At Minnesota Farmfest, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced several steps that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking to support America’s farmers in response to ongoing challenges across the agricultural sector. These actions include a series of data modernization, payment flexibility, and enhanced crop insurance options to benefit farmers.
“When I travel across farm country, I hear the same message over and over: producers want a USDA that works for them. The Trump USDA is focused on making changes that improve the livelihood of our great farmers. I am pleased to announce three critical initiatives to support farmers and U.S. agriculture broadly,” said Secretary Rollins. “We’re modernizing how USDA serves farmers, providing commonsense flexibility when it’s needed most, and strengthening the risk management tools producers depend on. We will continue listening, acting, and putting Farmers First because that’s exactly what President Trump has directed us to do.”
Data Modernization:
Last month, Secretary Rollins announced that USDA is working on a Data Modernization Plan across multiple agencies that will be released later this year. The Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area, under the leadership of Under Secretary Scott Hutchins, will coordinate the effort across USDA.
Today, as the next step in this process, Secretary Rollins announced a series of listening sessions that USDA leadership will host across the country to hear directly from producers as this plan continues to take shape. These listening sessions are an important step in putting Farmers First, restoring producer confidence in USDA data as the gold standard, and increasing survey response rates. These listening sessions build off the Request for Information (RFI) published earlier this year where USDA sought public comment on data collection, analysis, and reporting. Locations where listening sessions will be held include:
- Indiana State Fair
- Wisconsin State Fair
- Penn State Ag Progress Days
- Illinois State Fair
- Dakotafest
- Missouri State Fair
- Iowa State Fair
- Nebraska State Fair
- Farm Progress Show
Source : usda.gov