Sec. Rollins scraps and rebrands USDA’s Climate Smart Program

Secretary Rollins has renamed the program the ‘Advancing Markets for Producers’ initiative

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins is canceling the Biden-era USDA Climate Smart Program, calling it a “slush fund.”

It is being renamed and comes with major changes in how the money is spent.

Secretary Rollins says her Department went through the Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodoties program line by line and found farmers and ranchers were being left with little help after various fees. She has renamed the program the Advancing Markets for Producers initiative.

USDA will review any exisitng grants, making sure they meet certain critera. The largest being 65 percent of federal dollars must go to producers.

Rollins says the prior program was largely built as a “green new scam” that did not benefit American farmers.

Related Stories
ASFMRA’s Chad Hertz joins us to discuss farmland trends, economic pressures facing producers, and how outside influences are shaping today’s land market.
“Irresponsible Lending Has No Place in Government Programs,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a press release.
Cattle analysts say the U.S. beef cattle herd rebuild still faces major hurdles despite some minor positive signals noted in certain regions.
USDA’s first 2026/27 outlook shows tighter supplies across several markets, led by wheat, corn, cotton, rice, beef, and sugar.
Strong export demand is supportive, but higher freight costs may pressure basis and grain movement margins.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Ashley Stockwell discusses representing dairy farmers during one of motorsports’ most recognizable traditions.
Corn inspections remain strong year-to-date, while China’s soybean and sorghum movement remains important to late-season export demand.
At the center of the announcement is the Blue Point Project in Louisiana, a $3.7 billion ammonia facility, USDA says, that will become the world’s largest ammonia plant once completed.
USDA says both crops remain ahead of the five-year average as farmers continue monitoring dry Corn Belt conditions.
Texas Farm Bureau takes us behind the scenes at USDA’s sterile fly facility, considered a first line of defense against New World Screwworm, a fight Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller fears is “futile.”