordt,” she added. “But it’s a great opportunity for us to highlight this one area of our program and invite others into our space.”