Rollins with the Changes: New U.S. Secretary of Ag at Commodity Classic

Rollins was rollin’ with her homies (farmers) at Commodity Classic in Denver this week.

Relief is on the way, dear! *insert Mrs. Doubtfire meme here*: Broadly, Rollins shared some details about the $10B market relief for row crop farmers due to them March 21 (so soon).

Also out there is $21B of disaster relief and funds for conservation programs through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Security Program, and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program—funds that have been paused under Trump’s administration.

Sign the dotted line: While that is good news for programs with signed contracts, any funding for new climate-smart practices through the Inflation Reduction Act (a Biden-era program) are still as frozen as a pack of ground beef in the bottom of your deep freezer.

It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day for USDA: Rollins said during her speech “we will not accept failed policies of the past as excuses for what we can, and will, achieve in the next four years.” She used the term “right-sizing” to describe the plans to downsize the USDA.

How the tables turn: Rollins said the state of the ag economy is dire but says she’s committed to turning things around, defending Trump’s tariffs and adding $1B to a plan for bird flu response, including repopulating, biosecurity, imports, and vaccine research.