U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has been answering questions before the Senate Ag Committee for her confirmation hearing.
Vermont Senator Peter Welch had the chance to ask Rollins a few questions, one of which included adequate labor for dairy farmers. He says the state cannot milk their cows without immigrant labor and wants to make sure whatever decisions are made on the border do not deprive dairy farms access to labor.
“I know there is great concern amongst our ag community on what immigration under President Trump will look like. My commitment to you is this - that understanding the data and understanding the impact of those in the ag community, dairy farms, I think especially, are concerned, but everybody is. Ensuring that we’re working with the nominee over at Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who is from Oregon...I know that these cows need to be milked 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It doesn’t go away. If there’s no one to milk them, then that’s big trouble.”
Payment totals alone do not show financial stress — production costs and net losses complete the picture.
January 26, 2026 02:30 PM
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Heavier weights and strong late-year slaughter supported December production, but lower annual totals highlight ongoing supply tightness heading into 2026.
January 26, 2026 11:19 AM
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Rising import pressure and tougher export competition are likely to persist into 2026, supporting domestic supplies while capping export growth.
January 26, 2026 09:56 AM
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Without additional support, many soybean operations will continue to face financial stress as they prepare for the 2026 crop.
January 26, 2026 09:41 AM
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Placements and marketings beat expectations, but declining on-feed totals and feeder constraints keep the supply story supportive for cattle prices into 2026. Dr. Derrell Peel, with Oklahoma State University, joined us to break down cattle-on-feed numbers and provide his broader market outlook.
January 23, 2026 04:40 PM
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USDA Rural Development Director for Kentucky, Travis Burton, joined us to discuss the Princeton facility (formerly Porter Road Meats), now backed by the USDA, and its role in expanding domestic meat processing capacity.
January 23, 2026 03:39 PM
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