NCBA Reaction To Secretary Rollins’ Recently Released Beef Industry Plan
With U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins unveiling her new plan to strengthen the American beef industry, the policy has quickly drawn reaction from across the cattle sector. The plan, which focuses on protecting ranching operations, expanding processing capacity, and boosting domestic demand, was welcomed by many in the cattle community — including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
We spoke with Ethan Lane, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at NCBA, to get his perspective on the proposal and its impact on cattle producers nationwide.
“There are a lot of things in there that have been long-standing priorities of NCBA, things we’ve worked with the Trump team on in the first Trump administration and continue to be heavily engaged in,” Lane said.
Key NCBA Priorities Addressed in Rollins’ Plan
Lane emphasized that many elements of the USDA initiative directly align with NCBA’s long-term policy goals, particularly regarding regulatory reform and market access.
“You know, working on Endangered Species Act provisions, getting the gray wolf off the list, working to open grazing land to ensure that producers can access more grazing land in an environment where we know prices are escalating. That’s inhibiting herd rebuild around the country,” he explained.
Expanding access to grazing lands, he noted, is critical as rising input costs and land pressures make it harder for ranchers to rebuild herds and sustain production.
Lane also pointed to renewed federal support for small and regional beef processing capacity as a major win for producers.
“The fact that the Trump administration is trying to take another run at that and make it work properly and get that money to the ground so that we can have more processing capacity at the small and regional level that will give producers more options to market their product — that’s a huge priority we’ve been working on for quite some time.”
Strengthening the Cattle Industry’s Future
According to Lane, NCBA sees the Rollins plan as an opportunity to empower producers, reduce regulatory barriers, and restore herd growth across the U.S. cattle sector.
“There’s quite a bit in there that’s really good to see them working on, and we feel like that’s how you incentivize herd rebuild. That’s where they can really make a difference in this administration — by getting the federal government out of the way and empowering the industry to capitalize on this strong demand.”
He concluded by noting that the NCBA remains hopeful this plan will provide the momentum needed to resolve long-standing challenges in the beef industry and strengthen the foundation for future growth.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.