Commodity Classic attendees heard from the new USDA Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, on Sunday afternoon- and she unveiled the plan by the new administration to get the ten billion dollars of direct assistance to farmers passed in the lame duck session of Congress this past December out this month. Rollins says USDA will beat the deadline set to distribute funds (90 days after passed). She expects movement in the next few weeks. (comments on the ECAP starts at the 15 minute mark in her audio of her speech at Classic above)
USDA will call it the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) $30 billion total. $10 billion in direct payments to farmers.
For farmers – if data is on file, they will receive pre-filled out forms to sign. Those without data can fill out data manually with FSA.
In her speech to the Classic- Rollins also announced that USDA has finished their review of the Conservation funding under the Inflation Relief Act and is releasing funds for Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) the Conservation Stewardship Program, (CSP), and the agriculture conservation easement program(Hear her comments on this at the 13:20 mark in the speech above).
The Secretary also talked about the Trump Administation’s efforts to trim waste and abuse of taxpayers money in the spending by the Federal Government- including at USDA. She added that her Farm Bill goal is to have something by the end of the year.
Rollins also committed to work with President Trump to expand trade and market access.
Rollins says on X about her time in Denver on Sunday- “Today, I joined thousands of farmers and ranchers at the Commodity Classic in Denver, CO, to share my vision for the heartland. Working alongside each of you, we are going to chart a new course for American ag. Together, we WILL usher in a new era of prosperity in rural America.”
