USDA Pushes Reforms to Help Small Farmers
After nearly 100 days of traveling across the country and meeting with hundreds of farmers, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins has unveiled the first set of policy proposals under her new “Make Agriculture Great Again” Initiative.
These proposals aim to strengthen the future of small family farms, which make up about 86% of all farms in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has introduced a comprehensive toolkit designed to help small-scale farmers start, sustain, and pass on their farms.
The plan includes simplifying application processes, expanding access to credit and farmland, and offering better business planning resources.
The newly released “Small Family Farms Policy Agenda” outlines practical steps to address the unique challenges these farms face. Key priorities include:
- Simplifying and clarifying USDA tools and applications;
- Expanding access to reliable credit;
- Ensuring farmland remains dedicated to farming;
- Supporting generational farm transfers;
- Refocusing USDA programs to prioritize farmers;
- Implementing labor reforms;
- Improving access to risk management and business planning tools;
- Updating farm size definitions to reflect current realities;
- Increasing access to educational resources;
- Offering additional support resources for small farms.
This announcement follows the recent Farmers First Roundtable at USDA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where Secretary Rollins met with over 20 farmers and ranchers from 11 states, along with Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), to discuss the pressing issues facing small family farms.
“America’s family farms help feed, fuel, and clothe the world, but they also face some of the greatest challenges in getting their farms started and keeping them running. Putting Farmers First means addressing the issues farmers face head-on and fostering an economic environment that doesn’t put up roadblocks on business creation but removes them,” said Secretary Rollins.
Today’s policy agenda is tailored specifically to support small-scale farms to thrive for generations to come. President Trump knows America’s economic prosperity depends on the success of our farmers and ranchers. That is why we are working to ensure those who want to start and keep their own farms for generations to come are able to.”