It’s day one for Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins, and she already is tackling areas

The Department of Agriculture officially has a new leader, and she is the only second female Agriculture Secretary in history.

She was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas shortly after the Senate approved her nomination. It is all business today as she begins her first full day on the job, and she says she wants to take USDA back to its original intent.

One big item she will need to address is the President’s spending freeze and staffing at the Department. This week, a federal judge cleared the way for President Trump’s government employee buyout. It is unclear how many of the 80,000 applications work for USDA.

Rollins says President Trump called to congratulate her shortly after her confirmation. He told her he stands with farmers, and will only make decisions that help them.

Related Stories
The latest USDA price projections are raising new questions about crop payments and ARC calculations.
CWD is an infectious, degenerative disease of cervids that causes brain cells to die, ultimately leading to the death of the affected animal.
Dr. Derrell Peel says long-term price relief will depend more on rebuilding the U.S. cattle herd than increasing imports.
Potato growers now have a fresh benchmark for comparing fertilizer, pesticide, and pest-management practices across major production states.
Egg production accounted for much of the increase.
Kentucky Farm Bureau President Eddie Melton joins us to discuss fertilizer affordability concerns, Senate Agriculture Committee testimony, and spring planting conditions in Kentucky.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Farm CPA Paul Neiffer joined us on Thursday’s Market Day Report to discuss the implications for farmers.
Chris Bliley with Growth Energy discusses ongoing concerns about U.S. ethanol exports and the expansion of market access promised under the Phase One deal between the U.S. and China.
“It does not extinguish right away here — in any sort of sense — the real profitability concerns and people’s ability to pay bills and get to the other side of this in the very short term. This is where the skepticism builds.”
RFD-TV tax expert Roger McEowen discusses the renewed tax provision and how cattle producers can take advantage of it to recover investments in heifer retention and herd expansion more quickly.
U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) shares his perspective on the U.S.-China trade developments and their potential impact on American producers, farmers, and ranchers.
Rich Nelson, a commodity broker for Allendale Inc., joins us to break down what the U.S.-China trade agreement means for the ag economy.