The new secretary acknowledged hurdles facing American farmers
Brooke Rollins is officially the 33rd Secretary of Agriculture.
Seventy-two senators voted in favor of her nomination on Feb. 13, compared to 28 senators who opposed it.
Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas conducted the swearing-in ceremony after the vote.
Multiple industry groups congratulated the new agriculture secretary on her confirmation and voiced an eagerness to begin working on issues affecting producers.
Rollins needs to be a strong voice for ag and rural America, the American Farm Bureau said.
“Farm and ranch families are looking for a champion and a voice as they continue to face economic headwinds, labor challenges and uncertainty over the rural impacts of Washington’s current policy debates,” Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said in a statement. “Ms. Rollins will need to hit the ground running to ensure the administration understands the challenges farmers and ranchers are facing.”
Ensuring farmers have access to important markets is a top priority, Farmers for Free Trade says.
“With key partners like Canada, Mexico, and China purchasing half of all U.S. agricultural exports, it is imperative that we maintain and expand our access to these markets,” Brian Kuehl, the organization’s executive director, said in a statement. “Secretary Rollins' commitment to strengthening free trade agreements and advocating for policies that support exports will provide much-needed stability and growth for the industry.”
Promoting meat and poultry as part of a balanced diet is important, the Meat Institute says.
A renewed Dietary Guidelines for Americans needs to be accurate, the organization said.
“It is important to provide clear dietary guidance to consumers on how they can include the meat products they need and want in their diets and also produce a positive, measurable health impact,” Anna Potts, president and CEO of the organization, said in a press release.
The pork industry is looking for the new agriculture secretary to reverse Proposition 12.
During her confirmation hearing, Rollins noted how Prop 12, which imposes strict housing standards on pork sold in California, regardless of where it was raised, affects farmers around the country.
This kind of policy hinders the sector and needs to be addressed, the National Pork Producers Council says.
“America’s pork producers are eager to work with Secretary Rollins to fix the multitude of problems caused by California Proposition 12 and ensure farm families have reasonable policies to pass down our farms to future generations,” NPPC President Lori Stevermer said in a statement.
A welcome ceremony for the new agriculture secretary happened on the morning of Feb. 14 where she acknowledged the challenges ahead of her and the USDA.
“You all know and America’s farmers and ranchers know most of all, that American agriculture is in its worst economic straits in nearly a century, with grave challenges on prices, on markets and on labor intersecting all at the same time,” Rollins said.
With her confirmation, Rollins is the second woman to hold the position after Ann Veneman, who served in that role from 2001 to 2005.