Why USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins Describes Ag Economy as ‘Dire’
It’s certainly been a tough time to be a farmer. In fact, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins has described the state of the ag economy as “dire”.
Hoosier Ag Today’s C.J. Miller recently asked Secretary Rollins to talk more about the current factors that are causing the state of agriculture to be in such a “dire” position:
“C.J., thank you for that question. So clearly, there are a lot of factors that go into this. But when you’ve got a $49 billion trade deficit, that is devastating to our American farmers and ranchers. $49 billion!
“When the cost of inputs went up 30 percent just in the last four-or-five years. I mean, how do any of our farmers make any money when the cost of inputs go up 30 percent, your trade deficit increases $49 billion now—and then, you have a whole host of regulations that have been layered on over-and-over-and-over again? So, there are a lot of factors.
“We are attacking it from all sides putting together the plan that can hopefully begin to roll that back. I am planning to very aggressively—with President Trump’s permission—go out into the world and look to expand our markets, and also make capital easier, especially for our younger farmers, as we begin to build hopefully the next generation of our leaders in agriculture.”
Rollins also talked about the feedback she’s received from ag producers across the U.S. regarding President Trump’s tariff plan and the possible impact it could have on the ag economy:
“Everyone is very concerned. And so, ensuring that we have all of the data, the information, that we need. Understanding the decisions that that are being currently made, what implications those have obviously—that is my role, to take that to President Trump and into the team that is negotiating, that is working on those deals, to ensure that those concerns are heard effectively and that we have a plan in place to make sure that our farm community is not compromised more.”
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