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Young Cooperators Convene Virtually to Kick Off Program’s 70th Year

November 2, 2020

The National Young Cooperators (YC) program kicked of its 2020-2021 program year Oct. 29-30 with its first-ever virtual Leadership & Development Program. 137 attendees from 14 cooperatives and 30 states participated in the two-day virtual event.

Representatives from ten NMPF member cooperatives took part as speakers and panelists during the program. Offerings included:

  • A panel of industry leaders discussing the value of cooperative membership, challenges co-ops face, and how they’re innovating to meet member and marketplace needs;
  • A deep dive into factors that influence financially resilient dairy farms;
  • A panel of dairy farmers discussing how they manage their businesses for success; and
  • A conversation about planning for and coping with stress on the farm.

Now in its 70th year, the National YC Program was created to provide up-and-coming leaders in the dairy industry with a better understanding of issues facing farmers and milk marketing cooperatives. The program’s goal is simple: to educate and build leadership abilities in the next generation of dairy farmers. The two-day Leadership and Development event was sponsored by Farm Credit.

Between now and the program’s capstone Dairy Policy and Legislative Forum in June, the National YC Program will be offering monthly, 45-minute virtual events alternating between webinars covering a variety of dairy policy topics, virtual farm tours and industry leader panels. Employees and owners of dairy farms that are members of an NMPF member cooperative and under the age of 45, as well as co-op staff, are invited to participate.