Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has taken a much more visible role in the new Trump Administration than previous agriculture secretaries, appearing three times this month already on Fox News, most recently this past Sunday. In a wide-ranging interview with Shannon Bream, Rollins talked about a number of issues, from tariffs and trade to the price of eggs, and spent …
Ag Secretary Visits Iowa
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited Iowa Monday, starting the day at an ethanol plant where she was joined by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. Rollins also toured a hog farm, and met with soybean producers and agriculture leaders from across Iowa, before …
Brooke Rollins Becomes 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Brooke Rollins of Texas was confirmed as the 33rd Secretary of Agriculture by the Senate Thursday with a vote of 72-28. Rollins served in Trump’s previous administration as acting director of the Domestic Policy Council and oversaw the White House Office of American Innovation. She since co-founded and served as president and chief executive officer of the America First Policy …
Brooke Rollins Confirmation Hearing
The Senate Agriculture Committee hosted the confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Agriculture on Thursday. Brooke Rollins is the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute and worked in the previous Trump administration in the White House Office of American Innovation and United States Domestic Policy Council. Prior to that, she was the president …
USDA Secretary Vilsack Announces Climate-Smart Agriculture Rule
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack held his last official press conference of his tenure at USDA on Wednesday, announcing the publication of an interim rule on Technical Guidelines for Climate-Smart Agriculture Crops Used as Biofuel Feedstocks. The interim rule establishes guidelines for quantifying, reporting, and verifying the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the production of biofuel feedstock commodity crops …
USDA Completes Reform of Packers & Stockyards Rule
In one of his last official acts in the waning days of the Biden administration, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the third installment in a series of regulatory reforms under the Packers and Stockyards Act. Along with other finalized updates, this completes a major regulatory reform intended to “level the playing field for farmers who raise chicken, turkeys, hogs, …
Ag Secretary Nominee Ready to Make Ag Great Again
After a fake news rumor late Friday naming a former U.S. Senator from Georgia, President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday nominated Texas native Brooke Rollins, president and chief executive officer of the America First Policy Institute, to become the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. “As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American Farmers, who are …
ALMDA Formally Requests USDA-APHIS Delay Implementation or Enforcement of Animal Disease Traceability Rule
Today, the American Livestock Markets and Dealers Association (ALMDA) formally requested that USDA-APHIS delay the implementation or enforcement of the final rule on Use of Electronic Identification Eartags as Official Identification in Cattle and Bison (ADT Rule). In a letter to USDA-APHIS, ALMDA requested that the implementation or enforcement of the ADT Rule be delayed at least 180 days ensure …
USDA Celebrates Spending $3 Billion for Climate-Smart Commodities
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack traveled to Pennsylvania to celebrate investing over $3 billion in 135 projects under the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities since its creation in September 2022. “Through our Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, we are working to create an economy that supports rural communities, meets global demand for renewable and climate-smart goods, and achieves our climate goals,” said …
USDA Awards More Processing Plant Grants
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Thursday more than $35 million in grants to 15 independent meat processors in 12 states to increase processing capacity, the final installment in the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) launched in 2022. Over $325 million total investment in 74 independent meat and poultry processing projects have been awarded. Joining Sec. Vilsack in making …
USDA Awards $300 Million for Ag Export Growth
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was joined by U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) to announce the allocation of $300 million to 66 U.S. organizations under the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) to build demand for American food and farm exports in diverse markets around the world. During an embargoed press call Monday announcing the funding, Sen. Stabenow made brief comments …
National Ag Day Celebrated in DC
The 51st National Ag Day celebration took place in Washington D.C. Tuesday with groups gathering at USDA headquarters to recognize the individuals who feed, fuel, and clothe our nation and the world. Ag Day is organized by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA), which is a nonprofit organization composed of leaders in the agriculture, food and fiber communities. This virtual …
Biden Administration Delays GREET Model Revision
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack addressed the Commodity Classic in Houston on March 1 and announced that the Biden Administration will miss its self-imposed March 1 deadline to complete modifications to the GREET model for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The model is critically important for determining eligibility for the Inflation Reduction Act’s “40B” SAF tax credit and the administration agencies …
USDA Releases 2022 Census of Agriculture Data
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) on Tuesday released results of the 2022 Census of Agriculture, which includes more than 6 million data points about America’s farms and ranches and the people who operate them down to the county level. The information collected directly from producers shows a continued decline in the total number of U.S. farms. However, the data …
LanzaJet Opens First Ethanol to SAF Plant
LanzaJet made history this week opening the world’s first ethanol to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility in Soperton, Georgia. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack joined LanzaJet at Wednesday’s event. “As we transition to SAF, this will not only create new climate smart commodity markets for American producers, but it will also help American companies such as LanzaJet corner the market …