President Elect Trump Surprises With Brooke Rollins as his Agriculture Secretary Pick

No one watching the USDA Ag Secretary selection process saw it coming- but President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday named Brooke L. Rollins as the country’s next Secretary of Agriculture.

A native of Texas, Rollins, 52, is the founder and CEO of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) and America First Works (AFW), a pair of organizations that have championed Trump’s agenda. According to Politico- “Rollins, who grew up on a farm, is a surprise pick for the role, with less experience in agriculture policy than those on Trump’s shortlist. Trump’s decision to tap her came amid ongoing fighting over the role among his advisers, family members and powerful agriculture groups.

“Interest in the USDA chief role only grew as it became one of the last major Cabinet posts left for Trump to fill. Rollins had also been in the early running to be Trump’s chief of staff, but he ultimately tapped Susie Wiles.”

Politico adds “The jockeying over the USDA chief intensified in the final hours, including after CNN reported that Trump was expected to tap former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler for the role. Trump, who regularly speaks with Rollins, discussed the role with her earlier this week, according to a person familiar with the conversation.”

On social platform X, Rollins commented:

“Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. It will be the honor of my life to fight for America’s farmers and our Nation’s agricultural communities. This is big stuff for a small-town ag girl from Glen Rose, TX — truly the American Dream at its greatest.

“WHO’S READY TO MAKE AGRICULTURE GREAT AGAIN?” @BrookeLRollins”

Click on the Blue Button for more on Rollins and some of the initial reaction from the Ag industry- plus we have reaction at the bottom of today's email.

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While attending the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Convention, Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with Farm Bureau’s Rural Economic Development Coordinator Amarie Bartel to talk about the Activate Oklahoma programs and more.

Activate Oklahoma is an Oklahoma Grassroots Rural and Ag Business Accelerator pipeline which is essentially a program designed to help startup companies reach profitability faster.

Activate Oklahoma and AgCelerate Oklahoma are for anyone from a community of fifty thousand individuals or less,” Bartel explained.

Companies that stay in pre-profitability for too long often have a short lifespan, so Farm Bureau’s goal is to keep these companies in business and actuate rural jobs through them using these programs.

Oklahoma State University’s Dr. Derrell Peel says the November USDA Cattle on Feed Report says it’s more of the same with on feed numbers just slightly above November first of 2023. He says it’s happening despite the fact that we have fewer calves available because of smaller US Beef Cow herd. “Feedlots have been very creative and very good at finding ways to hold their inventories- obviously, they have an incentive to hold those capacities and they are going to do it as long as they can.”

How are feedlots staying relatively full? Peel says it starts with feeding heifers. Peel says “that’s probably the biggest factor as the October one numbers gave us that we are still about forty percent of the feedlot inventories being heifers and then the last part of that is that the fact that feedlots have continued to extend the days on feed.

"Even though they are actually placing less cattle- if you look at average placements, they have gone down but we have slowed them down in order to hold the inventory high- so we filling the tank slower but we are letting them out even slower than that and that keeps the level high at this point.”

FAPC Spotlights 2025 Food Trends

Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center explores the future of flavor with a look into some of the 2025 food trends.

The culinary landscape is buzzing with new trends, some familiar and others emerging as frontrunners in the industry. Social media has played a powerful role, catapulting certain foods to popularity overnight or giving them a steady rise over recent years. In anticipation of the new year, the Food and Agricultural Products Center has highlighted the trends likely to shape plates in the coming months.

At the top of the foot trend list from FAPC- Sweet and heat: Combination foods with a sweet-and-heat profile – like pepper jellies, preserves and salsas – are all the rage. Made in Oklahoma companies such as Kayterra Farms, Sixth Day Snacks, Southern Roots Sisters and Suan Foods offer products that will satisfy a sweet tooth while giving a pleasant kick to elevate your dishes.

The Amarillo Farm & Ranch Show, slated for Dec. 3-5, at the Amarillo Civic Center in Amarillo, Texas, will return with over four hundred exhibiting companies and a full schedule of opportunities for ag producers to gain certifications and knowledge to help grow their operations.

This popular trade show is back again in 2024 for its fortieth year. Located at the Amarillo Civic Center, attendees of the Amarillo Farm & Ranch Show can see a variety of products and services, including large harvesting and planting equipment for crops such as cotton, corn, wheat and hay, seed varieties, livestock equipment, tools, and insurance and banking services. Of the exhibitors in attendance, several dozen are new to the show. Attendees can visit dealers and see brands such as John Deere, BASF, Massey Ferguson, Claas and Polaris.

There is an increased number of exhibitors providing holiday shopping opportunities this year as well. Admission and parking are free. For a full list of exhibitors, attendees are encouraged to visit AmarilloFarmShow.com.

Attendees will find opportunities for certification and education at this year’s Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show. On Tuesday, Dec. 3, new events include two livestock education sessions conducted by the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine, Building Your Herd: A Look at Implementing Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Cow Culling Protocols and Sustainable Parasite Control for Small Ruminants. Livestock producers can get certified or re-certified at the Beef Quality Assurance Training Tuesday afternoon starting at 1:00 p.m.

Turkey is the most popular dish during Thanksgiving celebrations, yet there are many inexperienced cooks who will be in the kitchen. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is encouraging consumers to practice food safety throughout the entire Thanksgiving process, from the grocery store to the dining table.

“On the most popular food holiday of the year, we’re reminding consumers to follow safe food handling practices starting at the grocery store and going all the way through enjoying your leftovers,” said Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Emilio Esteban. “Following these basic steps can help keep your family and friends safe this holiday season.”

To keep your Thanksgiving food safe, follow this guide:

More Reaction from the Barnyard on Brooke Rollins Being Our Next USDA Secretary

Here's a sampling of reaction to the word from Saturday that Brook Rollins will be officially nominated as the 33rd US Secretary of Agriculture:

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the nomination of Brooke Rollins for Secretary of Agriculture.

“We congratulate Brooke Rollins on her nomination to be Secretary of Agriculture. We’re pleased she has a good relationship with our state Farm Bureau in Texas and hope to build on it if she’s confirmed by the Senate. We’re encouraged by her statement that she’d ‘fight for America’s farmers and our nation’s agricultural communities.’ Effective leadership at USDA is more important than ever as farmers and ranchers face a struggling agricultural economy.”

Speaking of the Texas Farm Bureau- The following statement may be attributed to Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening regarding the nomination of Brooke Rollins of Texas as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 

“Texas Farm Bureau has known and worked with Brooke Rollins for many years. Our organization first met Brooke when she attended our TFB Citizenship Seminar and competed in our youth contests while in high school. Her leadership skills were evident then and during her service in the first Trump administration. She is a passionate advocate for agriculture and is an excellent nominee for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.”

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane issued this statement congratulating Brooke Rollins on her nomination as Secretary of Agriculture:

“From her time as a college student studying agriculture development to her distinguished career in Texas and Washington, Brooke Rollins has a history of fighting for Main Street and rural America. America’s cattle producers need a Secretary of Agriculture who will protect family farms and ranches, roll back crushing regulations, and stand up for rural values—and we look forward to working with Secretary-Designate Rollins to make it happen.”