On this edition of the Beef Buzz, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays reports on the opening address offered by U.S. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins at the Ag Outlook Forum, co-hosted by the Agribusiness Council of Kansas City and Agri-Pulse. Her wide ranging speech concluded with a focus on beef cattle industry issues- including the critical threat posed by the New World Screwworm (NWS) and the administration’s ambitious plans to revitalize the struggling U.S. beef industry. Oklahoma Farm Report’s Farm and Ranch Director KC Sheperd was on hand on Thursday for the Ag Outlook Forum, which covered a variety of policy issues impacting all of agriculture.
Rollins minced no words regarding the most recent NWS case announced this past Sunday, expressing profound dissatisfaction with the unfolding situation. Her strong remarks followed the discovery of a new NWS case just 70 miles south of Laredo, Texas, where USDA personnel ‘didn’t like what they found’ upon initial assessment.
“This is unacceptable,” Secretary Rollins declared, directly implicating Mexico in the resurgence. She stated that Mexico has failed to enforce proper cattle movement controls in infected regions and is not diligently tending to fly traps daily as promised, hindering real-time detection capabilities. “Mexico must fully implement the agreed-upon protocols, must expand surveillance immediately, and lock down cattle movement in infected zones. Anything less puts both of our nations’ herds and our food supply at grave risk.”
The Secretary made it clear that “100% compliance must be demonstrated by Mexico before a border reopening plan will even be considered.” To bolster domestic defenses and international efforts, Rollins highlighted increased funding for animal disease prevention and response through the “One Big Beautiful bill.” The USDA is deploying 200 personnel into Mexico to work in partnership with SENASICA, the Mexican agency responsible for the health and safety of agricultural products.
Rollins detailed immediate U.S. surveillance efforts, noting that approximately 13,000 fly samples from 8,000 USDA-set traps in Mexico have been reviewed, with the recent Laredo-area case being the only one found so far. “My commitment is, as we are getting hourly updates, we will immediately let the public know,” she assured. She emphasized the importance of state partnerships in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, and a collaborative approach involving USDA, Homeland Security, and the Department of State. President Trump, she added, is “fully engaged and aware of the threat that this poses specifically to our cattle, but really to all of our livestock.”
Secretary Rollins- Our Beef Industry Needs to be Rebuilt
Shifting focus to the domestic beef sector, Secretary Rollins painted a stark picture of the U.S. cattle industry’s current state, with inventory at its lowest point in 75 years. This decline comes despite Americans consuming increasing amounts of beef. Rollins hinted at even greater demand, noting, “While I’m not here today to talk about the MAHA movement and the new dietary guidelines coming out very shortly, there will be even more demand and higher demand for great American beef and protein and whole milk as we move forward.” She indicated that further significant announcements on this front are expected in the coming days, working directly with President Trump.
“We’ve got to rebuild,” Rollins declared, acknowledging the low inventory as a threat to both the industry and the nation. Since 2017, the U.S. has lost over 17% of its cattle ranches, with a total decline of more than 150,000 operations over the last decade. This loss, she asserted, has been driven by offshoring, consolidation, and foreign-owned businesses. “Low inventory and high demand is not sustainable if we wish to be a country that can feed ourselves.”
Recognizing that rebuilding the cattle inventory “cannot be rebuilt overnight,” USDA is prioritizing both short- and long-term solutions. Rollins announced the development of a “robust plan to revitalize and diversify the U.S. beef industry” alongside industry partners, producers, processors, and consumers. More details are expected at a rollout in mid-October, alongside Secretary Doug Burgum.
Critically, Rollins addressed speculation regarding government intervention, stating unequivocally, “We have no current plans to offer any payment to beef producers.” She cited concerns about government involvement distorting markets, adding, “currently there will be no plan, no plan is even under consideration to insert ourselves through payments into the beef cattle industry.” Instead, the USDA’s strategy will center on opening more working lands, expanding risk mitigation tools for the beef cattle industry, and “inspiring the next generation of farmers who hold the future of this great nation in their hands.”
Secretary Rollins’ address underscored the administration’s dual focus on aggressively combating immediate animal health threats from abroad while simultaneously implementing a comprehensive strategy to secure the long-term viability and self-sufficiency of the domestic beef supply.
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