Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins touted the Trump administration’s milk action plan to support American dairy farmers today at NMPF’s annual meeting.
“I want to be very clear. We will never stop fighting for those of you in the dairy industry and across rural America we have reached that golden age for our producers,” said Rollins, a Texas native who keynoted the Joint Annual Meeting hosted by NMPF, the United Dairy Board and the United Dairy Industry Association. “Dairy farmers have delivered for America for 250 years, and now it’s time for us to deliver for you.”
Rollins spoke to roughly 750 farmers, cooperative leaders and industry professionals gathered to discuss industry topics ranging from an economic outlook to dairy labor challenges. NMPF, the largest U.S. dairy farmer group, is holding a series of discussions on policy issues throughout the meeting, ranging from the need to pass the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act to creating lasting labor solutions for U.S. dairy farmers.
In her remarks, Rollins outlined USDA’s dairy priorities, outlining the administration’s four-point approach to support the industry, including:
- Incentivizing dairy consumption through changes to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, expected in December or early January;
- Working to drive down input costs;
- Facilitating investments in American milk processing; and
- Expanding markets to help milk producers prosper.
Rollins also noted the importance of farm-labor issues, pledging to seek federal changes to rules and regulations in coordination with the departments of Labor and Homeland Security while noting that broader changes will require congressional action. “We are acutely aware of the unique labor needs of the dairy industry,” she said.
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