The House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing earlier this week to receive testimony from US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. During the hearing Secretary Rollins highlighted the work conducted by the department since coming into office including the reduction in egg prices, efforts to eradicate New World Screwworm, reducing regulations for producers, processing disaster payments and opening new markets across the world, among others.
Chairman GT Thompson in his opening statement said, “As you and the President work to lower barriers and open new markets and we navigate these issues together, I trust you’ll continue to keep the interests of American agriculture front and center. We are turning the page to a new chapter for American agriculture — one where new scientific breakthroughs and technology will work hand-in-hand with tradition, stewardship, and grit to address the challenges at hand and build on the legacy of resilience and innovation driven by our farmers and ranchers. As part of that new chapter, it is incumbent on Congress to do our job. The One Big Beautiful Bill is a critical down payment on meaningful change for America — but it’s just the beginning. We must also deliver a full farm bill reauthorization that provides certainty and long-term support for our producers.”
Additional topics discussed included California’s Proposition 12, Agricultural labor, market access and conservation efforts among other items within the farm bill discussions.
Dale Sandlin reporting for Southeast AgNet.