Young Agricultural Leaders from the EU and US Spend a Week Studying European Farming Policy and Practice
Participants in the EU-funded EU-US Fellowship for Young Leaders in Agriculture meet in the Netherlands and Brussels on 24–30 October 2026. During the week they will visit farms and hold talks with EU policymakers.
Participants in the EU-funded "EU-US Fellowship for Young Leaders in Agriculture" are meeting in the Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium, from 24 to 30 October 2026. Over the week, young farmers from the European Union and the United States will learn about the latest EU agricultural policies and practices through farm visits and exchanges with experts. The programme helps them share experience on challenges common to farmers on both sides of the Atlantic.
What the week includes
More than 20 young agricultural leaders from the EU and the US will hold discussions with EU policymakers, stakeholders and agricultural experts. Topics include rural social and societal sustainability, the international trade agenda and the future of the common agricultural policy. The talks will involve the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and other Commission representatives.
Participants will visit working farms and producers, including cheese-makers and floriculture businesses, see the latest agricultural innovations and meet programme partners such as COPA COGECA and CEJA Young Farmers. What they see will feed into proposals they are drafting on shaping future agricultural policy for prosperous plant and livestock sectors.
About the fellowship
The fellowship is a year-long programme and is now in its second year. Since its launch in October 2025, it has brought together farmers and ranchers from the US states of California, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, New Mexico, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as from the EU countries Austria, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia.
The programme is part of TSTI - Building a Resilient Future Together. It offers insight into agricultural policymaking in the EU and the US, farm economics, innovation, food systems, supply chains and the global market environment. Participants also build leadership and networking skills and form lasting relationships with fellow farmers across the Atlantic.
EU Ambassador to the United States Jovita Neliupšienė noted that young farmers in Europe and the US face similar challenges, such as farm profitability, soil health and pest management.
