The Montana Farm Bureau Federation announces its ACE (Advocate. Communicate. Educate.) Leadership Class of 2026. This is the ACE Leadership Program’s ninth year of empowering Farm Bureau members to become confident and effective leaders in their local communities, for Montana agriculture, and for their county Farm Bureaus. The program provides its participants with skills to communicate industry issues and represent Farm Bureau interests at the local, state, and national levels. ACE successfully does this by focusing on leadership development, engaging local communities, and issues advocacy.

 

“Montana Farm Bureau is committed to developing strong leaders for our rural communities and our state’s number-one industry,” said MFBF ACE Program Co-Coordinator, Sue Ann Streufert.  “We have another high-caliber group of leaders in our 2026 ACE Class. We look forward to delivering six seminars packed with the skills these Farm Bureau members need to effectively advocate for agriculture and to become increasingly active in their county Farm Bureaus.”

 

The year-long program will kick off in January in Bozeman, followed by five more seminars across Montana. During these trainings, ACE participants will hear from agriculture advocates, media professionals, communications specialists, and policymakers. In between seminars, they’ll participate in a book club-style discussion about the Montana Farm Bureau’s “Legacies” history book.

 

The 2026 ACE Class (County Farm Bureau listed)

Mikayla Connelly, Lewis & Clark County

Amber Elliott, Carbon/Stillwater County

Chris Gartner, Richland County

Shaylee Hance, McCone County

Vern Hankins, Custer/Fallon County

Chris Kolstad, Hill/Liberty/Blaine County

Catherine McNeil, Lewis & Clark County

Travis Stuber, Gallatin County

Roberta Tilleman, Cascade County

Wyatt Ullery, Southwest Counties

 

To learn more about the ACE Program, visit: https://mfbf.org/Programs/ACE-Program.