Rollins faces Senate questions on oversight of USDA

[0:00] support our nation's farmers, ranchers, and foresters, as well as strengthen rural America. [0:06] I welcome our witness, the Honorable Brooke Rollins, our 33rd Secretary of Agriculture. [0:12] Thank you so much for being here today and for your steadfast commitment to America's [0:17] agricultural community. We appreciate your willingness to serve and your active engagement [0:21] with farmers, ranchers, foresters, and rural stakeholders where they live and work. [0:27] Those conversations provide valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the men [0:34] and women who grow our nation's food, fuel, and fiber. They are impacted by USDA policies and depend [0:41] on USDA programs daily. What I hear from Arkansas family farmers and stakeholders from across the [0:47] country is that the farm economy is struggling. Producers continue to face high input costs, [0:53] rising labor expenses, elevated interest rates, and market uncertainty. It is necessary that we [1:01] work together to create an environment where agriculture can thrive and where the next [1:06] generation sees farming, ranching, and forestry as viable and a rewarding career. One way we have [1:13] delivered our commitment to producers is through the working family's tax cuts. The President signed [1:18] in law historic investments to farm country one year ago providing long overdue updates to agriculture [1:25] policies that better reflect today's realities producers in Arkansas and across the nation experience. [1:32] These improvements respond directly to concerns farmers have raised for years and provides meaningful [1:38] support and predictability to help them continue operating for years to come. [1:44] We appreciate USDA's urgency in implementing these policies so farmers can realize their benefits this [1:51] fall. I look forward to hearing further updates on USDA's implementation of these programs. [1:57] This landmark law also includes investments in USDA's premier animal health programs [2:03] to help mitigate threats such as the New World screw worm. We know how critical these investments are, [2:10] particularly as six domestic cases have been confirmed in just the last week. [2:15] Madam Secretary, we appreciate the aggressive approach you and your team have taken to slow down the [2:21] advancement of this pest toward our border and to implement measures that protect America's livestock [2:28] industry. We have successfully eradicated New World screw worm before and I'm confident we can do so again. [2:37] We are looking forward to you and your team at USDA to continue leading this effort. [2:41] and safeguarding the health and security of America's herd. We must continue supporting [2:47] agriculture sectors vital to our rural communities. Our cotton producers have faced significant economic [2:53] headwinds in recent years. Cotton remains a cornerstone crop for Arkansas and states across the [3:01] cotton belt, supporting farm families, rural communities, and manufacturers. This is why I strongly [3:07] support the Buying American Cotton Act. I was pleased to see USDA's recent announcement [3:13] promoting the domestic cotton industry. We appreciate that very much. At a time when our producers are [3:19] competing in a challenging global marketplace, we should be doing everything we can to support American [3:27] grown products and the hardworking men and women who produce them. Similarly, I know many of our committee [3:33] members on both sides of the aisle support year-round E15. I do too. And we are working hard to get that done. [3:41] We also need to protect the energy security for local and regional communities and protect those [3:48] jobs in rural America. I support the proposal put forward by Senators Fisher and Capito and I hope the [3:55] Senate moves quickly on that bill. Just as importantly, our producers have access to the resources they need [4:02] to succeed. Fertilizer remains one of the most significant input costs facing farmers and they are seeing [4:09] dramatic rises in cost and are concerned about future availability. The results of the American Farm Bureau [4:16] Federation survey this year underscores the concerns I continue to hear from producers in Arkansas and across [4:23] the country. Among Arkansas farmers who responded, only 12 percent reported pre-ordering fertilizer, highlighting the uncertainty and financial pressures producers are experiencing. [4:36] I appreciate USDA's attention to this issue as well as the opportunity to join you to discuss long-term [4:42] strategies to lower the cost of fertilizer. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance [4:47] policies to provide relief in the future. We have a tremendous opportunity before us to update farm policies [4:56] in Farm Bill 2.0. I look forward to releasing text very soon that incorporates many bipartisan measures and, [5:03] just as importantly, the priorities of farmers, ranchers and foresters so they have updated policies to meet their needs. [5:11] I am hopeful we can deliver a farm bill that farmers, ranchers, foresters and rural communities deserve. [5:17] Lastly, I remain committed to advancing the farm assistance package Senator Hove and I proposed in January. [5:25] There are many additional challenges that have risen since then that demonstrate the urgency [5:30] to provide our producers, including our specialty crop producers, with more support. Again, thank you very much [5:37] for being here and I look forward to your testimony. I now turn to our ranking member. I think she's more [5:44] than that, but I turn to Senator Klobuchar for her words of wisdom. Well, thank you. Thank you very much, [5:51] Mr. Chair, and thank you for being here, Secretary Rollins. And thank you, Mr. Chair, for leading with [5:59] the hope that we can move forward on a bipartisan farm bill. I appreciate you wanting to [6:05] ramp up a number of the bipartisan proposals that we have to include. We had a very good meeting with [6:12] you, with our members. I think people made it clear they're concerned about the inequity of the snap [6:20] shifts to the states with the big error rate states getting off for two years and then the entire [6:27] Midwest not. And we're hoping once we get the numbers, especially at the end of June, that from [6:33] the USDA, the final numbers, we might be able to make some changes there which unite our members as well [6:39] as many other issues. I also appreciate you raising the E15 issue, Mr. Chairman, and your support for it, [6:46] Secretary. The House, as we know, has passed this. I'm also supportive of the bill that you mentioned [6:52] and have been one of the leads on this. And, you know, this is something that could be voted on [6:57] separately because of the committee jurisdiction that we could even do sooner rather than later. And I [7:03] think it would really be a smart move to get this done very near. And I hope you bring that [7:08] that not only back to the USDA, but to the administration to push so that we can get a vote [7:15] on that very soon. I do want to thank you for the USDA's expedited disaster assistant for farmers, [7:23] Secretary Rollins, for the losses in 2023 and 2024 and the payments in April, which Senator Slotkin [7:31] and I had urged. Getting this second payment put over $700 million in Minnesota farmers' pockets this [7:39] spring. I also want to address the recently confirmed cases of New World screw worm here within the U.S., [7:46] in Texas, New Mexico. And I recognize the administration's ongoing response, working with [7:52] animal health officials, as well as livestock stakeholders. And clearly, we need a long-term response. [7:59] I continue to be concerned about some of the reorganization's cuts to USDA, how that could [8:06] affect our long-term response. Senator Lujan and I will be doing a letter on that immediately after [8:13] this hearing has concluded. And I'm sure he will ask some questions, as will I. Secretary Rollins, [8:21] since your last appearance before the committee, it has been a turbulent time for farmers, ranchers, [8:27] and really all of rural America. Unfortunately, I believe that much of this turbulence would have [8:34] been, could have been, would have been, could have been entirely preventable. I've been clear that [8:40] the administrations across the board tariffs have been terrible for farmers. The IEPA tariffs [8:46] added nearly $1 billion in cost to critical inputs, like fertilizers, seed machinery, and chemicals, [8:53] from February through October of last year. These tariffs, rightfully struck down by the Supreme Court, [9:01] were so unnecessary, given that the legality, the constitutionality of them, were in question [9:08] from the very beginning. And thus, they added so much uncertainty and costs. Now, unfortunately, [9:16] and unnecessarily, the president has chosen to bulldoze ahead with more tariffs at great cost to [9:22] the economy and more uncertainty. In addition to the chaos from the tariffs, the unilateral decision to [9:29] start a conflict in the Middle East is causing real and direct harm to farmers and consumers in Minnesota. [9:36] One year ago, the average price for a gallon of diesel in my state was $340. Today, the average is $513. [9:45] that is a 51 percent increase in a single year. And just this morning, we got the consumer price index [9:53] numbers for the country up 4.2 percent. And that is up from the exact inverse 2.4 percent that we were [10:03] seeing before the conflict began. I am also concerned of the edge that this war has given Russia and China [10:13] and other countries that are not friends of the U.S. in the global battle for competitiveness because of [10:21] the fact that we are so reliant. I met with producers on the Tate Farmer family farm in Cannon Falls, [10:29] Minnesota, where I heard from producers that the skyrocketing cost of fertilizer is threatening their [10:35] operations. As we all know, nearly half of the global urea and 30 percent of global ammonia exports used [10:43] in nitrogen fertilizer supply chains move through the Straits of Hormuz. Earlier this spring, the Farm Bureau [10:51] highlighted the financial strain farmers are experiencing, estimating that 70 percent of farmers [10:57] couldn't afford all the fertilizer they needed. Of the farmers they surveyed, 94 percent said their [11:03] financial situation has worsened or flatlined in the past year. This morning, a number of us met [11:11] with key economists, expert economists, about the long term here. And what they told us, this was not a [11:19] really a political based meeting, was just that even if the Straits of Hormuz were opened immediately, [11:26] the long-term effect of going through our reserves, as we have done globally, is going to keep these prices [11:33] high. As I've said before, this is a perfect storm of ugly, to quote one of my soybean farmers, [11:40] from the fuel and the fertilizer costs to the tariffs. It has made it really hard for our growers, [11:46] especially our small growers, who do not have the reserves to make long-term business decisions [11:53] with any confidence. Secretary Rollins, many of us believe that you can be a voice of reason when it [12:00] comes to these issues with the administration. We know that you have expressed views in the past [12:07] about the effect this is having on the farm economy. But right now, I fear and many of us fear and many [12:16] of farmers fear that these voices of reason are falling on deaf ears. Because on top of the decisions [12:24] to go into this unilateral war, and just to continue these tariffs, we have just seen such pandemonium [12:33] when it comes to the response. And so many bad effects on rural America, from the decision not [12:40] to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which are percentage-wise more relied on in rural America, [12:47] in rural America, to many of the decisions that have been made to reduce staffing, whether it's Social [12:53] Security or USDA, that people in rural America rely on. My concerns with the USDA right now is this pushing [13:04] forward of a reorg plan right in the middle of all of this mess. The department has already lost around [13:11] 20 percent of its employees, meaning fewer FSA staff to process farm loan and disaster aid applications [13:19] just at a time when farmers are facing more problems than they were the year before, the year before, [13:25] the year before. Fewer NRCS conservationists to help farmers adopt popular conservation practices, [13:33] and this really does mean something in the Midwest, where many of them rely on these programs, [13:38] and fewer researchers developing solutions for the challenges our farmers face today, including, [13:45] as discussed earlier, the new world screw worm. These staff losses come before a series of announcement [13:53] from the department, moving multiple agencies across the country, which we know results in even [13:59] more disruption to staff. Farmers in Minnesota won't be better served by fewer experienced employees [14:07] being relocated to Indianapolis, Kansas City, or, yes, Salt Lake City, not exactly an ag-focused state. [14:18] Instead, I encourage the USDA to prioritize staffing, local county offices, and ARS labs, [14:26] to help farmers access services and tackle issues they are facing right now. The department's [14:34] reorganization proposal will significantly affect the ability to provide services to USDA stakeholders [14:42] and the lives of the employees. We are asking for transparency and an open dialogue with the shared [14:48] goal of ensuring the USDA is efficient and effective in its mission. Our concern [14:55] is doing this right now in the middle of what is clearly some of the biggest headwinds that we've seen [15:01] coming at agriculture and at rural America is a huge mistake because it will mean, of course, [15:08] less staff to deal with it, less experienced staff to deal with it, and a necessary disruption to serving [15:18] our farmers. So I look forward to hearing from you today and I appreciate the members that are here and [15:25] their input as well. Thank you. Thank you. It's my pleasure to introduce Brooke L. Rollins, [15:33] the 33rd Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture. Secretary Rollins is originally from [15:40] Glen Rose, Texas. Most recently, Secretary Rollins served as the founder, president, and chief executive [15:45] officer of the America First Policy Institute, AFPI, during President Trump's first administration. She [15:55] was the director of the Domestic Policy Council and assistant to the president for strategic initiatives [16:01] in the White House. She also served as director of the Office of American Innovation. In these roles, [16:08] she developed and managed the transformational domestic policy agenda of the Trump administration, [16:14] leading to historic achievements for the American people. Rollins graduated with honors from Texas [16:20] A&M University with a degree in agricultural development and was the first female to be elected [16:26] student body president. After earning her Juris Doctor with honors at the University of Texas School of [16:32] Law, she served as Governor Rick Perry's policy director before running the Texas Public Policy Foundation [16:40] for 15 years. At the foundation, Rollins elevated a small policy organization to a national force [16:49] and redefined the possibilities for a state-based think tank, setting the model and aspiration for AFPI. [16:58] Rollins and her husband, Mark, call Fort Worth Texas home and spend the majority of their free time [17:04] taxing their four very active children to baseball games and cattle shows and piano lessons and Aggie football [17:11] games. We appreciate you being here. I think the only thing they left out were your former [17:18] barrel racing days, which we can be proud of. So again, thank you for being here and we look forward [17:24] to your opening statement. Thank you so much, Chairman Bozeman, Ranking Member Klobuchar, and distinguished [17:30] members of this committee. In less than one month, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of [17:37] the Declaration of Independence. And its principal author Thomas Jefferson once noted that agriculture [17:44] is truly our wisest pursuit. If we are to secure land and liberty for future generations, we must fight [17:50] for American agriculture together with every fiber of our being. And we are. Our efforts over the past 17 [17:58] months reflect the Trump administration's commitment to ensuring that America's food supply remains the best [18:04] in the world. It's safe, it's reliable, it's healthy, and it's affordable. Last Friday's jobs report beat [18:10] every economist's forecast when 172,000 jobs were added in May, cementing the Trump economy's record of [18:17] delivering for American workers month after month. In fact, more people are working today than ever before [18:23] in American history. Further, 30-year fixed mortgage rates are down and our deregulatory efforts are projected [18:30] to save Americans. I collected $212 billion, or roughly $2,500 per a family of four. For our farmers, [18:38] that's a big number. By contrast, we know in the previous administration, average home prices rose 25%, [18:45] 30-year fixed-rate mortgages rates were up 194%. National average gas prices peaked 124% up and food prices up 23%. [18:54] And notably for this committee, farm income saw the largest dollar value loss in history of our country, [19:03] as it fell over $90 billion from 2023 to 2024. Further, commodity prices plummeted from 30-year highs [19:12] in the last administration. And of course, we saw zero new trade deals while inheriting a $50 billion [19:19] agricultural trade deficit after leaving with an $8 billion agricultural trade surplus just four [19:26] years earlier. While we cannot reverse this trajectory for ag overnight, we can and we will continue [19:33] building upon the progress that has already been made. Last year, President Trump and congressional [19:38] Republicans delivered the Working Families Tax Cut Act, a historic piece of legislation and a victory [19:45] for U.S. agriculture, which increased reference prices for the first time in more than a decade [19:51] and saved 2 million family farms from the death tax, among so many other wins. Moreover, President Trump [19:57] has already secured 19 new trade deals in just over one year, helping us slash that $50 billion agricultural [20:04] trade deficit by almost 50% from just one year ago. So think about what that means for our producers. [20:14] As we expand opportunity over the long term, we are also providing farmers with our short-term support [20:18] today. Through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers Program, [20:24] and others, USDA has delivered tens of billions of dollars in targeted direct relief to help our farmers [20:30] manage natural disasters and temporary market disruptions. We are also helping our farmers manage the [20:37] input prices, the cost of which we know exploded under the last administration. Under Biden, fertilizer prices [20:43] surged more than 50%, reaching 99% at their highest peak. And I know we're going to talk a lot about [20:51] fertilizer today, but even after the Iranian conflict and even after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, [20:57] fertilizer today is still less than what it was in the peak of the Biden years. President Trump has [21:02] reactivated and activated our entire cabinet on this particular issue, and we can talk more about [21:08] that today. Truly affordable domestic inputs are a matter of national security. Our ability to feed [21:15] ourselves is fundamental to our freedom in this country. That's why we launched, for the first time ever, [21:20] our Farm Security Action Plan last year, integrating agriculture into America's national security [21:27] strategy for the first time ever. We are determined to protect the security and integrity of everything [21:33] we are responsible for at the USDA, including the federal nutrition programs that constitute our largest [21:39] expenditure. When it comes to rooting out SNAP fraud, in just over one year we have already made 900 arrests, [21:47] this is through USDA, pursued over 120 convictions, and have $132 million in restitution, and we're [21:55] literally just getting started. We're also working to protect our producers from diseases and pests that [21:59] threaten their livelihoods. Very quickly before I get into screwworm, let's talk about the avian influenza, [22:06] the HPAI with our chickens. Since last year when we launched that plan, we have seen a 41% decrease [22:14] in HPAI and a 51% decrease in total birds affected. We still have a ways to go, but we're making progress. [22:23] And this year is no different, and I'm going to talk, sir, about the New World Screwworm just at the outset, [22:28] and then I'm sure we'll dive into it more. We continue to prioritize defeating the New World Screwworm. [22:34] Over the past week and a half, USDA has confirmed six cases of the New World Screwworm within the U.S., [22:41] all but one in the south of Texas. I was just in Texas two days ago to inspect a USDA research facility [22:49] that we just opened two weeks ago, developing new technologies to combat this pest, and we're back [22:55] tomorrow on site in South Texas in LaPrior to visit that ranch and talk more about what we're doing. [23:02] The Biden administration's open border policies combined with the Mexican cartels' refusal to crack [23:08] down on that through South and Central America allowed the screwworm to move north for the first time in 50 [23:15] years, beginning in 2022 when the Darien Gap was breached, into 2023 when the screwworm began moving [23:22] at rapid pace up through Central America and hitting Mexico in 2024 under the last administration. [23:30] We know this development is a serious threat, but it did not catch us off guard. We've established the [23:37] 20-kilometer movement zone, expedited targeted release of sterile flies in the affected area. [23:42] We've increased the trapping for flies along the border and ramping up surveillance. But more [23:48] importantly, I think, for this committee is very quickly, Senator Bozeman, I want to talk about over [23:53] the last year what we deployed. Over $1 billion, $1.3 billion since we walked into the door last January [24:02] 2025 has been invested and deployed to battle just the New World Screwworm. We have been forward-leaning. [24:09] EPA just approved some new fly technologies we've announced just the last few days, which will [24:14] significantly increase our ability to battle this through sterile flies. We also broke ground on our [24:20] Moore air-based sterile fly facility in Texas about six months ago. That's a $750 million project and that [24:29] also opening up a dispersal facility earlier this year for the first time and outfitting a facility in [24:35] Metapa, Mexico that will open this month that will increase our sterile fly production by 100 million flies. [24:42] That all happened because of what we implemented over a year ago in preparation for this moment. [24:49] And since January 2025, and this is a really, really important point for those who are saying that [24:54] we have not, we were caught unprepared. When we walked in the door in January 2025, [24:58] the last USDA had an equivalent of 10 full-time employees working on the New World Screwworm, [25:05] so about 17 months ago. A week ago, before it was even confirmed, we had over 110 full-time staff [25:14] that we had staffed up over the last 15 months in preparation, almost a 1,000 percent increase in over [25:21] a year in preparation. In short, we're using every single tool at our disposal, working very closely with our [25:26] governor, Governor Greg Abbott, and all of the teams on the ground in Texas, in New Mexico, and across [25:32] this country. Thank you again for the opportunity to be here, Senator, and Ranking Member Klobuchar. As [25:37] we celebrate our 250 years of freedom, I know we will continue to fight together for the men and women [25:43] who feed and clothe and fuel this great country and the world. I look forward to your questions. Thank you. [25:48] No, thank you very much for being here again, and we're going to start our round of questioning. We're going to [25:56] have seven minutes to ask our questions, which is longer than normal, but I would ask you to [26:02] to be sure and adhere to the time, because we've got a lot of people that are going to want to ask [26:06] questions. And there is an incredible amount of stuff going on as we speak right now throughout [26:12] Congress. So we do appreciate the hard work that you've done and the preparation, slowing things down [26:20] so that we would have, you know, additional time to get ready for this concerning the screw worm. [26:27] Is there, I guess the only question I would have, is there any more authorities that we need to give [26:31] you or any more resources that would be helpful, you know, as we fight this battle? [26:37] I appreciate that question. And I know we're, I'm on multiple calls every day [26:45] since we have moved now into the next phase of the battle. You all know we closed the ports a year [26:52] ago, which was a very difficult decision, especially for our feeders in Texas. But the purpose was the, [26:59] every model showed screw worm hitting our side of the border last summer. So that would have been just [27:05] about eight or 12 weeks after we came into office. And I looked at all the facts and said, we've got to [27:11] slow this down and do whatever we can to be better prepared when it gets here. And that's what we were [27:16] able to do. So Senator Bozeman right now, there are no additional authorities, but I really appreciate [27:22] the question. I want to give a big shout out to my boss, President Trump. Last spring, as you know, [27:28] we were deep into the Department of Government efficiency with, with Mr. Musk. And we were working [27:33] to try to return the footprint of government back to something that was reasonable for our taxpayers and [27:38] for our country. But I walked in the Oval Office and I said, sir, there is a, a pretty serious threat [27:44] to our livestock that's headed our way. And when we need 500 million sterile flies a week, we're only [27:50] producing 100 million out of Panama because everyone took their eye off the ball years ago. And [27:55] unfortunately, because of the border policies, it's coming our way. And he said, well, what do you need? [28:00] And I said, well, I need a billion dollars to start building a significant facility to surge staff. [28:05] This was about 14 or 15 months ago. And without hesitation, a couple of questions. But without [28:10] hesitation, he said go. So because of that green light, we were able to move very quickly to prepare [28:15] for today. But we'll stay in very close touch on that. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. I think I can [28:21] speak for the committee that we're all committed to helping in any way that we can. And we do appreciate [28:28] your efforts. As I mentioned in my opening statement, farmers across the country are struggling in this [28:34] economic environment. I was pleased that we were able to secure $10 billion in economic assistance [28:40] at the end of 2024, which your department implemented very, very quickly. And I appreciate [28:46] the administration developing additional programs late last year to provide further assistance to our [28:52] row crop and specialty crop producers. I think that we all realize that this is still not enough to stop [29:00] the bleeding in farm country, which is why we're working with Senator Hoeven to build upon the Farmer [29:06] Bridge Assistance Program and the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers Program. I was pleased to hear that [29:13] the president mentioned additional assistance during his event in Wisconsin last week. Can you confirm that [29:21] that this is a when we hopefully we'll have a supplemental appropriations in the very near future [29:30] and that this is something that we could get included as we go forward? I will confirm that this president [29:38] on the trip to Wisconsin while we were in Wisconsin on the trip back, his commitment and love for rural [29:45] America and our farmers is real. And as he said, so I'm not getting ahead of him. I'm always a little [29:52] bit concerned about getting ahead of him. But he said at the event on Friday that he wanted to do more. [29:57] And so I think we can work arm and arm on in hand in hand across hopefully both sides of the aisle [30:03] and and get to another point where that is possible and feasible for our farmers. No, and I certainly don't [30:09] want to speak for him either. But when we were able to, you know, sign and, you know, able to come up with [30:20] the dollars previously, we mentioned then, you know, that this was great and everybody's very grateful for [30:28] his support, not only in this administration, but in the past one for our farmers, but that we might have [30:35] to come back. And he agreed with that. So I'm very pleased that the administration is being aggressive [30:43] in negotiating new trade agreements and putting high priority on opening markets for ag products in [30:50] these negotiations. I commend the administration for completing 19 agreements since the time President [30:56] Trump took office. I also firmly believe that in addition to strengthening our export markets, [31:01] we must build demand here at home. As I mentioned in my opening statement, [31:08] I support legislation aimed at increasing domestic demand for ag products like the Buying American [31:14] Cotton Act, the Fisher Capital, Klobuchar year round E15 bill. What are other actions? What other actions [31:25] is the administration taking to increase domestic demand for our American ag products? Are there areas [31:32] in which the Senate and administration can work together on? Well, I think that the trade piece is [31:38] important. And I realize Senator Klobuchar, probably Senator Booker and some of our other friends on the [31:44] other side of the aisle have some serious questions about that. And I really look forward to having that [31:48] discussion with them. What I will note is when the president had the Liberation Day, which is when he [31:53] announced that instead of going country by country, we're going to have an all-of-world approach on [31:58] renegotiating our trade, that to date, the fact that our grape producers in America, when we send their goods out on [32:06] average, it's about a 15% tariff into other countries. When those goods from other countries come into [32:11] America, it's an average of 5%. So our farmers and producers have been, you know, just compromised [32:17] year after year under these trade and tariff regimes. And so in just over a year, 19 new trade deals [32:24] is remarkable. It is historical. It is unprecedented. And it is already paying dividends. As I mentioned, [32:30] we've cut the agricultural trade deficit in half in one year. We expect it to come down another 30% [32:37] this year. Corn exports are going to be record breaking based on the numbers that just came out [32:41] yesterday. We expect a 35% increase in volume in corn exports. Dairy exports are going to be up almost [32:48] 10%. Sorghum is going to be up almost 100%. Tree nuts up 11%. Ethanol up at least 11%, probably more. [32:55] Wheat exports are up 8%. Soybean oil up 129%. To your point, Mr. Chairman, this opportunity, [33:03] this is what farmers want. They don't want to farm for a check from the government. They want to farm [33:08] to be able to sell their goods on an open market that's fair. So that's the international play. And [33:14] then to your point about the local domestic markets, opening that up as well, whether it's E15 or 45Z, [33:21] all of the work that this administration has done, again, unprecedented. The moves that we've made for [33:26] our biofuels community, et cetera. And then the next step down, and I know you've mentioned cotton, [33:31] Senator Hyde-Smith and I have talked round and around. I give her a lot of credit for bringing [33:36] the cotton to my attention. And also when I've been out in the country, I've been to almost every [33:41] state. I've visited with thousands of farmers. And I kept hearing cotton and rice, honestly, [33:46] coming up again and again and again as a, is really, really struggling. The moment that captured [33:52] in my mind, especially with cotton is with the Make America Healthy Again, how we have basically [33:58] offshored all of our clothing production. 97% of our clothes today are made with synthetic fiber from a [34:05] foreign adversary. And that's bad enough. But then when, when you look, then when you look at the health [34:10] impact of the sheets we sleep in, of the clothes we put on our bodies, that's real. So the cotton, [34:15] I think renaissance is coming and I'm really proud to be a part of that with y'all. [34:18] Very good. Thank you. Senator Klobuchar. [34:20] Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Secretary Rollins, I just, the numbers for me that matter [34:29] is the numbers like bankruptcy numbers. And in the first quarter, we've had a number of farm [34:36] bankruptcies in our state with calls to the Minnesota Farm and Rural Helpline up 200%. [34:42] Nationwide chapter 12 farm bankruptcies increased for the second year in a row, [34:48] reaching 315 filings in 2025. This is a 46% increase from 2024. I just think those numbers [34:58] don't lie. Farmer lender mediation notices are the highest they have been since 2019. [35:04] What actions is the USDA considering to assist producers facing bankruptcy and prevent the loss [35:12] of more family farms? And why did the USDA budget propose eliminating the certified mediation program? [35:19] So a couple of points on that. Obviously, even one bankruptcy is heartbreaking. Uh, but a couple of [35:26] points. There are about, there are 1.077 million farms and ranches in America. The bankruptcies, um, [35:34] that are reflected in your numbers are about 0.03%, 0.03% of the total farms in our country. Now, again, [35:41] I do not want to sit here and say it's nothing to worry about. Every farm is absolutely something we [35:47] should be fighting to save. We have a concierge effort going for those 300 farms that are in chapter 12. [35:53] Again, chapter 12 doesn't mean they're going out of business. It just means they're reorganizing. [35:57] But certainly with the loss of markets, the cost of inputs, et cetera, there's no doubt that the farm [36:02] economy is facing, uh, serious headwinds and that's what we're all working together to solve. [36:07] On the mitigation program, Senator, let me circle back to you. I want to make sure I fully understand, [36:12] uh, what it was that we pulled back and, and what the utilization was and then perhaps work together [36:18] to think about how to solve for that. Thank you. Appreciate you getting back to me. [36:21] Uh, and I just, our concern is we're heading in a trend, um, especially when you look at these, [36:27] the fact that the diesel and gas prices are not going to go down anytime soon because we've gone [36:33] through our reserves as well as fertilizer. So you, we discussed fertilizer and Senator Marshall and I [36:40] have introduced the Homegrown Fertilizer Act, uh, to make this program permanent. In the meantime, do you [36:46] intend to use a new CCC funds to support the development of domestic fertilizer? Uh, yeah, [36:55] so let me answer that because it's an important question. And then if we have time, we'll talk [36:58] about the diesel prices and other things. So we realized, uh, as fertilizer was coming down before [37:05] the Iranian conflict and before the Hormuz Strait was closed, fertilizer was down about 50% on average [37:11] over the last 14 months. So we were headed in the right direction. Gas was way down. Diesel was way down. [37:16] Of course, with this conflict, um, it has certainly bumped prices up. Now, I do want to say that even [37:21] though fertilizer prices are significantly higher since the Iranian conflict, they're still lower [37:27] than the, than the peak during the Biden years. Having said that, Senator, what this has allowed, [37:32] this conversation has allowed is a light to be shined on the fact that we've offshored our fertilizer [37:37] production to almost 50% of total fertilizer in the last couple of decades. This did not happen [37:43] under any one administration. And so as we've seen that offshore that happened, it's a national [37:49] security issue. It's obviously a cost issue for our farmers as well. Uh, I'll talk about the CCC [37:55] if I have time, but what I'll say is immediately I called Chris Wright, uh, our secretary of energy [38:00] who has a big pot of money for energy investment, made the case that fertilizer is perhaps the most [38:05] important energy to invest in. And his number two largest project he's investing in is a fertilizer [38:11] plant. We called Howard Lutnick who has the pot of investment from funds from the president's [38:16] negotiated tariffs and trade, a significant pot. He is now prioritizing that. And we have the largest [38:23] ammonia plant in the world that I'm breaking ground on in two weeks in Louisiana. Next to it, [38:29] about a month after that, we're going to be breaking ground on one of the largest phosphate plants [38:32] in the world. So we're beginning to re to reshore to onshore that fertilizer back to America, [38:38] but just as important. And in fact, I think one of them is in Minnesota. [38:41] There are about 80, um, more midsize, smaller fertilizer projects going on that we're funding [38:48] and prioritizing a pretty good one in Minnesota, big one in Washington state and some others. [38:53] So we have put those on warp speed to get those. I'm going to run out of my time for questions. [38:58] And just that, uh, the CCC has 14.3 billion in emergency funding. And I would just encourage you [39:05] to use some of that for the domestic fertilizer. Can I talk to that? Cause I think it's mutually [39:09] beneficial. So the problem with the CCC, it hasn't been the loan rate has not been increased for 80 [39:14] years. What is left in the CCC right now, Senator, we're going to need to meet the obligations of the [39:19] Working Families Tax Cut Act and the increase. So if we could all work together, I know we've been [39:24] talking about that to try to open that up. But yes, yes, ma'am, we'll be looking at that too. [39:28] Um, and, uh, we discussed early on, uh, new world screw worm and the animal and plant health [39:35] inspection service has lost 25% of its staff, including more than 300 employees in veterinary [39:41] services alone. Since the administration came in, how do you plan on ensuring that each of these [39:46] critical threats such as new world screw worm receives individualized resources? We're very [39:53] concerned about this. Yes, ma'am. As I mentioned, uh, a year and a half ago, there were 10, uh, [39:58] APHIS employees working full time, a total of 10 working full time all in. Now we've got over 120. [40:05] Uh, so we've increased, uh, the amount of employees in APHIS working on new world screw [40:09] worm by a thousand percent in the last 14 months. So as you can see, we're prioritizing where the big [40:14] threats are as we're working to, uh, to ensure that we're meeting all of the needs across the [40:19] country. Uh, different subject. Last November, you announced a far-reaching final rule implementing [40:25] crop insurance provisions from the budget bill enacted last summer that I did not support. However, [40:31] buried within that rule was a provision that removed an important risk management option for [40:37] farmers in my state and several others. Prevent plant buy-up coverage has been a critical tool [40:43] farmers used to protect against extreme weather at planning time. On January 22nd, [40:49] Chairman Bozeman, Senator Hoven, and I led 16 of our colleagues asking the USDA to reverse this [40:57] decision. And Under Secretary Fordyce replied in April indicating that concerns are being evaluated. [41:03] What is the status of our request? I actually have talked to Under Secretary [41:07] Fordyce about that, but I don't have an immediate response. But again, I'll check on that today. [41:13] And, uh, we'll get back to you, Senator. Okay. Thank you very much. [41:16] Thank you so much. And I'll have questions later. Thanks. [41:19] Okay. Sounds good. Thank you. [41:20] Uh, Senator Marshall. [41:22] All right, Chairman. Thank you. And welcome, Secretary. [41:26] E-15. E-15. E-15. E-15. Those are my top three priorities that I'm preaching to the choir. [41:34] Thank you for your support of this. You know, why is E-15, you're on E-15 important? It would mean [41:39] another two billion bushels of corn consumption per year. Uh, pre or, uh, you know, prior to [41:45] President Trump, maybe we were exporting 2.3 billion. So it's almost like doubling our export [41:49] market. That's why it's important. But I want to talk about 45Z, which I think actually has a 10X [41:55] opportunity, uh, compared to ethanol. And maybe you can just update us on, you know, Mark, we need to [42:00] get this across the finish line as far as the rules. And I, I know it's out in different agencies. [42:06] Any update on the 45Z rules? [42:09] Our, uh, obviously there's many multiple hands in the proverbial rule pot, uh, in the administration, [42:17] but it is a top priority for me personally. Uh, and certainly my partners, uh, around the cabinet [42:24] understand that. So it is, it is imminent, uh, forthcoming. I don't want to give you an exact date, [42:30] but it, it is coming hopefully very quickly. And it is really, really important. The regenerative side [42:35] of that, the Maha side, there are just so many wins for so many of our Americans in that. [42:40] Right. So this from a regenerative standpoint, to your point is, uh, the ethanol companies making [42:45] the ethanol can pass on 10, 20, 30, 50 cents a bushel. Uh, if they're doing this regenerative [42:51] agriculture, which is good for the soil, which is better for the, the nutrient health. So I do [42:55] appreciate, uh, this all of government approach on that as well. Uh, we addressed fertilizer. That [43:00] would probably be my third biggest issue on trade. Want to emphasize value add is when the American [43:06] farmer makes money. Uh, when we, when we turn corn into beef, when we turn soybeans into diesel, [43:13] that's when the American farmer makes money. And I'm sure you're constantly communicating that [43:18] to USTR. Yeah. What are the opportunities you think this going forward at these 19 trade deals [43:24] on the value add part of this? I think they are unlimited. And as I traveled a little bit of the [43:30] world last year, uh, and talked to some of these other countries, I was sat down with, uh, some [43:35] ethanol buyers in England and as so many of these countries, whether we agree with them or not, but [43:40] they have, uh, put themselves into a certain category of reaching certain numbers on carbon, [43:45] et cetera. Um, it is our farmers in America that will be, I believe the most benefited from those [43:52] rules around the world. And so now my job at USDA and our other wonderful, uh, trade negotiators, [43:58] Lutnick and Greer and Besant, I have this at the top of their list wherever they go. So again, [44:03] we're already going to break records this year on corn exports, ethanol exports are going to break [44:07] records. But again, I think it's just the beginning of the opportunity. Okay. I want to give you an [44:11] opportunity to talk a little bit more about the CCC needs and, and the background to me is this. [44:17] No one has done more for the American farmer in rural America than President Trump has done these [44:21] last two years. We added $65 billion to crop insurance, crop protection. Uh, we, he signed [44:29] 40 some billion dollars of, uh, farm aid, a $50 billion rural health transformation fund. We doubled [44:37] the death tax exemption. The 199A permanent pass through was so important to the American farmers and [44:44] bonus depreciation, interest deductibility. I'm not sure what I'm missing, but it was tax. [44:49] So we doubled the death tax exemption. So we did a lot and we're increasing trade and, and yet we're [44:57] struggling, I think mainly due to input cost and we, we do need some more help. I'm, I'm afraid we [45:04] need to help more. Well, what does that look like to you? Whether it's more fertilizer, like, like Senator [45:10] Klobuchar pointed out some monies towards those projects. Uh, tell me a little bit more about what [45:15] you feel the need is and what we need to do to replenish the CCC. Well, I, I want to be careful [45:22] because I don't want to get ahead of our entire team, uh, OMB, et cetera. And so just know that [45:28] those conversations are, are absolutely ongoing. And again, that 30 billion limit, uh, is what six or [45:36] seven decades ago, I think not tied to inflation. If it had just been tied to inflation when it was first [45:43] enacted, we'd be at 90 billion for the CCC, this loan authority that allows us to move into, into [45:50] important urgent issues. So I really look forward to working with you all. I know across the aisle, [45:55] everyone is very focused on this, at least in this room, but, um, but let's keep working together on [46:00] that and seeing what we can get done. Let's kind of probably finish on, on this, uh, screw worm. First [46:05] of all, I think it's important Americans realize there's no threat to the food supply and trying [46:12] to explain this to people is a little tough, but you and I grew up in the, on ranches. And first of [46:17] all, no rancher would take an animal with this big, ugly, fleshy wound to, to the, uh, to the locker [46:24] plant. First of all, correct. Second of all, even if a human ate, let's say it's a deer, let's say you, [46:30] you shot a deer and you're eating this and it had happened to have this screw worm on it, [46:34] that our own digestive system would destroy that. I think that's important, uh, to, to point out. [46:40] Um, I think it's important to point out that we saw this coming under the previous administration [46:45] and they refused to respond. When you let millions of people migrate through Central America this way, [46:52] we saw the screw worm just come with them, whether it was on their pets or maybe they were bringing [46:56] livestock. And unfortunately visiting the border before I saw so many of these people with open [47:00] flesh wounds themselves, that could have been one way to get it across the border. We saw it happening [47:06] and we were down just basically a, a male mosquito fly, uh, screw worm fly, uh, being sterilized in [47:14] Panama. But the next step, so we, we sat on it. We prayed about it. We tried to monitor it, [47:20] but you also invested money in, in the laboratory in Mexico as soon as, I mean like within days after [47:27] you took office, we talked about this. So take us through that process of what we've done in Mexico. [47:32] Again, you had a time to touch on it. So the second you get into office, you're on this. So just run us [47:38] through that again. Yes, Senator. Thank you. Um, we saw it coming. Uh, the fact that it had been out [47:44] of America since 1966, uh, had been out of South Central America and down past the Darien Gap for [47:52] more than 30, 40 years. I think that, um, that as it began to make its way north starting in 2021, [47:58] 2022, it gets into Central America, 2023 gets to gets into South Mexico. And of course, 2024, [48:06] uh, begins to make its way through Mexico. Again, you need about 500 million sterile flies to eradicate. [48:12] Once it was pushed past the Darien Gap back in the sixties and seventies, uh, people just stopped [48:17] that we stopped making the sterile flies. We got down to the hundred million in Panama. [48:21] Within a matter of days, we got approval from the president to, I was sort of shocked that the [48:26] last USDA really had no plans, hadn't really done anything, said, we've got to build our own facility [48:32] in America that will reduce between three and 400 million flies per week so that we never let this [48:38] happen again. Understanding that as a radiated facility, it normally takes a couple of years [48:43] for permitting, uh, Pete Hegseth, God bless him, and our Army Corps of Engineers permitted that facility [48:48] in just 60 days, I believe. And then we broke ground, contracted within another month or so. [48:53] So we have shaved years off of that timeline. But in the meantime, the Metapa facility was a fruit fly [48:59] facility in Mexico that, uh, Mexico agreed to let us pay for, let us outfit. We started that last summer [49:06] and it is ready this month. That will be another hundred million flies that are coming online. So [49:11] there's a lot of movement and a lot of money that has been invested to prepare for this moment. Great. [49:17] Thank you, chairman. And I'd love to come back and talk about the life cycle of the screw worm. The poor [49:22] females only get to mate one time and then they die. This is true. And that's why this is unlimited. [49:29] That's why these sterile, uh, males are so important and why it works. So the science is there. We don't [49:34] need to study it. We need, we've got cures. We got this. That's right. Thank you, sir. And the food supply [49:40] is 100% safe. This is not a disease. It's not a virus. It's a, it's a, it's a fly. So that's right. [49:47] It's good to have an expert on the committee. Senator Booker. I'm sorry. Hold on. Uh, Senator [49:58] Welsh. Now let's go with Booker. Good morning. All right. I'm going to, I'm going to deny this [50:06] if anybody quotes me, but, uh, secretary, I think you're doing a pretty good job. [50:10] Oh, thank you. We'll keep that on the down low. I don't think your microphone's on, [50:13] so I'm not sure anyone heard that but me, but I will take that. Thank you so much. [50:17] Senator. Here's the thing. Uh, you have been responsive and Vermont has had very significant, [50:22] uh, the damage from floods that we had in 2023 and 2024, and I've had a chance to talk to you, [50:27] but let me just ask you if you can tell us, uh, Vermonters what the status is of the disaster [50:34] assistance block grant, and then also, uh, the US, uh, DA rural development disaster assistance fund. [50:41] And both of those are 31 million dollars. Uh, we've been going through the process, [50:47] and hopefully the money will be delivered, but it'll make a huge difference to us in Vermont. [50:51] No, that's right. And, and I, I really appreciate, obviously I'm from Texas. I'm from, um, [50:57] cotton and cattle. My, I grew up in the summers on my grandparents' row crop farm in Minnesota, [51:03] so I knew row crops and I knew corn, uh, cotton and cattle coming into this job. I did not know [51:08] specialty crops, uh, obviously as much. And, and you and others, again, working across the aisle [51:14] have been, and some of your colleagues from the Northeast, um, in California, frankly, [51:18] have just been really, really good at making sure that I fully understand the challenges [51:24] facing our specialty crop producers. So the block grant that you're speaking of, um, I, most of the [51:30] Northeast is in paperwork process. Some of them are complete. I should have had Vermont front of [51:36] center and I don't, but I'll follow up with you on that. If it hasn't been deployed yet, [51:39] then it will be imminently. Uh, that was a little more challenging for us than the typical row crop [51:45] or typical cattle application. Again, because there are so many specialty crops and every one of them [51:50] is different and they're the smaller farmer in this country. They don't have the armies of paperwork [51:55] doers. So we've been working with the states. So we can be somewhat, I mean, we're talking about two [52:00] things, the disaster assistance, that's 31.7 million, and then, uh, the USDA disaster assistance fund. [52:08] And your office has been responsive to me, but what I understand is that both of those are on track [52:14] for deployment fairly, quite soon, right? Well, in fact, the crack staff behind me said we signed [52:20] Vermont yesterday. So it's done and should be moving out the block grant piece of that. Mr. Chairman, [52:25] I like that kind of service. Very much. I should appreciate you. You know, the other, the other [52:32] thing, uh, the USDA is extremely helpful to us and, uh, uh, really helpful to us in Vermont. There have been, [52:42] uh, some staffing cuts and there's also been loss of staff by attrition and there's not been replacement. [52:48] Uh, and it really is a governmental agency that has made a significant difference for Vermont Ag. [52:53] Uh, can you tell me about the prospects of, uh, restaffing so that we get the help that we need? [52:59] Absolutely. And my ask for you, sir, and you can pass me off to anyone that, that has better information [53:05] if you don't have it, but if we could just get a list of whether it's NRCS or FSA or RD, wherever you [53:12] are really compromised, where you don't have enough staff, we will prioritize that. Okay. We will do that. [53:18] That would be great. We'll get, we'll get a really good look on that. Okay. There's another [53:22] program in Vermont, uh, the, uh, it's called the Acer Access and Development Program. Uh, and it's [53:29] really helpful for us in our, our maple producers in Vermont. And Vermont, of course, uh, produces [53:35] the most maple syrup, the best maple syrup through in the United States. In the world? [53:40] In the, I, yes. Thank you for that. You're welcome. Um, and there's a 30-day requirement, uh, window is far [53:48] shorter than any of the previous nine years, and it's, uh, making it somewhat difficult to meet [53:53] internal organizational deadlines. Um, can we, uh, uh, work with you about extending that period of [54:00] application, uh, to give our institutions more time to get the benefit of this? Absolutely. Because I know [54:05] we, we, we adjusted that particular program. So yes, if we need more time, then yes, let's, let's make sure [54:11] that happens. All right. And, um, you know, the, uh, I want to talk a little bit about food for peace. [54:17] You know, that has been such a contribution that the United States has made, uh, to hunger across the [54:22] world. And I understand there's a memorandum of understanding with the USDA, uh, in the department, [54:28] the State Department, uh, that would give USDA temporary authority to administer this incredibly [54:34] important program. Um, and can you just describe this and, uh, the steps that you would take, uh, [54:42] to make certain that the goals of the food for peace program continue to be met with this [54:47] organizational restructuring? Yes, it's my understanding. Our undersecretary for trade, [54:52] uh, Luke Lindbergh has really driven that. And I think it's been very, a successful transition. Uh, [54:57] we talked about this in my confirmation here in a year ago, and it actually happened. And we're, [55:01] we're really, uh, happy to take the program and do with it what we could. If you've heard differently, [55:06] um, please let us know how we can improve, but, but really glad to have it. I, I think it probably [55:10] needs to be codified at some point because it's just under an MOU. Um, so it may switch back, but, [55:15] but we're fully in support of moving it to USDA fully. All right. I'm going to be quick because I [55:19] only have a couple of minutes just on the net. You were mentioning, uh, organics and vegetables, [55:24] the certification program, uh, that farmers have to go through in order to get organic status. [55:29] Uh, there's been a cost share and what I understand is there is a move now to increase the burden of, [55:35] or the share of costs that the farmer has to, uh, bear. Um, and I want your cooperation on that [55:42] because I think that increasing that cost to our farmers is going to diminish the ability of farmers [55:48] who do want to make the choice to go to organic to do so. Can we work with you on that? Yes, of course. [55:54] And I know the working families tax cut included extra money for that program. So yeah, we'll look [55:59] forward to building that out. You know, the, and then finally, this is not anything that you have [56:04] control over, but I am so alarmed and concerned about the wellbeing of agriculture, not just in [56:11] Vermont, but across the country. I agree. You know, a graph that you provided, your office provided [56:17] shows that in all the big commodity crops of all my colleagues, it's costing the farmers more [56:22] to produce than they're getting paid. And that is just not a sustainable situation. That's right. [56:29] And, you know, some of the costs are related to tariffs. That's not your policy, but it's having [56:33] a big impact, uh, on the input cost, uh, fertilizer. Uh, the tariffs also have had a big impact on, uh, [56:41] losing markets for, uh, a lot of our agriculture committee, especially in the Midwest. [56:47] And I, I'm not going to ask you to defend those. That's not your decision or choice, [56:52] but I just want to express to you that I am really concerned about the wellbeing of, uh, agriculture in [56:59] this country where farmers have to pay more than they're getting paid for the crop that they make. [57:05] And also, I think this committee has to address this, Mr. Chairman, you know, our farmers create an [57:11] immense amount of wealth. They just don't get any of it. That's right. And that is not right. So, [57:17] uh, I, I, I know, I think you agree with me on this, but I just wanted to make that statement. Thank you. [57:22] Thank you. And if, if I may just very quickly, Senator Bozeman, and I know Senator Welsh, [57:27] you and I could disagree on this, but, but from my perspective, having watched the tariff [57:31] and the trade negotiations around the world, it has opened up those 19 new trade deals, [57:37] the highest corn exports on record, highest tree nuts on record. We've cut the agricultural trade [57:42] deficit that we inherited about $50 billion in half in just one year. So I understand it's been an [57:48] imperfect process, but we have actually made a lot of strides for our farmers. Thank you. [57:57] Senator Tuberville. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, [58:01] Secretary for being here. This, uh, it's a disaster. We all know we don't like to go back in time, but [58:08] in the previous administration, we lost 150,000 farmers and 25,000 farms, a disaster. It hadn't [58:16] stopped. We're still losing because when you have all those high input costs up to this point, [58:22] the farmers and producers in my state of Alabama, when you have a four or five year losing streak [58:30] in coaching, you get fired. Well, in farming, you go broke and that's what's happening. We're having [58:37] tough problems. Just one question about the screw worm. Have we opened any of the border in Mexico, [58:42] either the west coast or the east coast at the border? No, the ports have been closed for a year [58:48] and, um, and that allowed us to keep it out. I think that if we'd open any of those ports, [58:53] we would have had it on our side six months, eight months, 10 months ago. Are you putting the fly [58:58] traps or whatever you call them all along the border? Where are they? They are. They're all [59:02] along the border. We have a polygon that gets adjusted every day. So on Wednesday of last week, [59:07] when the calf with the first confirmed case, a three week old calf in La Pryor, Texas [59:11] was confirmed. We within four hours, we're dropping 8 million sterile flies right on top of that ranch. [59:18] And they have had no other cases. And this just proves the efficacy of the technology. [59:22] So yes, we're constantly moving based on where the cases are propping up. [59:26] And this month again, we'll have more coming online out of Metapa. So we'll be able to expand that. [59:30] Hopefully with the Novo fly, we'll be able to even exponentially expand it by the end of the year. [59:34] And then we're moving up the timeline to get that big production facility ready to go, [59:38] hopefully before next summer. Can our packers and producers make it without [59:42] Mexican beef? Well, I think the larger question is a good one. And that is that our packers are losing [59:50] a lot of money right now because we don't have, it's the lowest cattle herd in history of our country. [59:57] But what's important to realize is that's a worldwide phenomenon. And there's a lot of reasons [1:00:01] for that. Listen, in America, there's no question that the previous four years to us, the ranchers were [1:00:07] not number one on the policy list. There's grazing land taken away. A lot of USDA money was shifted to [1:00:13] more climate focused projects, et cetera. You had a lot of issues with a lot of the different pushback on [1:00:19] that. And then you combine that with the Make America Healthy Again movement. We have a higher [1:00:24] demand for beef today than we've ever had before. The carcass weights are bigger now because of [1:00:30] genetics. So we don't have less beef on the shelves. We have about the same amount of beef on the shelves. [1:00:36] What's happened is more people are eating it and want it. And as the price has gone up, the demand [1:00:41] continues to increase too. So we've just got to get more cattle here as soon as possible and incentivize our [1:00:47] ranchers to retain. It's hard to do that when the prices are really good for these cattle. And [1:00:52] the average herd in America is 45 head. What that tells you is that almost every ag producer has a [1:00:58] herd of cattle and that's keeping them afloat. Yeah. Switch gears here a little bit. My foresters are [1:01:03] getting killed. Our sawmills are closing down. We're getting beat up by Canada. I think we have a 25% [1:01:11] tariff on Canada. It needs to be about 60, 70%. They are flooding our country with lumber. And [1:01:18] our sawmills are going out. We're losing paper mills. We have nothing. We have no place for our [1:01:25] wood residuals to go. I mean, it's becoming a disaster. So our crop farmers are having problems. [1:01:32] Our foresters are having problems. What's your thoughts on the problem we're having with our [1:01:38] foresters? Yeah, I should have mentioned, I said cotton rice and we should put forest timber on there too. [1:01:43] We are similar to cotton and rice. We've released cotton. Rice is coming. But timber is next. And I [1:01:51] think there's a lot we can do on the international front with the trade team to continue to push this [1:01:56] and prioritize it because you're right. And this is one of the, I mean, fundamental original agriculture [1:02:02] producers in this country is our foresters, our timber guys and the timber mills. And there's a lot of [1:02:07] opportunity there just as we've done in biofuels. I think there's a lot in biomass we can do. So we'll [1:02:12] stay focused on that. And let's work with your office. Yeah, the China can come in and buy our [1:02:18] lumber or our trees and cut our trees, put them on ship, ship them back, mill them, make cabinets out [1:02:26] of them the same that we make here, ship them back, and they undercut our prices. And we need to tariff the [1:02:31] hell out of China. I don't understand that. I don't understand why we cannot protect our people in our [1:02:36] country. And I know it's all about diplomacy. But at the end of the day, we have got to save the [1:02:43] people that make things in this country. That's what President Trump wanted. He wants, hey, let's [1:02:47] make things here. Good. Let's tariff the hell out of the people that are shipping in stuff that we can't [1:02:53] undercut. One other thing before my time runs out. Gulf Coast shrimpers, they continue to face pressure [1:03:01] from imported seafood that is often sold at an unfair price due to foreign subsidies and dumping [1:03:07] prices. Can you address that? There is no doubt our Gulf coasters, well, really all of our coasts [1:03:17] are seeing this. North Carolina has a big issue, too. This is, we opened the first ever Office of [1:03:23] Seafood. I don't know, Senator, if you were tracking that. I know some were at USDA. Before, [1:03:28] our seafooders, our farmers of the sea have never even had really a home in the federal government. [1:03:34] But about six months ago, we opened our Office of Seafood with the sole purpose of making sure [1:03:39] that we can better, more actively, and more vigorously advocate for our fishermen. And the [1:03:46] shrimpers are just, whether it's that or labor, there's just all kinds of challenges there. But we're [1:03:51] fully focused on it. Yeah. Here's the problem I have. We raise on the Gulf Coast about 4% of the shrimp [1:03:57] that we eat in our country. So 96% of the shrimp that comes, that we eat, comes from other countries. [1:04:02] If you buy it in a grocery store, basically, if you're not on the coast, you're eating shrimp [1:04:07] that is, that comes from sewers, from Vietnam, from Cambodia. I mean, it's atrocious. And I think we [1:04:17] need more oversight on that. You know, they look, it looks great when it comes in these frozen packages [1:04:21] in the grocery store. But we're putting it in our bodies. We're worried about Maha. And it's a [1:04:26] and it's a catastrophe. That's right. One other thing real quick. You spoke about the National Farm [1:04:32] Security Action Plan. How are you working with the Department of War with this for our national [1:04:36] security? I have been so pleased at not just Secretary Hegseth, but across Secretary Besant, [1:04:45] all of the different cabinet colleagues of mine that have accepted agriculture with open arms and [1:04:52] put ag at the very top of the list. I'm now part of the CFIUS committee. I can't believe ag was never [1:04:57] part of CFIUS before the foreign investment relation committee out of the White House reviewing [1:05:02] everything that's happening in America from foreign entities and adversaries. So it's been extremely [1:05:07] positive. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Senator. Senator Schiff. [1:05:13] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Hi, Madam Secretary. Good morning. You were recently in California. [1:05:20] So you know how important our golden state is to producing healthy fruits and vegetables. [1:05:25] This is why last week I introduced a package of six bills to increase support and level the playing [1:05:30] field for specialty crop farmers. I want to thank you for moving in the right direction with an increased [1:05:38] allotment for specialty crop farmers from an initial $850 million to $1.625 billion for assistance to [1:05:46] specialty crop farmers. However, specialty crops account for 30 percent of the total U.S. crop sales, [1:05:54] and the industry is facing several billion dollars in losses due to market disruptions over the last [1:05:59] year and a half. They continue to ask for $5 billion, up from the $1.6 billion, [1:06:05] in additional help to have this funding doled out based on revenue, similar to how CFAP II, [1:06:13] under the first Trump administration, was implemented. [1:06:18] And I wanted to ask whether you would consider increasing the amount going to specialty crops, [1:06:24] given their significant percentage of the food production in the country and their significant [1:06:29] losses, but also if you would consider reevaluating how that, how USDA is distributing the relief and using [1:06:39] the formula similar to CFAP II under the first Trump administration. [1:06:44] We would love any feedback, and we've said that all along. It's one of the reasons that we basically [1:06:49] doubled, maybe even more than doubled, the original plan. As we have made clear, this is, [1:06:56] hopefully, we can lean on Congress to step into these gaps, that USDA sort of bubble gumming and [1:07:02] duct taping some of these programs together is very difficult on the bottom line. So we'll look [1:07:07] forward to working together. But yes, of course, we're always open to that sort of feedback. [1:07:11] And is there any constraint in using the CCC money that you need addressed in the Farm Bill or otherwise [1:07:18] to augment what we can do for these specialty crop farmers? [1:07:25] Yes. So what we've discussed is the CCC is a really important tool for USDA. I don't really, [1:07:30] for the American farmer, I don't know that I really ever really appreciated it until this job, [1:07:35] but it has been at a loan limit of 30 billion dollars for decades. It was never tied to inflation [1:07:41] when it was instituted, I think in the 1930s, if I'm not misspeaking. So yes, there's a lot of work [1:07:47] that Congress can do. It's a congressionally authorized fund, obviously, to adjust and even [1:07:53] just tying to inflation. We're obviously talking to Senator Hoeven and a lot of people on this [1:07:58] committee almost daily about the importance of that. And the other important point of that, [1:08:02] Senator, is that a lot of the really good things that happened under the Working Families Tax Cut Act, [1:08:07] the reference price increase, et cetera, that is going to come, crop insurance, crop protection, [1:08:12] et cetera. The additional money is going to come from the CCC fund. So we are, we're really stretched [1:08:18] right now on the CCC. Well, we will provide you, and I'll make sure that our specialty crop farmers [1:08:25] provide you with the additional information about why using CFAP 2 would be a more fair formula for [1:08:30] farmers and more workable given the nature of how they grow their crops, which is very different [1:08:36] than row crops. I've also heard concern about how USDA is implementing the disaster relief phase two. [1:08:46] Phase two was supposed to be the round that reached specialty crop growers, the ones with shallow and [1:08:51] quality losses who couldn't trigger an indemnity. The payment factor moved to 70 percent and the [1:08:56] deadline moved to August. An extended deadline only helps if growers can get through the door, [1:09:02] but at the same time staffing at the Farm Service Agency county offices is down. Are you committed to [1:09:09] ensuring that these applications get processed by the previously stated deadline of August 12th? [1:09:14] I don't want my farmers left out because the staffing isn't adequate to process their applications by that [1:09:22] date. And can you assure us that the topped up payments for other producers will not lead to [1:09:29] inadequate funding for fruits, nuts, and vegetables? That is, as some farmers go to get a second [1:09:36] allotment, that we're not going to deprive specialty crop farmers of getting even the first [1:09:42] amount of assistance. Yeah, I will note that the reason we extended the deadline is because we got this [1:09:47] feedback. I actually had a call with Senator Slotkin from Michigan, also another very heavy specialty crop [1:09:53] state. I think maybe the number one specialty crop state in the country. Oh, no, no, no, no, [1:09:57] I have to correct you there. Very much number two. Most diverse. Maybe most diverse. But either way, [1:10:03] yes, I will note two important things. Number one, that we will ensure that everyone has the time that they [1:10:10] need. And if you are hearing differently, please let us know. We have worked really hard to adjust FSA [1:10:16] offices to ensure that that is possible. But the second thing, sir, and it may not be as applicable to the [1:10:22] specialty crop industry. But it is important to note that the one farmer, one file we rolled out last [1:10:28] year, the funding program that we put out previous to rolling that out, we, over a course of five [1:10:35] months, I think had 10 or 12,000 payments move. Under one farmer, one file, in four days, we had 57,000 [1:10:41] farmers apply, and money hit their bank account. So we're making a lot of technological adjustments to [1:10:47] hopefully move that much more quickly. But understand the importance of the in-person touch [1:10:52] for many of our farmers that don't want to do it on their phone or their computer. Yeah, and my [1:10:56] understanding is it's a lot more complicated a process for specialty crops because of the multi-year [1:11:02] investment that they make in their trees and their plants compared to what we see with row crop farmers. [1:11:08] Let me turn to one last issue, and that is pest and disease, which remain a evergreen threat in [1:11:16] California. Just one example, the glassy wing sharpshooter is hitting California grape growers [1:11:21] especially hard with an unexpected and severe detection as of a few weeks ago. I'll soon be [1:11:29] sending a letter to you along with many of my colleagues asking for the release of 32 million to [1:11:35] address the sharpshooter. I appreciate your taking a look at that request and also making sure that we [1:11:43] have the staffing we need at APHIS to detect and diagnose and assist farmers with these endangering [1:11:53] pests and disease. Yes, sir. As I mentioned on Screwworm, we've increased staff a thousand percent in the [1:11:59] last year on Screwworm. I don't have the sharpshooter number in front of me, but I will get to that right [1:12:03] away and and we'll circle back to make sure that that's fully funded and in fact probably even put more [1:12:09] more resources on that. Thank you. That and and red blotch have been just devastating to farmers in [1:12:14] California. Thank you, Secretary. Thank you, Senator. Thank you. Thank you. Senator Moran. [1:12:20] Chairman, thank you. Thank you and the and the ranking member. Madam Secretary, thank you for the time you [1:12:25] allowed me to visit with you and your team earlier this week at USDA and I want to especially again thank [1:12:31] you for your department's efforts in regard to Food for Peace. Last a few weeks ago, we had the [1:12:39] Undersecretary, Undersecretary Lindbergh with Congressman Mann and I in in Kansas to discuss trade and to [1:12:46] discuss the opportunity for us to continue our international food aid programs and I want to thank [1:12:53] you for the acceptance and the work that you are now operating the Food for Peace program, the acceptance [1:12:58] from the Department of State and the management and operation of Food for Peace. Madam Secretary, [1:13:05] I just received a text. This is a photo of people in Hugeton, Kansas just yesterday and they loaded 400,000 [1:13:13] bushels of grain sorghum on their way to a port to be used in the Food for Peace program. One of the very [1:13:20] first opportunities that this has occurred. Did you say 400,000? 400,000 bushels and we have four Kansans [1:13:29] dressed in their bright yellow jackets helping in in regard to that grain being loaded. That's a real [1:13:38] that's a beneficial thing economically but there's an emotional attachment that comes with all farmers, [1:13:44] all agriculture producers in the noble pursuit of their profession that feeds a hungry world and [1:13:51] you should take great pride in Food for Peace under your management. I want to make certain Senator [1:13:57] Hoeven has been not not my sidekick but my leader in the effort to make permanent that transfer from the [1:14:05] State Department. Secretary Rubio testified in response to my questions last week of his support [1:14:12] for this endeavor and we want to give you all the tools. I would just ask about one thing that the [1:14:18] necessary employees and staff I understanding is that you're doing the same program with less people [1:14:25] but I want to make sure that the fact that it's a temporary program now doesn't inhibit. It'd be another [1:14:31] reason that we could make a case for making it permanent so that you could better hire longer term employees. [1:14:37] That's a good flag. I'll make sure we look at that too. Great. [1:14:40] Be sure and tell secretary Rubio that USDA is doing more with less please. It depends on the moment [1:14:48] of whether I need something from secretary Rubio but I will be happy to do that at the right time. [1:14:54] Kansas a long time leading state in cattle feeding and I say that to a Texan. Large numbers of animals [1:15:04] are shipped across the country to be finished. Unfortunately this movement of cattle has also [1:15:09] increased the presence of the Asian longhorn tick. Another one for us to be concerned about. It's an [1:15:15] invasive parasite that poses a threat to our livestock industry. USDA's resources are stretched across [1:15:25] numerous animal health priorities but I want to make sure that we elevate the urgency of this issue to you [1:15:31] and to the department as its risks are expanding and present not only in Kansas but now nationwide. [1:15:39] And so I want to highlight that issue. Madam secretary I also want to highlight at the same time the [1:15:46] importance of the national bio agro science facility in Manhattan, Kansas. It's the replacement for Plum [1:15:52] Island currently managed by the Department of Homeland Security. When it transfers from Plum Island to [1:15:58] uh to NBATH it becomes a part of the Department of Agriculture. It is a part of the Department of [1:16:04] Agriculture now but the task will become part of your responsibility. I wanted you to know that I [1:16:08] talked this morning by phone with the Secretary of Homeland Security uh and indicated uh in a very [1:16:15] brief conversation about the importance of the transition between Plum Island and uh NBATH and he uh [1:16:22] indicated a willingness to to work with you and to work with us to make sure that transition uh works [1:16:27] smoothly so it's on his it's on his radar screen. I'm actually headed there after this for a meeting [1:16:32] on another topic but I'll bring it up then too. Great thank you and then um finally I want to mention [1:16:38] about the importance of the haying and grazing of CRP. We've had significant fires grassland fires in [1:16:47] Kansas tens of thousands of acres burned uh significant number of cattle uh affected uh and [1:16:56] boy the challenges of farmers and rural fire departments in fire in fighting fires that cross [1:17:02] huge expanses. One of the reasons I mean I was asking when I was in Clark and Meade counties in [1:17:08] southwest Kansas earlier this month what's why the prevalence of these fires uh they seem to be more [1:17:14] frequent than than in the past and the answer at least in part is CRP and it's kind of the the nature of uh [1:17:23] rainfall in our state. We've been in a multi-year five-year drought but uh about a year ago we started [1:17:30] having rains again and the grass on this on the CRP ground grew and became fuel for fires. Unfortunately [1:17:39] the drought returned and so we had a lot of vegetation that then turned uh flammable and so I'd like to work [1:17:47] with the department uh I'm a sponsor of legislation with Senator Klobuchar and Senator Thune and others [1:17:53] in regard to some of these issues about the improvement of the use the flexibility of using [1:17:57] CRP ground and I hope that that's we understand that it can be a part of uh the farm bill uh as we mark up [1:18:06] that uh important piece of legislation but in the meantime anything that USDA can do and the point I would [1:18:13] make is I didn't really realize this I always have known the importance of haying and grazing CRP ground [1:18:19] in a drought uh and the need for feed for cattle but the other component of that is that CRP ground [1:18:25] needs to be at least grazed to keep it from becoming the source of the fire that kills the cattle or that [1:18:32] destroys their feed. So we have a significant opportunity I think in CRP to better manage and in [1:18:38] in the process improve the environment by reducing the chances of fire. Well and not only that when you look at [1:18:43] trying to rebuild the herd then we need that land to get more cattle on so very important at this [1:18:48] time too that's right that's right no I'll look forward to that too thank you Senator. Thank you [1:18:52] Secretary. Um Senator Lujan. Thank you Mr. Chairman um Secretary if I may continue there where Senator Moran [1:19:03] was you know in some of the western states now and I see vet here it's good to see representative um [1:19:09] recently some of our ranchers that have allotments were told they can't go in because of drought [1:19:15] conditions into some of their allotments in the forest um and similar to what Jim's saying now [1:19:19] you know with the cost of diesel inputs into hay things of that nature you know the same way that [1:19:25] folks in different parts of the country that have row crops I don't know why there wouldn't be a [1:19:29] program to help offset the cost of hay and those fuel costs as well if the federal government is [1:19:34] telling folks you can't go in and you can't use these allotments or because of hay and what's going [1:19:38] on with CRP there might be something that we could do together um you know midwest western states that [1:19:44] that we might be able to figure this out and this issue just came up um I don't know two weeks ago [1:19:48] I was at a commencement representative and um a few of the board members that have cattle herds [1:19:54] were telling me about this and as you know different forest you know different decisions things of that [1:19:59] nature um as well so for whatever that's worth I hope that that's something maybe we can work on [1:20:04] together I would love that yeah um Madam Secretary one of the questions I have I think several of my [1:20:09] colleagues have asked you about it and we're one of the states where the screw worm is now as you know [1:20:14] um and and I have a lot of questions in this particular area but I'm just getting I'm hearing [1:20:19] concerns from folks back home as you know and um I understand USDA has set up a 20 kilometer [1:20:26] quarantine zone around impacted farms and they've redeployed staff as well to help with surveillance [1:20:32] and response the question I have um is with the nearly 20 reduction in APHIS veterinary staff due to [1:20:40] the doge cuts reduction in force efforts deferred resignation program with heavier losses in [1:20:46] concentrated areas like the southwest um is that there's just not enough people um when when emergencies [1:20:53] like this come up and this is an emergency we've known about for a while and with watching that darn [1:20:58] thing you know get closer to the states and then into Texas and now into New Mexico um my question is [1:21:06] have reduction in force efforts at USDA impacted the ability of the department to respond to the [1:21:11] spread of the screw worm so the answer is no it hasn't what we've done is we've reallocated resources [1:21:19] last January 2025 we had 10 full-time staffers on screw worm when we came in the door uh last week when [1:21:25] we confirmed that case as in may we have over 120 so we've increased staffing this is just USDA the state [1:21:32] of Texas has put significant resources as well uh I'm gonna call with your governor very quickly to [1:21:37] hopefully uh work with New Mexico to do the same just a quick point of clarification the the five the [1:21:43] six confirmed cases so far five Texas one New Mexico the New Mexico case was a dog that was brought over [1:21:50] from Mexico so it has not hit your livestock it was actually a companion animal that was transported over [1:21:56] the border and then brought to a vet in Andrews County north of Midland uh but that's why that your [1:22:02] case is not quite as concerning still concerning of course but but the other cases in south Texas are [1:22:07] four calves babies basically the umbilical cord is where the uh the the fly landed the screw worm [1:22:13] landed which is a fly and then a goat so we'll continue to monitor it very closely obviously [1:22:18] you guys are New Mexico is the very next state uh but you have my number and we are 24 7 on this right [1:22:25] now we've invested a billion 300 million dollars in screw worms since we came in the door [1:22:31] a year and four or five months ago we're on it uh we've got to get more sterile flies in the air [1:22:36] and that just takes time it's a radiation facility to get there and secretary if I could work with you [1:22:41] and your team to get you know disaggregated numbers on the staffing side here sure just to understand [1:22:46] that and the reason I asked that is um when uh Stephen Bate and I don't know Stephen's here today [1:22:53] but when when Stephen responded to some questions about staffing these numbers were concerning and so that I [1:23:00] just want to understand what's what because if more people are needed we need to work together there's [1:23:05] conversations about farm bill and this and that we're in appropriation season if we need to get [1:23:10] more folks we need to get more folks so I certainly understand what goals there are out there but just to [1:23:15] make sure that the folks that are needed are going to be there the experts are needed um and a similar [1:23:21] question that I have in that space is um around technology um have have you awarded contracts in [1:23:31] in that space as well with just looking at new new technology to be able to stop this this thing um [1:23:37] what is it technological advancements on new world screw worm yeah yes so we have a hundred million of [1:23:42] that 1.3 billion was uh was a grand challenge and we had about 220 applications for a couple hundred million [1:23:51] dollars so we're we've been going through those now we'll begin to announce those and immediately hit [1:23:55] the green light uh beginning later this week so you'll see those rolling out immediately in addition [1:24:01] to the incredible research that's already being done by our our ARS we announced the novo fly which is [1:24:06] a new strain of fly which only produces male sterile flies of course that's how you solve this they breed [1:24:13] with the screw worm fly the female and sterilize that female fly and then she can't lay the larva which is [1:24:19] what eats the eats the flesh of the animals so just imagine the the exponential uh possibility here to [1:24:26] eradicate this much sooner than later when we're only producing sterile male flies because the 50% of [1:24:31] sterile female flies they're of no use to us it's the it's the boys that we need flying to us sterilize [1:24:37] that the screw worm flies and i understand you you broke ground for that in texas already is that correct [1:24:42] that's right six about six months ago yeah i i joined john corn and we introduced a piece of legislation [1:24:47] like eight months ago on this one um i i was getting concerned that we weren't seeing much activity [1:24:52] and things of that nature so it's good to see that grounds getting broken i always ask why couldn't we [1:24:58] do it sooner i'd still like to explore that well if i may we started that process the minute i walked in [1:25:04] the door last february and got permitting done in a couple of months broken ground but also metapa mexico [1:25:10] we outfitted that was about a 20 30 million dollar project that facility's coming online in a couple of [1:25:16] weeks we began that outfit last year very good and madam secretary you know with there's been [1:25:22] decisions in different parts of the administration with funding you know people say different things [1:25:27] whatever it is can i just get your commitment that wherever we see this damn screw worm those states [1:25:32] are going to be prioritized like now i i get what you shared with on the dog in new mexico or whatever [1:25:37] but texas and new mexico have had it so is that a commitment i can get from you wherever this thing [1:25:42] starts popping up there's that moves that those states up to the priority with responses is that [1:25:46] something you can commit to no 100 and that's that's been the containment effort every model [1:25:52] senator showed it would hit our side of the border texas and new mexico by last summer so we've been [1:25:58] able to hold it at bay for a year why we've been building out these facilities and staffing up [1:26:02] but absolutely and the president has been very clear this is a nonpartisan issue we've got to protect [1:26:07] our livestock industry our hunting industry etc so 100 percent i appreciate it and then last thing [1:26:13] mr chairman just as we close out here madam secretary when it comes to food and nutrition [1:26:18] look i understand all the conversations in this space you know whether it was speaker paul ryan when [1:26:23] i was in the house or everyone that was talking about this stuff um i want to get rid of waste fraud [1:26:29] and abuse across the board everywhere there's kids that are losing meals now and i certainly hope [1:26:36] that there's something we can do to come together there's conversations with democrats and republicans [1:26:41] about implementing what senator murkowski did about a two-year delay to give states some more time to [1:26:47] look at things and how we can be smarter about stuff as well i certainly hope that's something that you [1:26:51] could embrace that you could endorse that president trump i i can't imagine he wants to see kids [1:26:56] not get a meal no one wants kids to be so i certainly hope that's something that we can do together [1:27:01] and just say come on y'all like let's come together we have the same goals we just have different ways [1:27:07] of getting there sometimes so let's just find a way to do this one and make sure that we can we can do [1:27:12] something i appreciate your response there and i hope chairman that that's something we can find some [1:27:15] commonality with thanks for the time today thank you senator and and senator if i may just one quick [1:27:20] point on that we sent a letter early last year asking for all the states to partner with us on [1:27:25] eradicating fraud we had 29 states say yes please help us 21 states said no thank you and i understand [1:27:32] there's some politics and that although we did have some blue states who said yes that we're working [1:27:35] with i would love to help and partner with new mexico and get new mexico's data to help us figure out [1:27:42] where the fraud is and where we can really focus on the kids who really need this let's end the fraud [1:27:47] let's waste the abuse but let's make sure that kids are not going to starve while we're doing all this [1:27:51] stuff i think we can do both so i'd be happy to work with you on that one but let's make sure that [1:27:55] these kids are going to get those meals so appreciate it thank you yeah thank you uh senator hud smith [1:28:00] thank you mr chairman and i want to thank our secretary for being here today and doing such an [1:28:08] outstanding job i along with senator welch think that uh you are doing a wonderful job when i'm reading [1:28:15] the headlines about all of these serious serious challenges with screw worm you give me confidence you [1:28:23] really do that uh usda is going to handle these challenges and you've proven that over and over [1:28:30] so thank you for what you are doing and i was thrilled about the department's recent announcement [1:28:36] on the great american cotton plan and the initiative to increase the demand to improve trade and to [1:28:43] promote u.s cotton as the alternative to synthetic fibers which we'll know is safer it's a healthier option [1:28:51] and it could really be a game changer for this struggling economy and it just makes so much sense [1:28:57] in 1991 there were 181 cotton gins in mississippi big ted kendall down in bolton he still [1:29:07] is running his cotton gin that he has for many many years in 2000 there were only 62 gins [1:29:14] and the total number of cotton gins in mississippi is down to 33. so that is so significant i can remember [1:29:23] as a child seeing the bumper stickers cotton is king it's not king anymore and you know we can bring that [1:29:30] back and there's no reason why we shouldn't there's it's a tremendous economic impact associated with [1:29:36] those figures when gins disappear jobs disappear and the communities in rural areas they have very few [1:29:45] other options but a key pillar of the usda's great american cotton plan is the buying american cotton act [1:29:52] which you've already mentioned and i thank you for bringing that attention there and i introduced it in [1:29:57] the senate and i already have almost 100 members of congress on board with that so what started out a [1:30:05] year ago is some people thought as a messaging bill we've gotten traction because it is so logical [1:30:13] and but thanks to the unique coalition of the cotton belt farmers fashion brands that we all know [1:30:20] and have heard of they've gotten on board health advocates and business leaders across the nation they [1:30:27] are just embracing the buy american cotton act and it's become a major priority for the american producers [1:30:34] as well as the retailers you know we all love fashion we all love going shopping and to think that [1:30:40] we're going to have more american cotton in these products because we're buying it anyway we just want [1:30:46] it safer and healthy and thank you for your leadership on that because it does represent a key step into [1:30:54] restoring the textile industry here in the manufacturing and the supply chains from our adversaries tomorrow is [1:31:01] seersucker day in the senate and it is just an encouragement and started by mississippi senator trent lott [1:31:09] of wearing cotton wearing a seersucker suit tomorrow and i'm going to encourage my colleagues to do that [1:31:14] to acknowledge the cotton farmers and again i commend the administration for endorsing this effort and [1:31:21] appreciate your partnership as you travel throughout the country but madam secretary will you discuss how the [1:31:26] buying american cotton act aligns with the usda's priorities to expand in this domestic market for [1:31:34] agricultural commodities as well as we strengthen our national security yeah your leadership on this has [1:31:41] been really incredible and of course coming from a cotton state i had heard before this job all of the [1:31:47] challenges i didn't quite fully understand how really bad it had gotten out uh in the industry with the [1:31:54] mills etc and it occurred to me that at this moment in time with make america healthy again with putting [1:32:01] america first with opening up the markets around the world with working to reshore and protect american [1:32:07] markets that that cotton should be at the very top of that list and there's certainly been a lot of [1:32:11] struggles and as i have seen with with secretary kennedy these incredible commitments i was just with the idfa the [1:32:20] the dairy uh the dairy team yesterday and you know they've made all these amazing commitments to to [1:32:26] take um you know food coloring out of their ice cream and to do this with their ice cream and just to [1:32:31] make it healthier again and my vision with with your partnership probably your vision too is that all these [1:32:37] great american companies should should be at the table and say from now on i'm going to start with let's [1:32:43] say 20 i'm only going to buy american cotton and then 50 and then more and let's get back to the days where [1:32:49] most of our clothing etc sheets etc are sourced with great american cotton and then let's talk about [1:32:56] it on the world stage and let's make it a priority as we're out across the world i think there's so [1:33:01] much opportunity there and this is this is what our founders envisioned right it's it's the elected [1:33:06] members of the people working together with an executive branch that can go out and fight for the [1:33:11] american dream and the american people yeah you know just the hotel industry and towels and sheets [1:33:17] that's right this is so doable would change everything uh you know i just am so grateful [1:33:23] that we're headed in that direction now because obviously in the past we took our eye off the ball [1:33:28] there another topic i want to discuss is that something you've spent a lot of time with the new [1:33:33] world screw room and that's been confirmed here in the united states that we were expecting and knew it [1:33:41] was going to come and the preparedness that your leadership has put forth to be ready for this it's [1:33:48] outstanding because we certainly thought it would be here last fall and you know the investments that [1:33:53] you've made that uh you know but this pest this screw worm complicates the challenge of rebuilding the [1:34:00] national cattle herd as well from a low record and recent discussions about beef imports have [1:34:07] concerned me and other members of how it could impact the strength of our domestic industry going [1:34:12] into the future we know the cattle market it's a global market it's like any other agricultural [1:34:18] market it goes through highs it goes through lows and we do need to ensure we're protecting our industry [1:34:25] with only the necessary government intervention but we've got to address this shortage that's the only [1:34:31] thing that's going to get us where we need to be because when i go to meetings of cattlemen i look around [1:34:36] the room and you know our average is like in their 60s so we need to incentivize young producers that [1:34:44] they want to get into producing fine cattle in this country and we can definitely do that i know so many [1:34:52] that want to be a cowboy we just got to help them get there madam secretary what is the administration [1:34:58] doing to break down barriers for producers to rebuild their herds and what should congress be doing [1:35:04] to help you achieve those goals well i think congress did an amazing thing in the working families tax [1:35:10] cut act when we increase the uh the definition of a young farmer rancher uh from five to ten years [1:35:16] that allows more access to a lot more programs at usda to to undergird and to support and to you know [1:35:22] vision cast for these ranchers so they see a future in this business especially the first and second [1:35:26] generationers obviously want to protect the multi-generations but the incentive to get into the business is [1:35:32] really important the the magic if you will of the make america healthy again movement is that almost [1:35:39] 400 million dollars a day that usda spends in nutrition programs 400 million a day across across 16 [1:35:45] nutrition programs as we're working to localize and get healthier food and real food like protein or [1:35:52] great american beef into schools into school lunches into the stocking standards for our retailers that are [1:35:58] taking the snap program you know these are all market moving game changing opportunities that [1:36:04] incentivize while ensuring on the back end that we're fighting the law fair fight i mean you all see [1:36:09] this as much as i do we're leaning in and all the ranchers who you know i've got one in arizona fifth [1:36:14] generation who's about to lose his ranch because the state declared it needed more land for solar panels [1:36:20] the same thing's happening in upstate new york with the same thing with 175 year old farm in new jersey [1:36:26] we're fighting for the king ranch family in washington so it is a multitude of issues but [1:36:31] ensuring that we're preserving these great generational ranches from a national security [1:36:36] perspective it's not just because it's the righteous and right thing to do this is a national [1:36:41] security issue while we're incentivizing the next generation to lean in while we're taking the [1:36:47] burdens off you know that the grazing allotments and regulation under the last administration were pretty [1:36:52] severe it was very clear there wasn't really an incentive to support cattle ranching and so we [1:36:57] opened up about five million more acres of federal government land for our western ranchers and giving [1:37:04] them more access so there are a lot of steps we're taking but ultimately i do think this is a national [1:37:09] security and a real priority yes we have to be able to feed our country there's no doubt and another [1:37:15] thing i want to mention i know my time is out is with the timber industry multi-family housing built with [1:37:22] wood that's right there's no reason we should not be going in that direction and i would love to see [1:37:27] some incentives there for those developers who choose wood which is safe and a lot of times a lot quicker [1:37:36] to put up which reduces the labor cost on a multi-family housing that we know we have a dire shortage in [1:37:42] this country thank you that's great thank you senator senator booker uh secretary very patient over here [1:37:51] on the left thank you very much it was actually good to hear from everybody um madam secretary i this [1:37:57] is bigger than you and and and frankly both parties i think uh have been rather feckless in dealing with [1:38:07] the larger trends we're seeing in our country i got here under the obama administration i have seen [1:38:13] trump one i've seen biden i've seen trump two and the trends are staggering what we're seeing in our [1:38:21] country when it comes to farmers and even since our last farm bill we've lost over 150 000 farms [1:38:29] in our country it's 51 farmers families uh losing their farms every single day it's a staggering reality [1:38:41] and i've met with so many farmers who tell a story about the economics of farming just not working [1:38:48] for them anymore we're seeing massive corporate concentration we're seeing farmers i've sat with [1:38:55] republican and democratic farmers who tell me their father and grandfather had five buyers for their goods [1:39:02] now there's one that's dictating price that's correct i see [1:39:05] um them talking about their input costs just going up and up and up and they're squeezing them [1:39:11] that their share of the consumer's dollar used to be over 50 cents now it's down to 13 14 cents per [1:39:19] consumer dollar when we buy our groceries that's how much of it is going to the farmer these are trends [1:39:25] that are staggering and and just since you were confirmed and again i'm not placing this on you i think [1:39:31] we all need to accept responsibility for this crisis uh but just since you were confirmed 15 000 more farms [1:39:39] um have gone out of business and that's that's majority of small farms in our country we have a [1:39:45] real alarm going off and uh from a lot of farmers i talk to they really feel like we're heading into the [1:39:53] kind of 1980s farm crisis that we saw and so i i just often think that we're not standing up to the [1:40:01] gravity of the crisis and to reverse these trends uh the farm the partisan farm bill that came out of the [1:40:08] house it doesn't do anything bold to meet this crisis it's not going to stop all of these farmers that [1:40:15] you talk to that i talk to who are barely making ends meet most farmers now have to take jobs off of [1:40:22] their farm just to uh make uh ends meet and so i i just um want to say that i i just hope this committee [1:40:33] i hope we um when we take our our crack at the farm bill on this side come up with a lot bolder and [1:40:40] bigger ideas and yeah i disagree with a lot of the things that uh president trump's doing and uh i i [1:40:46] believe the tariffs have not been helpful uh i think they've been reckless um i i'm upset with some of the [1:40:52] programs we've cut that i know again i hear from uh republican farmers democratic farmers local food [1:40:59] purchasing programs for schools and and the like uh some of the cuts of field offices but i i again [1:41:06] think that that we're nibbling around the edges and need to start thinking about far bigger approaches [1:41:13] and bolder ideas or else we are going to witness as i said uh with with dozens of farms closing every [1:41:21] single day um we're going to lose our heritage lose the best stewards of our land lose what makes i [1:41:29] think uh this country secure and its economy strong and and so i just put that out there because i i just [1:41:36] want to sound the alarm every chance i get and really challenge all of us to meet this crisis because [1:41:42] right now we're not the trends are continuing they've continued under multiple presidents and we're [1:41:48] spiraling to a point where i think um uh the very idea of the american farmer is going to go from uh the [1:41:56] kind of hallowed uh ideas of of independent family farms to a corporatized system uh that just uh uh [1:42:04] undermines the health well-being safety and economic security of our country i i want to go to some [1:42:10] specifics and and really quick and and just um talk about the food for peace program uh u.s foreign aid [1:42:18] cuts uh that we saw triggered this real collapse in the humanitarian funding i was happy to hear my [1:42:24] colleague talk about the power of that program for american farmers we we've seen hundreds of thousands of [1:42:30] people died as a result of these cuts um uh and and and the usda's restart of commodity purchases for the food [1:42:38] or peace program is something i'm very grateful for the 450 million dollars of emergency food assistance [1:42:44] that the usda announced in february you decided that the food should be sent to seven different [1:42:49] countries last month you announced another 360 million again i celebrate this in emergency food [1:42:55] assistance i'm glad to see the commodity purchases and the difference it's making for farmers globally it's [1:43:01] estimated that there are over 320 million people facing crisis levels of hunger 40 million people on the [1:43:08] brink of starvation it's just something that we need to continue moving forward and i'm hoping that we [1:43:14] can continue to work uh work together um and and make sure that those farmers uh that are uh involved uh [1:43:23] get even more of a benefit of being a part of meeting a humanitarian crisis so i want to say that in [1:43:28] a sense of gratitude i also want to talk about this idea of ultra processed foods i think it's an area [1:43:35] where i'm willing to lean in and partner with you and um uh with secretary kennedy uh diet related [1:43:43] chronic diseases is the number one killer of americans one out of four of our teenagers are pre-diabetic [1:43:49] half the children living in the country are projected to be obese by the time they're 35 i mean we should [1:43:54] be ringing alarm bells and and and the science is now trying tying much of this health to really these ultra [1:44:01] processed foods that now make up two-thirds of the calories for our children again i was really glad [1:44:07] to see the dietary guidelines uh call out the need to reduce ultra processed foods i think we need to [1:44:13] move more aggressively and i'm really hoping uh that uh maybe even for q qfrs um you can really let us know [1:44:22] how you're gonna really update and align the dairy dietary guidelines so that we can get these ultra [1:44:29] processed foods out of our out of our schools i'm hoping that you and your team could move with with [1:44:34] a really great uh sense of urgency and the last thing i'm going to say and then you can respond to [1:44:38] anything you want um uh is just uh something that uh uh chairman thune or leader thune and i really agree [1:44:47] with which is this idea of country of origin labeling um uh as you know we've worked uh extensively with [1:44:55] the biden administration to get voluntary uh country of origin labeling um uh uh requiring any [1:45:01] beef label this product of the usa come from cattle that are born raised and slaughtered in the united [1:45:07] states i i really want to thank you for implementing that policy change but what what i am seeking with a [1:45:13] sense of urgency what i believe our cattlemen need is mandatory country of origin labeling that that be [1:45:20] reinstated and i'm proud to be on a bill with senator thune and i'm really hoping the trump administration [1:45:27] uh will get behind that it protects american cattlemen and women it protects our own industry [1:45:34] as opposed to letting people undercut us um who don't have the same uh labor laws don't have the same [1:45:40] practices it's clearly unfair and american consumers want truth in labeling american consumers want to [1:45:46] support american uh beef producers um so i i just want you to know those all the things are on my [1:45:52] mind i love the fact that i can have a dialogue with you you're of all the secretaries one of the [1:45:57] easiest accessible um but with that i'll give you a chance to respond to anything you want or we can [1:46:02] move on just very quickly because i know we're out of time i as you were speaking thank you for all [1:46:07] of that by the way as you were speaking i was reminded of and i think this kind of checks all the boxes [1:46:12] that you just outlined in a way i was reminded of two farmers that i met in albuquerque new mexico [1:46:18] about a year ago two brothers dad is a doctor mom's a professor they grew up in new mexico both went [1:46:25] off and got fancy degrees from fancy schools both wanted to be farmers first generation in albuquerque [1:46:31] new mexico not the most conducive environment to be a farmer but about 15 years ago they decided to grow [1:46:37] lettuce and i visited so i have it's still in my mind i can see it they have six employees they grow [1:46:43] together and and support both of their families they're both married with children uh they grow [1:46:48] about 250 000 heads of organic lettuce on about three acres in the desert of new mexico their source [1:46:56] goes directly to the school and to the hospital and again never america is the breadbasket of the world [1:47:04] that the support and the honoring of our of our big farmers are the ones that that farm thousands [1:47:09] and thousands of acres that that we have to have that to feed the world but as we're looking to make [1:47:14] america healthy again and as we're looking to open the aperture of the market for first generation [1:47:20] farmers and as we're looking to completely recalibrate our nutrition programs our 16 nutrition [1:47:26] programs in america just through usda that spend 400 million dollars every single day [1:47:31] there's such a almost a perfect storm right now and then you add the chronic disease on top of that [1:47:37] for that sort of farm to come along so you're going to be hearing a lot more from us on that and i would [1:47:42] welcome the opportunity to work together obviously new jersey is maybe on the front end of some of [1:47:46] that urban farming and the opportunity to do a lot more with a lot less land and bring more first [1:47:51] generation farmers in thank you thank you mr chairman senator justice hey brooke how you doing good to see you [1:48:06] good to see you madam secretary you know what an incredible superstar you are no and i mean that [1:48:16] from the very bottom of my heart thank you what president trump has done and what his heart and i [1:48:24] know his heart i know his heart really well and what he's done and what he's trying to do he's trying [1:48:33] just as hard as you to try to fix an enormous problem you know me well enough to know that i'm a [1:48:41] i'm a business guy and i'm an organizer i'm a coach i'm the guy really and truly that's the almost the fix it [1:48:52] guy you know to where you got 18 parts of the puzzle and they're flying in 500 different directions and [1:49:00] you know you got to some way be able to put them together we have an incredible chairman here we have [1:49:07] great ranking a great ranking member we have great committee people that that really have their hearts [1:49:13] in the right spot we do i am absolutely positive as this of this as i can be in every way now i'm [1:49:24] telling you the problem is enormous it is enormous beyond all comprehension and every single moment and [1:49:33] i don't know how in the world that you have your sanity at all right now because with every single [1:49:39] moment there's somebody coming to you be it may be fertilizer it may be specialty crops it may be [1:49:46] forestry it may be whatever but it's coming in every direction known to man and you're doing great [1:49:53] stuff you're absolutely doing all kinds of great stuff now my advice would be just this you know i heard [1:50:05] a long long time ago you know people would maybe go to church and then it'd get up in church after they [1:50:13] got you know they'd walk outside and then it'd be bellyaching about something they'd say well you [1:50:18] know the minister didn't look very good today wasn't dressed up very good or whatever it may be and i [1:50:25] was told over and over son don't listen to the specifics hear the message and what i think we're doing [1:50:38] and this is really concerning to me i don't think we'll get there i really don't because this has been an [1:50:49] ongoing problem for decades and decades and decades and we put all kind we put really all kinds of [1:50:57] resources in trying to fix the problem and at the end of the day it's almost like sticking your finger [1:51:04] in the dike and 5 000 holes and blowing and everything else and you running out of fingers [1:51:10] now look if i could give you anything from this white hair the guy that's done lots of stuff the guy that [1:51:20] you've got to remember his grandparents never had indoor plumbing i mean what is the chances of this [1:51:28] guy that used to be skinny and had brown hair i mean what is the chances of him being here it's [1:51:34] absolutely just like zero zero zero look i would highly highly recommend if there was a way to do it [1:51:46] to where you could pick a couple people that had the confidence of the people that were around them in the [1:51:52] house and maybe a couple people on both sides of the aisle in the house and a couple people on both [1:51:58] sides of the aisle here now you can't get it too big that had the real ear and the real confidence [1:52:05] challenge them to come up with a list of every single thing that they absolutely needed to be able to [1:52:11] get into a farm bill to where we could get through it and we could absolutely make something of it [1:52:19] don't make the members that we're talking to a committee because and i've said it before but [1:52:26] the definition of committee is really simple in my word world it's most generally a collection of [1:52:34] individuals that have never accomplished anything by themselves but collectively they can all get [1:52:40] together and decide nothing can be done that is the definition of committee now what you need brooke you [1:52:48] need some folks that have the ear and the confidence of the people in the house and the ear and the [1:52:55] confidence of the people in the senate and absolutely then you need a plan you need a great big plan [1:53:05] and i know you think you've got all that right now and i love you with all my soul and i think [1:53:09] president trump and you have done unbelievably good stuff but i'm telling you in jimmy's world we're not [1:53:18] gonna get there and there's lots of folks out there that are really hurting and they really are [1:53:25] dependent on us and nobody nobody there's nobody in this room that has the soul any better than this [1:53:31] great secretary right here i'll promise you that nobody cares more in this room than her but you see [1:53:40] i'm that guy i'm the business guy i'm the fixer i'm kind of the organizer i'm the farmer for crying out [1:53:50] loud i understand this stuff really understand it and i'm a coach so with all that being said i would [1:54:00] highly highly recommend that what we don't do is spin around three or four times do a lot of stuff [1:54:08] that we're proud of you know do stuff absolutely that we're really proud of and then we can absolutely [1:54:15] step back and throw back you know on previous administrations and say well they didn't do this [1:54:20] they didn't do this look what we did and we did move the ball but we're not going to solve the [1:54:26] riddle so i would just tell you and you've got to have you've got to have people around you that [1:54:33] really have the ear and the confidence of the people because they're going to have to go back [1:54:37] and sell this whole thing they're going to have to sell it on the house side and sell it on the senate [1:54:42] side and literally you've got a lot of great people to choose from they'll have to be really senior [1:54:49] people so they'll kick me out of the process and everything but i am telling you i mean it when i [1:54:55] say everybody on this committee is on board everybody on this committee wants it to happen in a good way [1:55:02] our chairman and ranking member wanted to happen in a good way all of y'all wanted to happen in a good [1:55:08] way and i will promise you to god above to god above i know president trump better than anybody [1:55:16] and i am promising you he wants goodness for our farm communities our forestry our ranchers he wants [1:55:24] goodness for us and this lady right here is a superstar i am really pessimistic that we're going [1:55:34] to get there but i'll do anything in the world i can to help i'm sorry i didn't ask any questions you [1:55:41] can comment all day long on what i said but thank you so much for being here thank you senator i think [1:55:46] that was well said and uh look forward to doing just that thank you and thank you for your friendship [1:55:55] thank you uh senator schlocken thank you um hi secretary um i have a couple of comments and a couple of [1:56:03] questions um first of all on tariffs you know no matter the intention as as senator justice was talking [1:56:10] about anyone's intentions i enjoy facts and as a former cia officer the facts on the tariffs and what they [1:56:19] have done to farmers are really they're pretty hard to dispute in the president's first term before [1:56:25] your time he put tariffs on a bunch of different um ag products and then this body had to approve 23 [1:56:33] billion dollars in assistance in essentially welfare for farmers and farmers hate getting welfare [1:56:39] in the second term the sloppy tariffs have been thrown on now we have 12 billion dollars in assistance [1:56:47] that again welfare for farmers that's 35 billion dollars that this body has approved because of [1:56:55] president trump's tariff policy and we can dispute whether you think in the long term it's going to [1:57:00] work all i know is that taxpayer dollars 35 billion dollars now some of that um a small portion was set [1:57:09] aside for for specialty crop farmers and i understand um you were on team michigan versus team california on [1:57:17] who has the most diverse specialty crops we appreciate that um and i appreciate you taking my call and [1:57:23] trying to expand both the amount of money that my farmers get small and medium-sized farmers and also [1:57:28] the deadline for which they could apply but i just have to say you know if we're talking and you're you're [1:57:35] highlighting 19 new trade deals that this administration has done why do we need the sloppy tariffs why do we [1:57:41] need them may i respond to that because i bet you very quickly it'll be very quick the 30 billion [1:57:46] dollars you're talking about was approved before we came in so y'all voted on that late 2024 uh that 30 [1:57:52] billion we came in and implemented the tariffs in 2025 so just so you know it but is there not 12 billion [1:57:59] in assistance that you are currently farming out to farmers including mine because they do not have [1:58:04] enough money and have lost access to foreign markets yes or no we've cut the ag deficit in half so we're [1:58:10] actually expanding the foreign markets so that that 12 that 12 billion well 11 billion you're talking [1:58:14] about that came in december of last year that was to address the very high input costs and again that [1:58:20] ag trade deficit and then bringing around um the specialty crops into the back end as we were looking [1:58:25] at the china yeah all i know is that we we cut off markets um we never get them back soybeans never came [1:58:33] back in the way you know the chinese are now buying soybeans so i i don't want i want to actually [1:58:37] know the soybeans are back and even stronger today as is sorghum so that that's all in the last month [1:58:42] so you may not have the most up-to-date information well i will tell you i don't i i think it's hard to [1:58:46] explain why there's literally assistance being farmed out by your agency for a policy that's working [1:58:54] why would you need welfare if you are have access and are going gangbusters on being able to sell abroad [1:59:01] and i think that's that's a like a rational thought for the use of taxpayer dollars separately um i think [1:59:07] again there's widespread agreement i think on this committee on e15 now i'm on team e15 um and i think [1:59:14] there's um some democrats who are against it and some republicans who are against it but there's a good [1:59:19] coalition of us in the middle um and i think that um it means letting our farmers have more opportunities [1:59:26] to sell their product corn farmers ethanol um if this doesn't get done the only explanation i have [1:59:33] is that the oil and gas community has such sway over members of congress um on the republican side [1:59:41] and that uh others maybe in the environmental side have so much sway over democrats that we can't do a [1:59:47] rational policy um on e15 we have all the pieces in place to get it done i would just say your personal [1:59:54] engagement on this issue we keep hitting a log jam um for a rational policy i i want to get this done [2:00:01] i think if we do not get it done this year it's not getting done and i want you to help own that up [2:00:06] here because we need some help it's at a log jam yes 100 on board thank you on chinese communist [2:00:14] party buying u.s farmland and other adversaries of the united states not just chinese so i have a bill [2:00:21] on this there's a million bills on this because the average american just understands that someone [2:00:26] who's a potential adversary of this country shouldn't be able to buy both our farmland and our agribusinesses [2:00:32] like the the the things that really make sure we can feed ourselves by ourselves so um we again we have [2:00:39] a coalition ready to do this the president goes off and meets with xi jinping in this summit with the head [2:00:45] of china and he was asked about this on fox news and they said shouldn't we ban selling of farmland [2:00:53] particularly around military bases and he said quote you you want to see the price drop you want to see [2:00:59] farmers lose a lot of money just take them out of the market so that is officially as i understand it [2:01:06] that the president of the united states is fine with the chinese communist party being able to buy [2:01:12] farmland or agribusinesses please state your official position on whether you agree with president trump [2:01:18] or you do not the president is very focused on protecting farmers as part of our national security [2:01:24] plan obviously understanding the chinese purchase of our chemicals our seed our farmland all of the [2:01:31] above is very concerning and i've talked to him about that he agrees with that okay well again it the [2:01:36] when the republicans have the white house the house in the senate whether it's e15 or in this case [2:01:41] banning the chinese from buying our farmland you want it done you guys own everything and you're [2:01:46] the secretary of agriculture so i it's hard to believe that we really are the president is okay [2:01:53] with selling um land to the chinese it's hard for me to understand it if you're saying there's [2:01:58] something different then prove it by passing it through this body we're ready for it um and then [2:02:05] just lastly i wish i could personally pass things through your body we'd probably be all of us a lot [2:02:09] further along but i understand but i gotta tell you if you started calling people like you know the [2:02:13] senator was saying you have play out here on the hill the republicans own the house and the senate at [2:02:18] least for the next six months so could we please get some personal engagement because i i believe that [2:02:25] this is the window of time to do it um and if we are headed to divided government things get even harder [2:02:31] on things that i think there's a coalition on so that's my request and lastly i just have to say on snap [2:02:38] you know we have you know the the big beautiful bill was the single largest cut in food dollars 187 [2:02:46] billion in our history and we can disagree on our responsibilities in government but all i can tell [2:02:53] you is the facts and the facts are a hundred thousand michiganders have lost their food benefits [2:03:00] 35 000 of that 100 000 are children and because of the delay in um in how you kind of penalize states [2:03:09] for in cost share issues it's going to cost my state another 330 million dollars i want to pass a farm [2:03:16] bill i'm desperate for it but we've got like i can't be expected to watch my people go hungry and my [2:03:22] state incur 330 million dollars just this year and be part of the team so please let's work together on [2:03:30] some compromises and i'm saying that to you but also to my chairman i yield back senator hove thank [2:03:37] you mr chairman uh secretary thanks so much for being here and for your good work uh i want to start [2:03:44] out on uh i know hard you've worked on uh make sure fertilizer is available to our farmers and on the price [2:03:51] you've worked with us on our uh on the ag tech initiative with grand farm in north dakota and our [2:03:57] efforts to link with energy and produce more fertilizer here at home is there anything else [2:04:02] on the fertilizer front that you'd like to bring up and i i know how active and aggressive you've [2:04:07] been working on this issue thank you for the opportunity um mr chairman i i think that it's [2:04:14] really a testament and thank you for giving me a little space to talk about this this administration [2:04:20] is different i was in the first one i'm very proud of the work that was achieved and i think we did [2:04:25] a lot together but this one is different and what i mean is when we saw what was happening and just as [2:04:31] a level set fertilizer was down 50 percent before the iranian conflict from the biden highs but even [2:04:39] today even with the conflict even though fertilizer is way too expensive it's still less than it was [2:04:46] during the biden years and i think that's an important point but the opportunity for me to call [2:04:51] chris wright the head of the army corps of engineers howard lutnik lee zeldin not their staffs not [2:04:59] two months of time and meetings but to literally call my colleagues and say we have a fertilizer crisis [2:05:05] in this country we have a moment in time to fix it while everyone's looking at fertilizer we're going [2:05:10] to do all the short-term things um fertilizer prices are now coming back down even with the [2:05:14] the straight still closed but for the long term i am so bullish on this is a model not just fixing [2:05:22] fertilizer but what we can do for other inputs for our farmers for the long term and i think this is [2:05:27] an incredible first step and i'm so proud and grateful to my partners in this who've stepped up [2:05:32] and said we're going to help with this i agree with you and i think that important point is that you're [2:05:36] focused on not just addressing it now but bringing it down with real solutions that will make a difference [2:05:41] for the long term that that is a vital point that we have to keep in mind that's how to approach these [2:05:47] things to make them better for the medium and the long term not just right now so i really appreciate [2:05:52] that same thing on screw worm and in a way i want to commend you because i mean you're on the front lines [2:05:57] you're in texas nobody knows that but and you were talking to me about that before there were any here in [2:06:02] this country and addressed it uh by closing the border as well as the uh sterile fly facilities uh i mean [2:06:09] you've been on this from the start really important anything else on screw worm efforts you want to [2:06:14] bring up you know i walked in to this job uh i was with you all february 13th of last year uh then [2:06:24] or january 27th i went to the vote february 13th and went over to justice thomas got sworn in walked in [2:06:28] the door of usda and and uh within the first two hours was briefed on both hpai and screw worm the screw worm [2:06:36] um briefing was it's coming it will be here in a couple months this summer we are only producing [2:06:42] 100 million flies a week we're years away like an actual big facility will take at least five years [2:06:48] two years of permitting three years of build um but we you know oh well i guess we're just going to do [2:06:53] what what we have to do and and i said this is not this is not acceptable i we've got to try to do [2:06:59] something so of course we closed the ports i went and talked to the president we got almost a billion and [2:07:03] a half in immediate funding i asked what this breached the dairy and gap in 2021 after decades [2:07:10] of being you know eradicated if you will but that you know tens of millions of people moving north to [2:07:16] america bringing their livestock with them the mexican cartels with the illicit cattle traffic we knew it [2:07:22] was coming put it off for a year but in the meantime uh amped up by a thousand percent our staffing over the [2:07:28] last year i had fda emergency approve half a dozen or so treatments uh texas animal health commission and [2:07:36] and the other states will lead now the front line but we're right there with them opened up the new [2:07:42] facility in kerrville texas the new research facility outfitted the new facility in metapa mexico tens of [2:07:48] millions of dollars we're going to have more sterile flies in the next few weeks we started that last [2:07:52] summer and of course broke ground uh within years ahead of schedule and we'll hopefully be opening that next [2:07:57] spring again years ahead of schedule i say all of that because what i don't understand senator hoven [2:08:03] is how did the last usda watch it coming for years it broke the gap in 2021 moving up 2022 moving up 2023 [2:08:16] spreading spreading spreading hits mexico 2024 there's no stopping it there's not enough sterile flies [2:08:24] why did no one do anything about it until we walked in the door in january and february of last year [2:08:31] it is a question that i still don't understand but we're making a lot of progress and rock walked in the [2:08:37] doors the right term because i think the second or third time you and i talked you were already moving [2:08:41] on getting funding for sterile fly facilities and of course shows the importance of ccc like we've talked [2:08:47] about too but you were on this uh right from the get-go and obviously we're seeing why it's so [2:08:53] important that you were and are and continue to be uh we need to pass year-round e15 the house passed it [2:09:01] deb fisher senator fisher has a bill in the senate and i think along with our uh our great chairman here [2:09:08] and senator thune that we're really ready to go and get that done i i think we're we're good to go [2:09:14] so any thoughts there or encouragement that you want to add to that effort yeah i again we're we're [2:09:21] very supportive this president has been unequivocal in his support when he was in iowa a couple of [2:09:27] months ago which i think helped hopefully hustle this along a little bit uh he's been very it did [2:09:32] it absolutely did yeah yeah i mean since he came out on it i think we've been making progress and we're [2:09:38] i think we're gonna get it done soon knock on wood i mean our guys need it uh thanks for your great [2:09:44] support of it uh on the farm bridge assistance we continue to work on that the farm bridges you [2:09:50] provided so important uh any thoughts there again it's about in the one big beautiful bill uh again [2:09:58] thanks to our great chairman we updated arc plc we've got my crop insurance bill in there that's [2:10:02] going to kick in in october but again getting our guys through with that farm bridge assistance you've [2:10:07] provided has been critical any additional thoughts on that well i know we're we have the three of us [2:10:14] continue this conversation uh you you two up there and and me and how important this is and the good [2:10:20] news is you know aside from what senator uh jim doomsday justice outlined for us a minute ago aside from [2:10:27] that the good news is with these 19 new trade deals surging exports we're bringing input costs down once [2:10:33] this iranian conflict is over i mean fuel was down 50 percent fertilizer was down 50 percent labor was [2:10:38] down 46 percent and that's just in the first year of this administration and you marry that to the [2:10:43] make america healthy again movement and putting real food back in the middle of our policy making [2:10:48] the the the people that will benefit the most other than americans eating better and health [2:10:53] is is our farmers and ranchers so i am very bullish on the future but that farmer bridge assistance was [2:10:58] just that it was a bridge and we've talked about this at length these farmers don't want government [2:11:02] checks they want to sell their goods and make a decent living which they have not been able to do [2:11:07] for some time but i do believe we're making the right moves to get there the last thing i want to [2:11:12] bring up and i beg the chairman's indulgence here but uh i'll finish with this i talked to uh ustr [2:11:17] jameson greer who i think is incredibly capable along with scott best and and and i believe the trump [2:11:24] the trump administration is working very hard to get us access to foreign markets that was a conversation [2:11:29] with jameson greer he talked about additional 17 billion dollars in chinese sales and of course [2:11:38] chairman xi is coming over here in september and i i really think that that that is going to again [2:11:45] kick up more of these sales that we want in these foreign markets and that's very very important [2:11:51] but in addition to that we have to make sure as part of america first we're forcing you know our [2:11:58] uh trading partners around the country to play fair we need free and fair trade but they're taking [2:12:06] advantage of us and they have been taking advantage of us for a long darn time and so i'll give you an [2:12:11] example right now is that we need a 301 investigation on sugar brazil and other countries are absolutely dumping [2:12:20] and uh and taking other actions against our producers and our sugar industry is up against it they're in a [2:12:25] in tough shape ndsu reported about 1.8 billion in losses over recent years because of that so we need [2:12:33] to have a 301 investigation on sugar and we need to adjust that tier two tariff last time it was done [2:12:40] year 2000 now bozer and i've been around for a while but i'm not even you know you were very very young [2:12:45] then uh still young uh but that's 20 over 25 years this needs to be addressed we do have to make [2:12:54] our trading partners play fair agreed i would welcome your yeah one quick thought on that and [2:13:01] i agree with you i i'm not sure i've ever worked with anyone as capable as ambassador greer is he's a [2:13:07] he's been an incredible partner we don't agree on everything but we agree on most things and he's been [2:13:11] incredible in 2023 i believe for the first time in american history we became a net importer of food [2:13:18] instead of a net exporter the fact that brazil has taken our markets in corn uh soybean uh all kinds of [2:13:28] beef all kinds of other things is really really disturbing and that's into on top of china and other [2:13:33] countries that we have to be able to solve for this for national security reasons and and that's how [2:13:39] important i think this is i agree thank you madam secretary appreciate you and your and your team [2:13:44] as well yeah they're the best they're the best senator warnock thank you brother chairman and uh good [2:13:50] to see you again you too secretary rollins uh i've heard you say that we're entering the quote golden age [2:13:57] of american agriculture i i have to tell you that that statement could not be further from what i'm [2:14:03] hearing from farmers and from families all across georgia georgia farmers are telling me that they [2:14:10] continue to struggle with high costs costs exacerbated by president trump's war in iran and his tariffs [2:14:19] which is a tax on all of us on virtually everything secretary rollins last week the administration did [2:14:25] lower his tariffs on farm equipment by 10 i think that's a good move it's a start i'm afraid that it might [2:14:33] be a little too late um and a bit too little uh was this action an acknowledgement by the trump [2:14:42] administration that its tariffs have increased the cost of farming so i really appreciate the question [2:14:50] i think the president um as our chief negotiator is constantly uh tweaking but what i will say and i [2:14:56] realize you and i could have a much longer conversation about this that the very tariffs that you're speaking [2:15:01] of have instituted or led to the 19 new trade deals that we've implemented we're going to have higher [2:15:08] corn exports higher ethanol exports higher tree nut exports higher dairy exports than practically in [2:15:14] american history so we're cutting that 50 billion dollar agricultural trade deficit in half that we [2:15:19] inherited a year and a half ago and for the farmers nothing's more important than that market access [2:15:25] has it increased the cost of farming you're you're forecasting what you think will be the result [2:15:31] but has it increased the cost of farming well again uh the cost of fertilizer was up almost a hundred [2:15:37] percent in the in what we inherited the cost of doing business on average i won't go through all the [2:15:41] numbers we don't have time but on average what we inherited was a 50 input cost so working we brought [2:15:47] all of that down as to the farm equipment uh i think the president is very focused on what can we do to [2:15:54] get our farmers to profitability it's a national security issue so if by removing certain barriers we can bring [2:16:00] down the cost just a little bit then that's a big win for everyone what he has said though is that what [2:16:06] he doesn't want to see happening is the equipment manufacturers pocketing that extra dollar which a [2:16:11] lot argued would actually be the result that the farmers themselves would not see it so as part of that [2:16:17] announcement it was to make sure the farmers got that that benefit not the biggest guys so according to [2:16:24] farm policy news the president's tariffs have increased input costs by one billion dollars for [2:16:30] farmers while erasing billions in access to export markets markets that you you're saying are going to [2:16:36] come online and farmers just hold on a little while longer they're struggling they are struggling right [2:16:41] now there's no question about it i talk to them all the time since the supreme court struck down the [2:16:46] president's illegal tariffs giant corporations have lined up to receive tariff refunds uh madam secretary are [2:16:54] you pushing in cabinet meetings for farmers to also be reimbursed for the billions in tariff taxes that [2:17:01] were passed on to them well again the tariff taxes passed on to them they we now other than a 50 billion [2:17:09] dollar ag trade deficit we've cut that in half so we've opened up 20 plus billion dollars in additional [2:17:14] sales for our farmers under this trade negotiation these big corporations though they're lining up [2:17:20] and they're getting reimbursed i'm asking i'll be happy to look into that i'm actually i think that's [2:17:25] i'll talk to secretary lutnik i'm not familiar with all the corporations lining up but i will look into [2:17:29] that senator all right so so and it's not just the tariffs and and you know you've been you know you and [2:17:36] i've talked before and i'm i'm you know trying to make sure that i'm doing everything i can for farmers [2:17:42] and families in georgia so concerned about the ways in which that they're struggling it's planning season [2:17:49] and it's a business as you know where the margins are narrow to begin with and um you know there's not [2:17:57] there's so many things that they don't control and so these margins become really important when [2:18:03] you're talking about tariffs um but it's not just the tariffs the strait of her moose has been closed [2:18:09] now for over 100 days and president trump's war in iran has destabilized international fertilizer [2:18:17] and fuel market skyrocketing costs right in the middle of planting season is administration planning [2:18:23] to ask congress for more taxpayer dollar more taxpayer money to aid farmers so that they can afford the [2:18:30] cost of this war well the the war the worst so i i know what you're asking so yes let me respond to [2:18:37] that directly and and specifically fertilizer and diesel fuel have been the two i think that we've [2:18:43] seen significant increase in costs since the uh strait was closed but what i think is important that uh [2:18:50] the fertilizer costs that were inherited increased almost 100 percent that had come down 50 percent [2:18:55] before the iranian conflict um the costs went back up with the straight of hormones closing those costs [2:19:01] are still lower than the high peak of the biden years for fertilizer having said that there's still [2:19:06] tremendous amount to work by the way that's the same for diesel fuel as well uh it come down 50 percent [2:19:11] uh iranian conflict happened it popped up but still lower than during the biden years but but yes [2:19:16] opening up the markets reshoring fertilizer back to america in two or three weeks we're going to break [2:19:21] ground in louisiana on what will be the largest fertilizer plant in the world so in the last couple [2:19:26] decades let me just point out let me just let me just point out because though it's it's really important [2:19:31] uh that that context matters i agree that the high peak of the fertilizer calls we're in the middle [2:19:38] of a pandemic which you know we didn't have any control over it it's one thing to have high fertilizer [2:19:42] costs uh because of those kinds of extraneous circumstances uh the president took us into a war of [2:19:49] choice which blocked the the uh straight of her moose and as a result of that farmers in georgia [2:19:56] struggling with both increased uh fuel and increased uh fertilizer costs um but it's not just farmers [2:20:06] that i'm concerned about i'm also concerned about georgia families according to the usda grocery costs [2:20:13] increased about three percent in the last year and expected to increase by another 3.2 percent this year [2:20:19] and at the same time this administration has celebrated kicking 3.5 million americans including [2:20:25] children off snap a program designed to help our most vulnerable neighbors afford groceries when [2:20:33] times are rough and those neighbors by the way are disproportionately in red rural districts those [2:20:39] communities are struggling you've supported aid packages for farmers hurt by trump's policies [2:20:44] would you also support a food aid package for working families who are just struggling to afford [2:20:50] groceries due to increased costs so senator the three percent um is actually an average [2:20:56] cost of food increase over the years under the last administration went up 20 percent but the snap [2:21:02] i think is really do you realize madam secretary with all due respect how sterile that answer sounds [2:21:07] let me the person who's just who's trying you say well you know that's the mean cost but right now [2:21:13] somebody's trying to buy groceries in georgia they can't afford it well but that's because of the [2:21:17] biden administration is the reason two years later that's your answer because of the biden administration [2:21:22] look at this look at all the prices that have come down avocados down 20 percent berries down 13 percent [2:21:27] butter down 13 percent eggs down 90 grocery grocery costs are up you you don't dispute that right even [2:21:33] as you call these individual items you don't dispute that grocery costs are up the affordability question [2:21:39] in america is real and the work to bring those costs down continue and within one year the costs have [2:21:46] significantly come down with a few outliers coffee beef etc but on the snap program sir no one no one [2:21:54] in washington or in america wants to see a family go hungry but the 40 percent increase in snap under the [2:22:01] last administration the four you said 3.5 it's actually 4.3 million that have moved off of snap [2:22:07] no one was kicked off we have more people working today than ever before this is a celebration of work [2:22:13] and the dignity of work and wages are higher than they've ever been before no one has been kicked [2:22:18] off if they're not on the snap program they have chosen chosen not to reapply or they're an able-bodied [2:22:24] adult that can either work for 20 hours a week or volunteer those are the only requirements anyone with [2:22:30] small children is not not eligible there there there there are wages you say you say are going up the [2:22:39] costs are certainly going up health care uh has been doubled from millions of americans and they're [2:22:45] they're having to figure out how to make their lives work in the midst of this many of them choosing [2:22:49] between food and health care will you reinstate the 500 million dollars in funds for food banks the trump [2:22:55] administration canceled last year or do you have an alternate plan to help uh to keep their uh their [2:23:01] stocks their shelf stock listen we have moved out i think a couple of billion dollars into the into the [2:23:07] pantries in the last year and a half i know secretary rubio said the government is not a charity we spend [2:23:13] four hundred million dollars a day on nutrition programs just out of usda there is so much money [2:23:19] in the system so much taxpayer dollar and that's just the federal usda nutrition programs that's not [2:23:25] state or local we've got to figure out how to do it better we've got to figure out how to get it to [2:23:29] the people who really need it the georgians as you say and all across the country and that's what we're [2:23:33] working to do i i would respectfully disagree with your characterization of regarding snap uh there [2:23:41] are a lot of children all across georgia who are suffering families trying to put it together and [2:23:47] um i think we can do better than that but thank you so much children they're they're available so i i [2:23:52] appreciate that too and i appreciate the opportunity to actually have a civil conversation about it of [2:23:56] course thank you thank you sir thank you uh senator grassley i don't think i'll need 10 minutes to get [2:24:04] through this you get to use whatever time you want thanks for being a spokesman spokeswoman for [2:24:14] family farmer i appreciate that it wouldn't surprise you if i was talking about e15 [2:24:20] my i'm shocked my purpose isn't to put you on the spot my purpose is to get some things on the record [2:24:28] from somebody other than the oil and uh ethanol business so we can refute some of the uh lies that [2:24:38] are going on about e15 does the trump administration support legislation for year-round sale of e15 [2:24:46] nationwide yes the president in a speech he did the first term but then reiterated in the second term in [2:24:52] the great state of iowa a couple of months ago his full and unequivocal support will year-round e15 [2:24:58] boost america's rural economy correct have you heard a figure of e15 by law that would bring 14 [2:25:09] billion dollars back into the farm economy that's what the corn growers economist has said correct i have [2:25:16] heard that okay uh will e15 give give consumers a cheaper option at the gas pump yes it will uh in [2:25:29] the midwest it seems to be somewhere between 20 and 40 cents a gallon and in a in a time where we're [2:25:36] working so hard on affordability that becomes even more important does year-round e15 bolster our national [2:25:44] security there is no national security without farm security uh this administration for the first [2:25:51] time in the history of our country has put agriculture as part of the national security plan [2:25:56] and so yes being able to protect uh those farmers and what e15 means to them and opening up a domestic [2:26:03] market while we're opening up the international market is a priority uh uh epa director zelden testified [2:26:11] before another committee in the senate that uh uh during the eight years of presidential waiver for e15s [2:26:21] no small refineries have ever shut down i do know of any information about small refineries shutting [2:26:28] down because i have not heard of any small refineries shutting down uh it's been a couple months [2:26:35] months maybe three months since i talked to you about vaccination for screw worms uh you may not [2:26:43] remember that conversation and i don't expect you to but we talked about it and you were going to look [2:26:50] into it so what's the chances of uh uh use of vaccination to get us beyond us because when i called you [2:26:59] there was no screw worms noticed in the united states maybe they were here but they weren't verified [2:27:05] right so the screw worm is a is a flesh-eating pest and not a virus or a disease uh but there are so [2:27:13] many ways to treat it first we eradicate it with the sterile fly technology which is what we're building out [2:27:18] in america and in and in mexico and in panama that's the billion plus dollars that we put into [2:27:25] into the system uh over a year ago to make sure that that happens there is ivermectin there's feed [2:27:31] and treatment to uh to basically which would probably serve like a vaccination but as far as [2:27:36] specific vaccinations now you and i talked about the vaccination on the hpai when we talked which is [2:27:41] the other sort of big challenge to our chickens and uh and we had a big conversation about that we [2:27:47] consider we continue to run that down but the good news with hpai still a lot to do is that in iowa and [2:27:53] other um significant chicken states egg laying states that the case of hpai has come down almost [2:27:59] 60 percent since last year through the use of biotechnology etc obviously a move toward vaccination [2:28:05] and that lane is uh continuing to be discussed there's a lot of uh a lot of big different opinions [2:28:13] on that so i want to make sure that we get it right the virus hpai will often uh beat and and jump [2:28:19] to humans so that's what we've got to be very careful of and we're working with partners around the [2:28:23] world and seeing what they're doing as well let me give you some advice that you don't have to [2:28:27] respond to in fact i'd rather not have you respond to it but i know that there are voices in the cabinet [2:28:36] that don't like vaccinations and from that standpoint i expect you to speak for agriculture and not listen [2:28:44] to any of those other people that might be trying to convince you that for the screw worm thing we should [2:28:50] be vaccination because they don't know anything about agriculture and you do and you shouldn't be [2:28:56] listening to them and if you're getting pressure from higher up to do that let me know so i can i can [2:29:05] defend you yes i can assure you there there is no pressure but taking very seriously the vaccination [2:29:15] to ensure that it actually works and it doesn't cause the virus to mutate to then jump to more dairy [2:29:21] cattle to beef cattle to other livestock etc and if we move too fast that's what will happen so while [2:29:27] we're bringing the case of hpai down through biosecurity and through other options therapeutics etc [2:29:35] sir please know we are in studying very carefully the potential for what that could look like as well [2:29:40] okay last week your department announced that it would be delaying the poultry grower payment system [2:29:49] and capital improvement systems rule making under the packers and stockyards act during your confirmation [2:29:57] hearing i brought up this rule and the others that were finalized under the previous administration [2:30:04] i said then that the packers and stockyards act is the most effective tool to make sure that the [2:30:11] marketplace works for the american farmers you said you would be looking forward to working with me [2:30:17] to focus on our small family farmers so first of all going back to your becoming secretary and maybe [2:30:28] going back 10 or 15 years i've been involved in trying to help these poultry farmers not be screwed by [2:30:35] the people that they're producing the chickens for so how does this delay help our small [2:30:42] family farmers and does this delay help meat packers more than family farmers sir obviously that was [2:30:50] a biden rule we are very sympathetic i am i know you don't have time but if you were to dig around [2:30:57] you'll you'll see a lot of uh anti-consolidation work from our usda whether it is a doj investigation [2:31:05] into the the big four packers whether it is a investigation into understanding why a chinese [2:31:10] company owns one-fifth of our pork production whether it is an investigation and movement and [2:31:16] action toward investing in smaller processors smaller farmers etc so i i don't it may be true of [2:31:22] other usda secretaries but it sure isn't of me that i'm a defender of of uh of those uh those actions [2:31:30] uh but fully understanding what the challenges are what that rule did and and making it better [2:31:35] is certainly on my list and i look forward to working with you on that but how does the delay [2:31:41] help the small family farmer well can i circle back to you on that i want to get fully up to speed [2:31:48] on exactly why i do know there were some real concerns with the way that the biden team wrote the rule [2:31:54] and there were some real concerns with the profitability and ensuring we are protecting all [2:31:59] american agriculture but uh but let me go back and dig in a little bit more i'll let you do that [2:32:05] because i want to make sure that we consider everything and you should consider everything [2:32:12] but i'll sum this up with by saying that in the usda's notice in the federal register it said that [2:32:19] of the 2800 comments and 225 unique comments quote one large poultry integrator integrator [2:32:31] two meat and poultry trade associations support the delay but the real poultry growers and grower [2:32:40] organizations oppose this proposal my last question will deal with this again fertilizer as other people [2:32:51] brought up uh i'd like to thank you and secretary rollins and the trump administration for all the work [2:33:01] of addressing fertilizer prices it continues to be a top issue uh in iowa from lowering tariffs to [2:33:11] adding phosphate and pot ash to the critical minerals list and more i appreciate all the administration's [2:33:18] doing to provide relief and provide use uh support uh and i hope you support my legislation that would [2:33:26] provide transparency and and i'm sure you do i understand that the department is seeking to hire an [2:33:34] inputs economist to focus on providing insight to farmers on the prices they pay for inputs for fertilizers [2:33:43] inputs and economists uh is the position filled or is it involved in a revolving door well hopefully i know [2:33:54] we've already started interviewing that we're able to uh really bring in a superstar and build an entire [2:34:00] team we have a whole focus in my office on inputs and this is just one more step i think in the right [2:34:06] direction as you all work to pass your legislation okay thank you mr chairman thank you thank you senator [2:34:13] thank you senator grassley um i've got to read my thing so i don't leave out again thank you so much for [2:34:27] appearing and i think this was a really good session and i think i think everybody learned a lot [2:34:34] which is what these are all about so we appreciate you being here your insights in today's hearing and [2:34:42] the hearing will remain open hearing record will remain open for five business days today's hearing is [2:34:49] now adjourned thank you mr chairman by the way these are the usda interns who are so studiously paying attention [2:34:57] attention uh behind me so very happy to have them very good we appreciate you guys very much thank you [2:35:03] thank you so much senator thank you