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Trump names Rollins next Secretary of Agriculture

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Brooke Rollins of Texas to serve as the 33rd US Secretary of Agriculture.  

Rollins was part of Trump’s 2016 Economic Advisory Council and has helped develop and manage the President-elect’s domestic policy agenda.  In a post on X, Rollins says it is an honor of her life to fight for America’s farmers and the nation’s ag communities.  

Rollins hails from Glen Rose, Texas, and spent years participating in the National FFA program and 4-H.  President-elect Trump says she is committed to supporting the American farmer and has hands-on experience in agriculture with deep policy credentials in both the non-profit space and in government. 

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor says the organization looks forward to engaging with the Secretary Designate and demonstrating how the industry is vital to growing jobs and innovation across rural America.  Score says Growth Energy will work hard to ensure Rollins is well-positioned to deliver on President-elect Trump’s rural agenda, expand markets for homegrown renewable fuels, and bring more low-cost options to the pump. 

The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives says as someone who grew up in a rural community directly connected to agriculture, Rollins has a deep respect for and appreciation for the work that America’s farmers and ranchers do. The organization looks forward to working with her both in the upcoming confirmation process and once she assumes the role of secretary.

American Soybean Association president Josh Gackle, a North Dakota soybean farmer, says the mission carried out by the USDA is vital to the continued success of U.S. soybean farmers both domestically and abroad. He says ASA looks forward to working with Rollins on priorities like the farm bill, biotechnology, biofuels, and ag trade. 

National Corn Growers Association president Kenneth Hartman, Jr. of Illinois, says the organization looks forward to working with Rollins and the president-elect on issues important to production agriculture, including the expansion of domestic and international markets for corn and improved farm and tax policies.

National Sorghum Producers Chairwoman Amy France of Kansas says Rollins’ nomination is an important moment for U.S. agriculture, and the organization is optimistic about the opportunities her leadership will bring to rural America. 

American Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall says Rollins has a good relationship with the state Farm Bureau in Texas, and the group hopes to build on it.  Duvall says the organization is encouraged by her statement that she’d ‘fight for American farmers and the nation’s ag communities.