Brooke Rollins Responds to Farm Bill, Bird Flu and Budget Cuts During Weekend Visit to Kentucky
On her first full day on the job as U.S. Ag Secretary, Brooke Rollins traveled to Louisville for the National Farm Machinery Show on Friday evening. While at the show, she spoke with Alan Watts, Farm Director with our news gathering partner Your Ag Edge in Kentucky.
Rollins says getting a new Farm Bill passed here in 2025 is a priority for both her and for President Trump.
“The Farm Bill is at the front of everyone’s mind and how we get it across the finish line,” says Rollins. “We’re a couple years behind, as we know. We understand that the entire agriculture community is depending on that. We know that there’s a lot of hurting farmers and ranchers out there. A big part of my thinking right now is—‘How do we bring together all of the important stakeholders and people that need to be part of that conversation?’—so that as we move toward a Farm Bill, we are ready to move it in hopefully a more smooth and seamless way than ever before and President Trump will be leading the way.”
Rollins also responded to the high number of bird flu cases across Indiana, Michigan and the rest of the U.S. leading to a huge loss in revenue for poultry producers—as well as a huge jump in egg and poultry prices for consumers.
“The avian bird flu is a big issue,” says Rollins. “It is one that—[Thursday] evening, when I went to the office for the first time after getting confirmed, the very first briefing I had was on this issue.”
“We currently are mapping out multiple different potential solutions. Clearly, it’s very tied to egg prices which America—especially the moms—are really dealing with right now. [This coming] week, we’ll be talking more about it. We are acutely aware of the challenges to our community with avian flu and we are on it,” says Rollins.
In addition, Rollins says she pledges to “root out all waste, fraud, and abuse” at USDA as part of President Trump’s plan to make cuts to federal spending.
“Looking forward, everything is evaluated right now,” says Rollins. “Every tax dollar that every one of our great American citizens pays into the system—is it being used in the most effective and efficient way for all of America, but especially in this lane for American farmers and ranchers? All [spending is] under review, but we’re moving very quickly.”
Rollins spent the day on Saturday morning at a farm in Shelbyville, Kentucky—where she was named an Honorary Commissioner of Agriculture by Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell.
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