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
Lamb prices have seen a surprising surge driven by a tight supply and increasing demand in non-traditional markets.
Farmers should watch for soybean export rebounds with harvest, while corn and wheat shipments remain strong and sorghum demand struggles.
“We believe that it is just a matter of days or weeks... before we see New World screwworm in Texas.”
Rollins says the new trade relationship with Taiwan, which is committed to buying a significant amount of U.S. soy, could not come at a better time for farmers facing financial strain.
The three-point plan was announced during remarks at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Mike Steenhoek of the Soy Transportation Coalition discusses industry reactions to the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger, the Surface Transportation Board’s review process, and current conditions on the Mississippi River.
Richard Gupton of the Agricultural Retailers Association explains a new resource designed to help farmers comply with ESA-related pesticide label requirements.
Sen. Roger Marshall discusses the Senate’s unanimous passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act and what expanded milk options could mean for students and dairy farmers. Industry groups say it is a win for student nutrition and dairy producers.
Crop producers face tightening credit and lower incomes, while strong cattle markets continue to stabilize finances in livestock-heavy regions.
Supplemental Disaster Relief Program Stage Two will disburse around $16 billion, approved by Congress last year. Sign-ups begin Monday, and producers have until April to return applications.
An outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 (EHV-1) first appeared after livestock events in Texas and Arizona, and some horses have already died.