National efforts to strengthen young dairy leaders

As July unfolds its warm embrace, it marks not only the heart of summer but also a significant milestone — the year is officially half over. This midyear moment invites reflection on the months gone by and anticipation for the adventures yet to come. This year, Tim and Megan are on a new adventure serving as the 2025 chairpersons for the National Young Cooperators Advisory Board for the Young Cooperators Program of the National Milk Producers Federation. In keeping with that spirit, we wanted to pause and reflect on the experiences they have had in their role up to this midpoint of the year.

The National YC Program is part of the NMPF. For readers unfamiliar with NMPF, the organization was founded in 1916 and created to promote policies that support the interests of dairy farmers and their cooperatives. Today, together, NMPF’s member cooperatives are responsible for producing the majority of our nation’s milk supply. As such, NMPF is positioned as the leading advocate for dairy farmers in Washington, D.C., and with federal agencies. For over a century, NMPF has stood as one of our nation’s most prominent and influential membership organizations. Its policy positions reflect the collective input and grassroots efforts of dairy farmers and their cooperatives, ensuring that national policy decisions are shaped by those directly involved in the industry.

The National YC Program, established in 1950, has provided training and leadership development opportunities to beginning dairy farmers for 75 years. Managed by NMPF, the National YC Program provides young dairy farmers, such as ourselves, with education, tools, and resources that support young dairy farmers on their dairy farming journey through in-person and virtual events. Specifically, the National YC Program aims to enhance the leadership skills of beginning dairy farmers, to make them more effective managers and influential leaders and to strengthen the resilience of beginning dairy farms by positively impacting farm and business management practices. The program also connects young dairy farmers from across the country, enabling them to share experiences, challenges and solutions. This peer network fosters collaboration and provides valuable support as they advance in their roles through their dairy.

The National YC Program hosts several in-person and virtual events throughout the year. Most recently, Tim and Megan attended a fly-in event in conjunction with NMPF’s June board of directors meeting in Washington, D.C. At the event, they were able to learn about NMPF’s current policy priorities, attend a lobbying how-to event, network with fellow young dairymen and women from across the country, and meet with their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. Attending the event was eye-opening, in that young farmers were directly exposed to the amount of work that is occurring on our behalf on a wide breadth of issues, expanding from nutrition legislation, trade and exports, environmental regulations, and workforce support. Attending the events exposes young farmers, firsthand, to the numerous issues dairies are constantly challenged with and, subsequently, the vast number of pieces that must fall into place to drive change in our industry. Key issues that YCs focused on this year during the event at Capitol Hill were the importance of agricultural labor reforms, support for the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act and advocating efforts to expand and reinforce reliable export markets for U.S. dairy.

The National YC Program is available to younger dairy farmers who either own or work on a dairy farm that belongs to one of NMPF’s member cooperatives. In addition to the YC Dairy Policy and Legislative Forum recently completed, NMPF also offers YCs two other in-person opportunities annually. The next upcoming in-person YC event is a workshop and reception taking place Oct. 2 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. The annual YC Development & Leadership Program will then be held in conjunction with the NMPF/United Dairy Industry Association/National Dairy Promotion and Research Board annual meeting later this fall. Both events look to be great resources for young farmers to gather more information, network, and further hone skills for leadership on their dairies and in their communities. For more information, head to NMPF.org and look for the National Young Cooperators Program under Programs & Resources, or click on Stay Informed for regular updates.

Megan Schrupp and Ellen Stenger are sisters and co-owners of both NexGen Dairy and NexGen Market in Eden Valley, Minnesota. They can be reached at Nexgendairy@gmail.com.