USDA's Farmers First Roundtable - Supporting Family Farms
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins held the inaugural Farmers First roundtable at the USDA, hosting Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, NASDA's Board of Directors, and over 20 farmers and ranchers from 11 states. These smaller-scale, family-owned operations are vital to American agriculture's economic viability.
Secretary Rollins emphasized the importance of farming, stating that America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers are "the backbone of our country."
The Trump Administration has aimed to ensure all farms, including smaller, independently owned businesses, are economically viable and thriving.
Secretary Rollins plans to launch a strategy later this month to support these family-owned farms, ensuring their sustainability for future generations. The roundtable discussed how USDA will collaborate with states, federal, and private sector partners to prioritize farmers.
Secretary Rollins and NASDA President Wes Ward signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance collaboration and partnership within the agriculture community.
USDA's Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) has been the fastest and most effective rollout of emergency payments in the program's history, distributing over $7.3 billion to 487,177 farmers across 49 states.
USDA updates the payment portal weekly for transparency. President Trump and Secretary Rollins emphasize customer service, contrasting the Biden Administration's slower response times. USDA implemented ECAP in three months, compared to the average 13 months under Secretary Vilsack, which caused delays and harm to farms.
Following natural disasters affecting farms nationwide, Secretary Rollins announced plans to expedite $21 billion in disaster assistance.
Livestock relief payments for drought and wildfire will be processed by the end of the month. While efforts are made to expedite payments, some elements of the assistance are more complex and require additional time.
“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.”
A landing page to track USDA’s disaster rollout status has been launched and will be updated regularly.