Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins recently hosted the inaugural “Farmers First” roundtable, where she got to learn firsthand some of the issues in rural America.
The meeting was hosted by USDA with more than 20 farmers and ranchers in attendance from 11 states. Rollins also signed an MOU between USDA and NASDA to improve collaborations between states.
She told the group there are many challenges right now to starting a new farm and says she realizes current operations are struggling.
While there, Rollins announced a new page to track the nearly $30 billion in disaster aid approved last fall. It includes timelines that USDA hopes to meet as well as important crop insurance deadlines.
Related Stories
Farmers who rely on H-2A workers will see a few key changes to speed up the process and make it fairer. On the ground, producers say labor issues create shortfalls in otherwise productive harvests.
Imported lean beef continues to play a critical role in U.S. hamburger and ground-beef production, with any added volume from Argentina serving as a supplement — not a market overhaul.
Margin Protection and the new MCO add county-level margin tools — with earlier price discovery, input cost triggers, and high subsidy rates — to complement on-farm risk plans for 2026.
Until a phased reopening is inked, plan for tighter feeder availability, firmer basis near border yards, and continued reliance on domestic and Canadian sources.
RFD-TV Markets Expert Tony St. James breaks down the USDA’s newly unveiled plan to rebuild the US beef herd and the industry’s spectrum of responses to it.
Farm CPA Paul Neiffer discusses the status of USDA disaster aid, including delays to Stage 2 of the SDRP program, and what farmers should watch for as lawmakers negotiate an end to the government shutdown.
