U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins released a statement recently encouraging state partners to reassess wolf management policies, as well as strengthening engagement with livestock producers to address wolf predation. This has been spurred after President Trump’s order to, quote, support America’s ranchers. Secretary Brooke Rollins said, “For too long, America’s ranchers have dealt with wolves threatening and killing their livestock, their livelihoods, and the family operations they’ve spent generations building.”
“As ranchers await federal clarity on this issue, I’m urging states to listen to their producers, review state-specific wolf protections, and work with USDA wherever possible to protect livestock, including through lethal removal when requested by the appropriate authorities and authorized by law. The most pro-rancher administration in history will continue standing with our ranchers in working to rebuild the great American cattle herd,” said Rollins.
USDA released a press release saying, “Wolf predation can increase producers’ costs through livestock losses, management expenses, and reduce livestock weights. Under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, USDA’s Farm Service Agency-increased Livestock Indemnity Program payment rates for qualifying predation losses to 100 percent of the determined market value. Eligible producers who lose livestock to qualifying wolf attacks should contact their local Farm Service Agency office for eligibility and application information.”
Audio Reporting by Elizabeth Sanders for Southeast AgNet.