Young Ag Couples Conference
Providing young Montana couples engaged in agricultural production with information on best practices and leadership development.
What is the Young Ag Couples Conference?
The Young Ag Couples Conference (YACC) is designed to encourage and assist young ag couples in enhancing their leadership qualities and increasing the awareness of the common bonds they have with other young couples in agriculture.
YACC, hosted annually in early January, is sponsored by the Montana Department of Agriculture in cooperation with Montana agriculture organizations. Sponsors are recognized at a Sponsor Appreciation Luncheon during the conference, at which couples can network with agriculture organization leadership and thank them for their support of YACC.
Who attends YACC?
Each year, the Young Ag Couples Conference is attended by 30 to 40 couples, plus five steering committee couples that help plan and facilitate the conference. The steering committee couples are selected from prior year conference participants.
How do we participate?
Participating couples are nominated by Montana agricultural organizations. These organizations are urged to nominate couples that have leadership qualities, make their primary living from agriculture, and whose financial situations would not normally allow them to attend similar statewide conferences.
The conference is funded by agriculture organizations, sponsors and a grant from the Montana Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Finance Program (Rural Development Fund). Over the years, many Young Ag Couples Conference attendees have gone on to hold positions of leadership in Montana agricultural organizations.
What can I expect at YACC?
During the conference, couples meet with the Governor and Lieutenant Governor to discuss agriculture issues, attend breakout sessions about agriculture topics, and meet with people in the agriculture industry for network development.
What other programs can help us?
The Montana Department of Agriculture has many other programs to help young ag couples with their agricultural operations. See the links below for program information and the YACC contact.
