What happened: U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins participated in a tour of Iowa agriculture operations and met with NPPC President-elect Rob Brenneman and newly installed board member Trish Cook, both Iowa pork producers.
Rollins was joined by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and the state’s Agriculture Secretary, Mike Naig, as well as congressional Republican Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA).
The group’s hog farm visit in Waukee was to the Manning Family Farm. In addition to meeting with NPPC leadership, the legislators met with the farm’s owners, Iowa Pork Producers Association President Aaron Juergens and Past President Matt Gent, discussing among other topics California Proposition 12, farm labor, plant processing line speeds, and trade.
On the latter, Rollins told reporters USDA will help farmers affected by President Trump’s tariffs on foreign imports, employing tactics similar to USDA’s Market Facilitation Program used in 2018 after China put duties on U.S. products in response to Trump’s tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum. U.S. reciprocal tariffs are set to take effect April 5.
Why it matters: Rollins oversees USDA’s various agricultural programs, including ones related to conservation, farm programs, food safety, foreign animal disease preparation and prevention, marketing and regulatory issues, natural resources, rural development, and trade. She also will help shape the next five-year Farm Bill.
