News

Rollins says Trump administration backs farmers and ranchers; talks funding and relief payments

The newly confirmed Secretary of Agriculture says the administration remains supportive of America’s farmers and ranchers. 

President Trump’s funding freeze has left many in the ag industry in financial limbo.  Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins tells Brownfield it’s been a little under 48 hours since she was sworn in.  “But I have already begun to work through it,” she says. “We should be moving out on that next week, so hopefully that will be solved pretty quickly.”  Some of the areas hit hardest by the freeze include Climate-Smart Commodities program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.  

Rollins told the farmers attending a farm stop in Kentucky on Saturday she knows the farm economy is tough right now.  In December, Congress passed a bill that included $10 billion in economic aid for farmers. She says the funds are coming. “I got the call on November 23rd about this role,” she says.  “Within about 5 minutes I was calling everyone from the last administration saying how do we move that disaster funding out? Because these farmers are desperate for it.  So that will be coming in the in the next few days as well.”

Rollins also talked about tariffs and trade.  She says the Trump administration is committed to growing the ag economy and that means growing exports.  “The first thing I think we have to do is get more market access,” she says.  

American Soybean Association president and Kentucky farmer Caleb Ragland says soybean farmers support free trade.  “What we need to be doing is getting new trade deals in place,” he says.  “We need to be finding ways to breakdown barriers and not build barriers.” 

Rollins says the administration is committed to increasing demand for U.S. ag goods on the global market. “By next year, we will have lost $45 billion in exports under the last administration,” she says.  “When President Trump left, we had a surplus. We’re going back to a zero on exports. We’ve got to open markets.”

AUDIO: Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins