Nicole Montna Van Vleck

Nicole Montna Van Vleck is the President and Chief Executive Officer of family owned and operated Montna Farms, in Yuba City, California. Montna Farms is a major grower of Japanese short grain specialty rice as well as a leader in working lands conservation

Nicole serves as an advocate for the state’s farmers especially in the areas of water and rice. Currently, she serves on the California Rice Industry Association Board and the California Rice Commission Board of Directors where she serves as Chair of the Rice Producers Group. She also serves as on several national boards and committees for USA Rice. In the area of water, she serves as an officer for two of her local water districts and on the Northern California Water Association Board of Directors, on its Executive Committee and as its Communications Chair.  She also serves on the UC Davis Dean’s Advisory Board for Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and on the Board of Directors for River Valley Community Bank.

As a third generation rice farmer, she was born and raised in Sutter County.  Nicole graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Class XXVI of the California Agricultural Leadership Program and of the 2011/12 USA Rice Leadership Program.  Early, in her career she worked as a legislative analyst for the law firm of Morrison & Foerster before returning to the family farm in 1994.