NMPF-Nominated Producer Selected for EU-U.S. Fellowship for Young Leaders in Agriculture
October 6, 2026
Thomas French, an NMPF-nominated, sixth-generation farmer from Woodstock, Virginia, and herd manager at French Brothers Dairy, was selected to join the 2026-2027 cohort of the EU-U.S. Fellowship for Young Leaders in Agriculture. French is a product of NMPF’s Young Cooperators program and previously represented dairy producers at the White House during the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids signing ceremony in January.
The EU Delegation to the United States launched the fellowship last year with support from NMPF and USDEC, bringing together young European and American farmers to discuss shared challenges around economic resilience, generational transitions, and other pressing industry issues. The yearlong program pairs 24 fellows between the ages of 30 and 40 for monthly virtual meetings and in-person trips designed as an information exchange and educational series. Last year, NMPF and USDEC nominated and supported two producers for the inaugural fellowship: Sam Koester, a Dairy Farmers of America member from Indiana, and Lorilee Schultz, a Prairie Farms member from Illinois.
“Despite the ample challenges in Transatlantic ag trade, we can learn a lot from each other, and that’s especially true as we work to shape the policy future for dairy,” NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud said. “This program is an important tool in making that happen. NMPF is proud of one of our own dairy farmer leaders, Thomas French, who has been selected for the initiative. We are encouraged by what he and his peers will tackle over the next year in discussing shared issues in our industry and how we can both best build for the future.”
