Sec. Brooke Rollins: “Significant trade agreement announcements” are coming down the pipeline soon

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins was in the hot seat twice in one week, this time before a House Appropriations Committee, defending USDA’s budget for next year.

When pressed on making up lost dollars from recent trade action, Rollins said the President’s team is already working on solutions.

“I have never been more encouraged about what is going to happen. The deals will begin to be announced very soon. It may be private, but we’ve got several of our Cabinet Secretaries heading out across the world, not just myself; in the UK, the President is heading to the Middle East, our Secretary of Treasury is headed out, our Secretary of Commerce is headed out. We are very, very close to significant trade agreement announcements. No one will benefit more than our farmers and our ranchers.”

Rollins tells lawmakers her vision moving forward is prioritizing food safety, weeding out wasteful spending, and allowing states to better serve their communities.

Related Stories
At CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, RealAg Radio’s Shaun Haney discusses profitability, consumer demand, and how the integrated U.S.–Canada beef supply chain impacts cattle producers across North America.
The USDA’s February WASDE report looms as the CME Ag Economy Barometer shows declining farmer confidence, and more ag industry groups calling for swift policy action.
Dr. Peter Beetham, interim CEO of Cibus, joined us to discuss the status of EU gene-editing deregulation and its potential implications for agriculture.
The U.S. trade deal with Argentina creates new export opportunities for U.S. livestock and crop producers but also raises competitive concerns.
More flexible export financing could strengthen demand in emerging markets and support higher U.S. agricultural exports.
Incremental trade clarity with India could support select U.S. ag exports, but major gains hinge on future market-access talks.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

The USDA is working with 14 different states, including Georgia, to develop and implement block grants to address the unique disaster recovery needs for each state.
The decline in production marks the second consecutive year of contraction in the U.S. turkey industry.
“Those could’ve easily been our beans going over there. It goes to show that if that opportunity is there, China would be willing to buy.”
We caught up with Karen Braun, Chief Market Analyst at Zaner Ag Hedge, at the Women in Agribusiness to discuss the data behind commodity trading.
Weston Brown joined us on Monday in the RFD-TV Studios in Nashville to share how he is preparing for the upcoming National FFA Convention & Expo.
Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn joined us Monday to share highlights from Secretary Brooke Rollins’ visit and her perspective on USDA’s new initiatives.