"Rollins Unveils 'Make Agriculture Great Again' Initiative to Support Small Family Farms Nationwide"

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins has unveiled a major policy initiative aimed at supporting small family farms across America. On May 19, 2025, after nearly 100 days of traveling the nation and meeting directly with hundreds of farmers, Rollins released the first set of policy proposals under her newly launched Make Agriculture Great Again Initiative. The Small Family Farms Policy Agenda presents comprehensive solutions to improve the viability and sustainability of smaller-scale family farms, which make up approximately 86 percent of all farms in the United States. The policy toolkit includes streamlining application processes, improving access to credit, ensuring farmland preservation, and providing appropriate business planning tools. Among the key measures announced, Rollins committed that applications for every farmer-focused program will be available for electronic submission by the end of 2025. The agenda addresses ten major challenge areas facing small family farmers, including access to credit, land use, generational transfer of farms, labor reform, risk management, and educational resources. The policy rollout builds on the Farmers First Roundtable event recently held at USDA Headquarters, where Rollins met with farmers and ranchers from 11 states who operate smaller-scale, family-owned operations. Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and the Board of Directors of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture also participated in discussions about challenges facing small family farms across America. "America's family farms help feed, fuel, and clothe the world, but they also face some of the greatest challenges in getting their farms started and keeping them running," said Secretary Rollins. "Putting Farmers First means addressing the issues farmers face head-on and fostering an economic environment that doesn't put up roadblocks on business creation but removes them." In addition to this domestic policy focus, Rollins is also actively engaged in international trade matters. Earlier this month, she announced plans to visit India, Japan, and Vietnam in the coming weeks as part of tariff negotiations. These visits aim to push major U.S. trading partners to increase imports of American farm products and help address trade imbalances. Meanwhile, the Trump administration's plan for reorganizing and downsizing USDA is expected to be released by mid-May. According to statements made by Rollins in late April, the plan will likely call for consolidating some programs with other agencies. She emphasized that the reorganization is intended to make government services more efficient rather than cutting essential services. The American Farm Bureau Federation has expressed confidence in Rollins, with President Zippy Duvall stating, "With a heart for agriculture and rural America, we're confident she'll prioritize the distribution of disaster and economic aid, ensure adequate staffing for the essential functions of USDA ag This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.