The Global Cow, Ltd.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

✦ How good must participant’s English be? Participants must be able to communicate, but are not required to be completely fluent. It is tested first by the representative in country, and then via web camera through Skype. 

✦ Do participants have a lot of farm background and educational background in agriculture? Participants’ backgrounds will vary; most have limited work experience and limited dairy experience.

✦ Where do participants come from? Mainly South America and Africa. 

✦ Where are the host farms located? Most are in the Upper Midwest.

✦ Are participants required to come for a full year? Usually it is best.

✦ Can hosts find their own participants? Yes, as long as s/he is qualified and application and program rules are followed.

✦ Must participants go to one educational course? Yes.   And must participants attend the general orientation session? Yes.

✦ What if the participant needs to leave the US and then return? This is not encouraged, and is only done in justified cases.

✦ Can participants change farms? If participants can not meet their training goals on their first farm, or if there are problems which can not be resolved, participants are allowed to switch farms one time.  They must give try to resolve the problem first, and they must give two weeks notice to the host farm.  They must go to farms approved by the program.  Host farms may also ask that a participant leave, and host farms must give Global Cow two weeks to make the change.

✦If participant leaves early, are fees refunded? No, except in cases of confirmed, personal (participant) medical emergencies that prohibit the participant from completing his program. In these cases only unused educational funds are returned.

✦ What’s the best thing about these programs? Global Cow programs are strictly for dairy training. 

✦ What’s the worst thing that can go wrong? Bad expectations. If hosts think that is simply a way to find workers for their farm, or if participants simply want to come to the US to make money, the program will not work, and no one will be happy.  Participants need to come to learn, and understand that hours are long and hard. American dairy farm life is not easy.  Hosts must remember that the participants are here to learn, and commit to open communication.  Hosts need to put themselves into their participants’ situations and be empathetic.