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Senate Confirms New Ag Secretary
By Chris Clayton
Friday, February 14, 2025 8:25AM CST

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (DTN) -- The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted 72-28 to confirm Brooke Rollins as the country's new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

Rollins, 52, is a Texas native and was an adviser for Trump's economic policies in his first term and gained more influence in Trump's world as founder and CEO of the America First Policy Institute.

Rollins becomes the 33rd Agriculture secretary and the second woman to hold the post following Ann Veneman in the early 2000s.

In a floor speech before the vote, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., said, "America's farmers, ranchers and foresters need a leader at USDA who will be an advocate for their livelihoods and rural America and be a strong voice to address the pressing needs of our agriculture community. Brooke Rollins is that person."

Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Hoeven, R-N.D., congratulated her and noted, "She not only has the right background, but she has the ear of President Trump and will be a great advocate for our farmers and ranchers."

Hoeven said during Rollins' confirmation hearing he secured her commitment to work on passing a strong farm bill and quickly implementing the end-of-year assistance package for farmers.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., said, "Congratulations to Brooke Rollins on her confirmation as Secretary of Agriculture."

"Brooke is a proven leader who understands the challenges facing farmers, ranchers and rural communities. She is taking the helm of USDA at a critical juncture for our producers, and her experience and commitment to agriculture will be invaluable as we work together to strengthen the farm economy."

"I look forward to working with Secretary Rollins to deliver results for rural America and the hardworking men and women of agriculture," Thompson said.

Rollins will likely find herself facing budget cuts in certain USDA programs over the next year and potentially beyond. The House Budget Committee this week proposed $230 billion in cuts to programs under the purview of the House Agriculture Committee. Those cuts are expected to come at the expense of food-aid recipients in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), though the exact level of cuts and where they will fall remains to be determined.

Meanwhile, there is pressure to provide a stronger safety net for farmers. Over the past two weeks, both the House and Senate committees on Agriculture have held hearings with farmers calling for increases in reference prices, a stronger crop insurance program and boosts in funding to programs for trade promotion.

Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, congratulated Rollins, while highlighting that Congress and the Trump administration need to work in a bipartisan fashion if they want to meet some of the priorities set by farmers. Craig and Democrats are already critical of the cuts being proposed.

"Secretary Rollins begins her new role at a critical time for American agriculture," Craig said. "Family farmers are struggling with high input costs and low prices; tariffs are being proposed that will raise costs on American producers and American consumers; the agricultural workforce is being threatened; and Congress is behind schedule in passing a new, bipartisan farm bill. If we want to tackle these challenges in a way that supports family farmers and the communities they feed, we will need to work together."

SOME USDA PROGRAMS REMAIN FROZEN

Rollins' confirmation could provide some needed clarity to farmers and organizations who have seen their conservation payments or other programs frozen under the Trump administration. USDA had stated they would wait for direction from Rollins before making any moves.

As DTN has reported, farmers and organizations involved in the Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities have been told their contracts are now on hold because of those funding freezes. Other farmers have reported their USDA conservation or renewable energy contracts are also frozen because the funds for those programs came from the Inflation Reduction Act.

EARLY REACTION

Farm and biofuel groups quickly offered their praise and support for Rollins.

"She will also serve as the voice of producers within the Trump administration at a critical moment," said Chuck Conner, president of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. "NCFC looks forward to working with Secretary Rollins on a range of issues within USDA that impact farmer co-ops and their members."

Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, said farmers need a voice as they continue to face economic headwinds, labor challenges and uncertainty over current policy debates. "Ms. Rollins will need to hit the ground running to ensure the administration understands the challenges farmers and ranchers are facing," Duvall said.

Duvall added, "With a heart for agriculture and rural America, we're confident she'll prioritize the distribution of disaster and economic aid, ensure adequate staffing for the essential functions of USDA agencies, keep USDA's contractual promises with farmers, advocate for trade policy that maintains and grows markets for our agricultural products, and work with Congress to pass a modernized farm bill."

Rob Larew, president of the National Farmers Union, said he looks forward to working with Rollins to address priorities for family farmers.

"USDA plays a critical role in serving agriculture effectively and equitably," Larew said. "I look forward to working with Secretary Rollins to address the priorities NFU members continue to elevate: strengthening risk management tools for farmers, ensuring fairness in the marketplace, supporting the next generation of producers, protecting independent family farms from corporate concentration, expanding conservation programs that improve soil health and reduce input costs, advancing mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef, and securing policies that ensure farmers receive a fair share of the food dollar."

National Chicken Council President Harrison Kircher, congratulated Rollins while calling on her to begin rolling back some of the regulations placed on the poultry industry by the Biden administration. Kircher pointed to the Packers and Stockyards Act (PSA) contracting rules, as well as rules for processing line speeds and proposed regulations related to salmonella that Kircher said would increase the price of chickens as well.

"During the last four years, the Biden administration has imposed a non-scientific and costly regulatory agenda on the chicken industry," Kircher said. "We are eager to get to work with Secretary Rollins and her team to advance policies that strengthen the chicken industry and more importantly, provide relief to American consumers who have been struggling with inflation and high food prices..."

ECONOMIC AID

During her confirmation hearing, Rollins said one of her first initiatives will be to push out the $10 billion economic assistance Congress passed in December for commodity farmers. Rollins told senators during her hearing she would have a "fast and furious effort to ensure we move that economic aid out."

Rollins also told senators that the Trump administration needs to get a handle on foreign animal diseases, such as avian influenza. Consumers have become fully aware of the impacts of bird flu because the loss of egg-laying flocks to the virus has been the driving factor for record egg prices at stores across the country.

In another area, Rollins said at her confirmation hearing that the Trump administration will be ready to step in and help producers as tariff wars heat up and other countries place retaliatory tariffs on U.S. commodities. Rollins later reiterated to senators that Trump understands his support in rural America. "At the end of the day, we all know him to be the consummate deal maker, not only for America, but for the ag community that supported him at 90% since really, the very, very beginning."

DTN Political Correspondent Jerry Hagstrom contributed to this report.

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @ChrisClaytonDTN


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