By Jamie Martin
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins hosted the inaugural Farmers First roundtable at the USDA, bringing together Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, NASDA Board of Directors, and over 20 farmers and ranchers from 11 states.
These independent, family-owned operations are vital to the heart of American agriculture, and their success is key to the industry's economic stability.
Secretary Rollins emphasized the importance of farming, stating that America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers are "the backbone of our country."
The Trump Administration is committed to ensuring the economic viability and growth of all farms, especially smaller, family-owned ones.
Secretary Rollins announced plans to launch a new strategy later this month to support these operations, ensuring their sustainability for future generations. The strategy will focus on collaboration with states, federal agencies, and the private sector to prioritize farmers.
A significant part of this effort is the USDA’s Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP), which has rolled out emergency payments faster than ever before. Over $7.3 billion has been distributed to 487,177 farmers across 49 states.
USDA updates the payment portal weekly for transparency. President Trump and Secretary Rollins highlighted that ECAP was established in just three months, a stark contrast to the delays under the previous administration.
In response to natural disasters that have impacted farms, Secretary Rollins outlined plans to expedite $21 billion in disaster assistance, including livestock relief for drought and wildfire, with payments expected by the end of the month.
While efforts are being made to speed up all payments, some assistance requires more time due to its complexity.
“At USDA, we understand there are many challenges to starting a new farm and maintaining a small family farm. While there are many programs to assist our farmers, we feel strongly that it takes government entities, non-profits, and the private sector working together to improve the viability, prosperity, and longevity of small family farms. I have had the honor of visiting many farms and speak with families over the last several months and have heard firsthand that farmers are struggling. We are working every day to improve the farm economy,” said Secretary Rollins.
“President Trump knows how important agriculture is to the success of our country. We are reversing four years of neglect by announcing a policy portfolio to help small family farms and expediting assistance to support American agriculture. We delivered ECAP payments in record time and will do it again with this disaster assistance announced today.”
Additionally, a new landing page to track USDA’s disaster assistance rollout is now available for regular updates.
Photo Credit: usda
Categories: National