Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) is the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA) Education Coordinator for North Carolina. 

DGA links current and aspiring dairy farmers and provides a structure of support for the transfer of knowledge, skills, and farms from one generation to the next. Apprentices complete more than 3700 hours of on-the-job training and related instruction over two years. Participants may start with a shorter internship to make sure the program is a good fit.

Using the model of education that has prepared skilled workers in the trades for more than a century, DGA combines work-based training with related instruction for the federally recognized occupation of “Dairy Grazier.” A dairy grazier is a farmer who uses managed grazing. In managed grazing systems the majority of farm acres are planted to perennial forages and cows are rotated through paddocks of high quality grasses that are allowed to rest and regrow. Using this cost effective method, dairy graziers are able to restore natural resources, produce high quality milk, and remain profitable in both conventional and value-added markets.

DGA partners with established grazing dairy farmers, universities, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders to deliver high quality work-based training in managed-grazing dairy production in multiple states. The program is federally registered with the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.

To learn more about DGA and to apply to be an apprentice or mentor visit https://www.dga-national.org/participate