On Tuesday, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the next phase of the USDA’s Make Agriculture Great Again initiative, a policy rollout titled National Farm Security Action Plan.
The plan outlines seven key steps the agency will take to strengthen American agriculture:
- Protect American Farmland From Foreign Adversaries
- Strengthen Agricultural Supply Chains
- Safeguard Nutrition Programs
- Secure Agricultural Research
- Review USDA Programs
- Protect Plant And Animal Health
- Defend Critical Infrastructure
Following the announcement, Sec. Rollins took some questions. She was asked how mass deportations could impact the ag workforce.
She stated that the administration is committed to securing the border and protecting the U.S. food supply.
Related Stories
Both Congressional Ag Committees took up the bill over the summer, but there’s no word on when the Senate could move forward; it does expire on September 30.
The $221 million will help farmers and ranchers cover losses from Hurricane Helene that USDA programs didn’t cover. They’ll focus on infrastructure, markets, timber, and future economic losses.
Farmers are struggling with low commodity prices and skyrocketing input costs, resulting in debt that is outpacing income across the sector, according to the USDA’s new farm income forecast.
