ARLINGTON, TEXAS (RFD-TV) — House lawmakers are expected to vote this afternoon to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The bill funds the government through January and includes key rural priorities.
Farmers are watching closely to see when everything will reopen, as the bill also includes a one-year extension of Farm Bill programs left out of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act (OBBBA) and renewal of the U.S. Grain Standards Act, and continued funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food & Drug Administration.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says she is eager to “get back to the business of helping farmers thrive.” Speaking at the National Milk Producers Convention in Arlington, Texas, Rollins said the USDA is working with Congress on a farm aid package and with the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security on labor reforms.
Rollins emphasized she wants farmers to “farm for prosperity, not just survival.”
RFD-TV’s Tammi Arender got a chance to catch up with Secretary Rollins in Arlington and got an opportunity to ask her about the reopening and any farmer aid package that might be on the way.
At the Convention, Brooke Rollins discussed investments in the dairy industry across the country totaling some $11 billion. She also mentioned the challenges facing all farmers with input costs and labor concerns. Specifically, she noted that dairy farmers are unique in their labor needs because cows must be milked 365 days a year. So, H2A and other programs don’t fit their labor needs. She also told me that she’s looking forward to the government reopening and getting back to the business of helping our farmers and ranchers thrive.
“Hopefully by Friday, the government is reopened,” Rollins told RFD-TV. “And as we have really worked to do everything we can — I call it ‘band aiding’ and ‘duct taping’ and ‘bubble gumming,’ as much as we can possibly do — you know, opening the FSA offices, working to ensure that we’re moving at least some of the payments out that were promised. It’s extremely complicated, the government. Congress has made this overly complicated. But there are a lot of farmers struggling that are really depending on USDA, and we’ve lost so many family farms in the last four, five, eight years, that we can’t afford to lose any more. So hopefully, government reopens this week; we begin to move out a lot of what we’ve already promised; and there’s good news coming.”
Regarding the potential of a farm aid package, Rollins said she believes one is in the works but really depends on Congress.
“It is in the works — of course, that’s Congress — but I’m working very closely with our partners over there; I believe that there will be,” Rollins said. “I think that as the market – and our row crops especially, but even dairy and a few others that are struggling – as we move toward the end of the year, as we’re looking at perhaps better numbers, a stronger market.”
Rollins also said she is listening to farmers asking not just for short-term help but for a system that helps farmers sell products in the free market in the long term, moving away from a cycle of subsidies to support the agriculture industry.
“You know, the one thing I keep hearing — I just finished a great roundtable with seven of America’s best dairy farmers — and the one thing I hear over and over from our farmers is: ‘We don’t want a handout. We don’t want to farm for checks. We want to sell our products.’” Rollins told RFD-TV. “So obviously, USDA will continue to move out the farm aid, but really looking to figure out how we get off this hamster wheel of check after check, and getting to the point where our whole, entire system is based on government checks. But moving more toward opening up the markets around the world, creating these markets where our farmers can hopefully farm for prosperity and not just for survival. That’s really what we’re working to do.”
While at the National Milk Producers Convention, Rollins addressed dairy consumption, saying she wants to incentivize more dairy consumption through changes to dietary guidelines, which are due out in the coming months. Rollins said as far as farm labor issues, she is seeking federal changes to rules and regulations in coordination with the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security.
Alan Bjerga, with the National Milk Producers Federation, joined us on Wednesday’s Market Day Report with the dairy industry’s perspective on the event and Rollin’s statements.
In his interview with RFD-TV News, Bjerga gave viewers a virtual walk-through of the Dairy Bar and shared his observations from the show floor. He also discussed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ keynote address, delivered yesterday, and focused on strengthening producer resilience and promoting dairy innovation.
As the event continues, Bjerga also reflected on the overall sentiment among producers — noting the optimism surrounding market opportunities, ongoing discussions about farm policy, and the shared excitement for what’s ahead in the dairy sector.
