Rollins Says USDA Thinking Hard About Financial Relief for Farmers
- Media Logic Radio
- Sep 16
- 3 min read
By Steve Davies
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says USDA officials are keeping a watchful eye on commodity markets as they weigh how much help farmers may need this fall to keep their operations afloat.
“We are working with our colleagues in Congress and closely monitoring markets daily to evaluate the amount of additional assistance that might be needed this fall,” Rollins told members of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture at their annual conference in Rogers, Arkansas, Monday.
Rollins acknowledged the difficult position farmers are in right now, as commodity prices remain low and trade disruptions have chipped away at export markets. China, for example, has yet to book any U.S. soybeans for shipment from this year’s crop and has also cut back on purchases of U.S. corn, wheat and sorghum.
With the ag economy in dire straits, the pressure on the Trump administration to make trade deals to open up markets for U.S. producers continues to grow.
“It is not lost on me that this course correction is coming at a time when American farmers and ranchers can least afford it,” Rollins said. “I do not have a silver bullet. I sure wish I did.”
Rollins said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the GOP spending and tax legislation enacted in July, includes numerous commodity program changes sought by ag producers, but farmers won’t see the increased payments until the fall of 2026.
“We are very aware that farmers find themselves in this transition period with a lot of weight on their shoulders,” she said. “So I’ll be very clear with this: Just like he did in his first term, President Trump is going to stand by his producers.”
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In Trump’s first term, he used the Commodity Credit Corporation to compensate farmers with $23 billion for lost markets due to trade wars.
It’s not clear how the aid would be funded this time. The CCC account is running low, and House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., said last week it doesn’t appear that Congress can tap tariff revenue to fund the payments.
Rollins, as she and Trump have done previously, accused the Biden administration of failing to make China live up to a commitment it made with the Trump administration to buy $32 billion worth of ag goods in 2020 and 2021 above 2017 levels.
“Energy, agriculture and the foreign policy agenda of the last administration was so driven by policies that are so antithetical to ensuring we have a strong agriculture community, whether it was DEI, woke or the Green New Deal,” she said.
Rollins also invoked the farm crisis of the 1980s in her talk.
“While things today may be reminiscent of the 1980s, I am telling you that today is different,” she said. “It is different because President Trump cares so deeply for our farmers and ranchers of this country. The overwhelming support that he received in 2016, 2020 and 2024 is something that we talk about almost every time we talk, which is a lot, and he wants to ensure that we are doing everything we can to get through this and to get through it together.”
This article was originally published by Agri-Pulse. Agri-Pulse is a trusted source in Washington, D.C., with the largest editorial team focused on food and farm policy coverage.
