KANSAS CITY, Mo. (RFD-TV) — Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins used her remarks at the Agriculture Outlook Forum in Kansas City to unveil a five-point plan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) aimed at easing cost pressures and expanding opportunities for American farmers.
Sec. Rollins noted that input costs remain stubbornly high compared with 2020, with fertilizer up 37 percent, fuel up 32 percent, and interest expenses up 73 percent. Labor costs have climbed 47 percent, driven largely by the H-2A program’s wage structure.
The plan includes tighter scrutiny of supply chains under a new agreement with the Department of Justice, reforms to the H-2A wage-setting process, and expanded support through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP), which has already delivered $8 billion in aid. Rollins also announced the release of the program’s remaining $2 billion in payments, as well as additional international food assistance purchases totaling $480 million.
Trade promotion funding will be accelerated, with $285 million launching the America First Trade Promotion Program on October 2. Rollins emphasized that new market expansion and disaster assistance remain central to stabilizing the farm economy.
Rollins said the USDA has ended its decades-old Farm Labor Survey and is working with the Departments of Labor and Homeland Security to make the H-2A program more affordable.
To address persistently high input prices, the USDA has signed a new agreement with the Justice Department aimed at strengthening antitrust enforcement and scrutinizing competition in seed, fertilizer, fuel, equipment, and other supply chains. Rollins said President Trump considers farm viability “a national security priority” and pledged to hold companies accountable for price hikes that have not eased with lower commodity markets.
She also touted expedited Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) payments—more than $8 billion already distributed to 560,000 producers—with the final $2 billion set to be distributed this week.
Rollins announced $480 million in new purchases of U.S. commodities for international food aid, benefiting programs such as McGovern-Dole and Food for Progress, and an early launch of the America First Trade Promotion Program, backed by $285 million to expand overseas markets. Additional disaster aid has provided ranchers and farmers with more than $5.5 billion in USDA relief programs this year. “Relief is already reaching farms and ranches, but more help is still needed,” Rollins said, emphasizing that American agriculture remains the world’s leader in safe, high-value food production.
Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins joined us on Friday’s Market Day Report to share his reaction to key announcements from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
In his interview with RFD-TV News, Hawkins reflected on the Rollins’ remarks and whether the latest measures could help producers in Missouri as they navigate a challenging economic environment. He also responded to President Trump’s statement that farmers will receive direct aid from tariff revenues, offering his perspective on what a potential aid program should look like to be most effective.
Hawkins discussed the USDA’s efforts to revitalize the U.S. beef herd and shared what Missouri producers hope to see from those plans. He also addressed the newly announced memorandum of understanding between USDA and the Department of Justice to examine fertilizer and seed costs—two major expenses weighing on farmers.
Before wrapping up, Hawkins provided an update on Missouri’s harvest progress and current field conditions.
