Rollins outlines policy to boost small family farms
After nearly 100 days of traveling the nation and visiting directly with hundreds of farmers across America, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins recently released the first set of policy proposals under her newly launched Make Agriculture Great Again Initiative.
These initial proposals are a comprehensive set of policy solutions aimed at improving the viability and longevity of smaller-scale family farms for generations to come. About 86% of all farms in the United States are small family farms. To ensure small family farmers can start and stay in business, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has outlined a toolkit of actions, including the streamlining of application processes, improving reliable access to credit, farmland, and markets, and appropriate business planning tools.
The Small Family Farms Policy Agenda provides actionable solutions to a variety of challenges faced by small family farmers:
- Ensure simple streamlined and transparent tools and applications;
- Ensure reliable access to credit;
- Ensure working farmland is used to farm;
- Ensure small farms can be passed on to the next generation for generations to come;
- Hyperfocus USDA programs for farmers on farmers;
- Labor reform;
- Enhance access to risk management and business planning tools;
- Ensure definitions of farm size reflect modern day realities;
- Enhance farmer access to educational resources;
- Other small farm resources available.
This policy rollout builds on the Farmers First Roundtable event recently held at the USDA headquarters in Washington D.C., where the secretary met with and heard from more than 20 farmers and ranchers from 11 states who run smaller-scale, family-owned operations, as well as Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and the board of directors of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture about challenges facing smaller-scale family farms across America.
“America’s family farms help feed, fuel, and clothe the world, but they also face some of the greatest challenges in getting their farms started and keeping them running. Putting Farmers First means addressing the issues farmers face head-on and fostering an economic environment that doesn’t put up roadblocks on business creation but removes them,” Rollins said.“Today’s policy agenda is tailored specifically to support small-scale farms to thrive for generations to come. President Trump knows America’s economic prosperity depends on the success of our farmers and ranchers. That is why we are working to ensure those who want to start and keep their own farms for generations to come are able to.”
“Our family-owned farms and ranches are at the heart of agriculture in America and are the backbone of the economy in states like Nebraska,” said Gov. Jim Gillen. “Generations of producers have passed down the love of farming, strongly-rooted values, and common-sense stewardship of our land and water to the next generation. I’m glad that Secretary Rollins and the USDA are highlighting the value and importance of family owned and small operations as part of our efforts to put Farmers First. I look forward to this tremendous initiative, and I am thrilled that she chose to launch it from a family farm right here in Nebraska.”
Govs. Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Mike Kehoe of Missouri, Larry Rhoden of South Dakota, and secretaries of agriculture Mike Naig of Iowa, Blayne Arthur of Oklahoma, and Wes Ward of Arkansas, offered similar remarks about the importance of small family farms and ranches.
