Educating & Building Leadership Abilities in Young Dairy Farmers

Leadership Development and Education Opportunities for Young Dairy Farmers

Established in 1950, the National Young Cooperators (YC) Program provides up-and-coming leaders in the dairy industry with a better understanding of issues facing farmers and milk marketing cooperatives. The program, managed by the National Milk Producers Federation, provides year-round educational opportunities to inform and build leadership abilities in the next generation of dairy farmers.

Leadership development is encouraged and recognized at the local and national levels. Many current dairy industry leaders, including some current NMPF board members, have participated in NMPF’s YC Program. Several of NMPF’s member cooperatives sponsor their own YC programs, but representatives from each cooperative have the opportunity to participate in national YC activities. Every June, a fly-in event is held in conjunction with NMPF’s June Board of Directors meeting. YCs learn about NMPF’s current policy priorities, attend a lobbying how-to event, and meet with their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. In the fall, the national YC Leadership and Development Program is held in conjunction with NMPF’s Joint Annual Meeting.

The 2020-2021 National YC Program is sponsored by Farm Credit.

YC Program Requirements

To be eligible for participation in the National YC Program, you must meet the following criteria:

Employment on and/or ownership of a dairy farm that is a cooperative member of one of NMPF’s member cooperatives.
Approval from member cooperative
45 years of age or younger

NMPF asks that program participants commit to participating in monthly webinars and attending two in-person events throughout the year.

YC Advisory Council

Every NMPF member cooperative with a recognized YC program is eligible to have at least one seat on NMPF’s YC Advisory Council. NMPF member cooperatives are responsible for selecting the YCs who will serve as their representatives on the YC Advisory Council. Each cooperative has its own way of choosing YCs for the council. Each new YC Advisory Council is democratically elected and takes office at the end of the Joint Annual Meeting.

YC Advisory Council members are the leaders of NMPF’s YC program. They are required to commit to at least two of the following leadership development opportunities:

Submit an article to a dairy publication facilitated by NMPF
Be interviewed for an NMPF Farmer Focus website feature
Write a letter to your elected officials
Participate in media training.

2020-2021 YC Advisory Council

James Weber
Chair
Michigan Milk Producers Association

Nathan & Angela Wiese
Vice Chairs
Farm First Dairy Cooperative

Tim Christiansen
Second Vice Chair
Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc.

Amanda Button
Agri-Mark

Rich & Shelby Holsopple
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association

Micah Jr. & Emily Meyers
Land O’Lakes, Inc.

Josh Neahring
Tillamook County Cooperative Association

Josh & Katie Sauter
Dairy Farmers of America

Kristopher & Chelsea Scheider
Foremost Farms USA

Jason & Tiffany Staehely
Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold)

Chad & Danielle Voelker
Prairie Farms

Matthew & Kaley Wolf
Dairy Farmers of America

Questions about NMPF's YC Program?

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