Kansas City, MO. — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins outlined major new initiatives to support American farmers and ranchers during her remarks at the Agriculture Outlook Forum on September 25, describing an industry facing sharply higher costs but renewed federal backing under the Trump administration.
Since 2020, farm production input costs have risen dramatically: seed expenses up 18%, fuel and oil up 32%, fertilizer up 37%, and interest payments up 73%. Rollins said the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Justice have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to investigate the causes behind persistently high prices and to ensure competitive agricultural markets.
The agreement directs the DOJ’s Antitrust Division to work closely with USDA to scrutinize pricing and supply chain conditions, promote competition, and protect producers from unfair market practices.
“President Trump has made it clear: America’s farmers and ranchers will never be left behind,” Rollins said. “The success of our farmers is a national security priority, and at USDA we are looking at every option to ensure the future viability of American agriculture.”
Rollins criticized the previous administration’s approach, saying inflation and restrictive policies “ignored the needs of farmers and ranchers while not opening new markets abroad.”
Labor costs have increased by 47% since 2020, driven largely by the high cost of the H-2A foreign labor program. Rollins said the USDA has discontinued its Farm Labor Survey, which was used by the Department of Labor to set Adverse Effect Wage Rates. USDA is now working with the Departments of Labor and Homeland Security to reduce H-2A costs and make the program more accessible for producers.
Rollins announced that the USDA has released the remaining $2 billion in funding for the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP), bringing total payments to over $10 billion for the 2024 crop year. ECAP funds offset high input costs and falling commodity prices, with payments reaching more than 560,000 farmers nationwide.
Producers have also received $2 billion in Emergency Livestock Relief Program assistance and $5.5 billion through the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program, with another round expected in October.
“Relief is already reaching farms and ranches, but more help is still needed,” Rollins said. “ECAP payments, combined with our international food assistance purchases, help producers navigate market volatility, pay down debt, and move American-grown commodities to people in need around the world.”
Looking ahead, Rollins announced the early launch of the America First Trade Promotion Program, using repurposed funds to begin one year ahead of schedule. The initiative provides $285 million annually to expand international markets for U.S. agricultural exports.
USDA is also investing $480 million in American-grown food purchases for international nutrition programs, including McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition and Food for Progress. These efforts will deliver more than 417,000 metric tons of commodities to countries such as Benin, Honduras, Mozambique, Pakistan, and Senegal.
USDA will also provide $240 million for six new McGovern-Dole projects, using 56,170 metric tons of U.S. food, a 50% increase from 2024 — and another $240 million for Food for Progress initiatives that reinvest proceeds to strengthen agricultural markets abroad.
“American farmers produce the most nutritious, safe, and high-value food in the world, and USDA is proud to stand with them at home and abroad,” Rollins said.
The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service will publish detailed funding allocations for the fiscal year 2025 McGovern-Dole and Food for Progress programs once contracts are finalized.
In total, the measures announced Thursday represent tens of billions of dollars in relief, investment, and market expansion for American agriculture — a coordinated push, Rollins said, to restore profitability and ensure the long-term strength of U.S. farming.
About the Author
