Confirmation Vote for USDA Secretary Nominee Brooke Rollins Coming Today

Starting at 9:30 AM central- the US Senate will be voting on first Robert F Kennedy Jr for HHS Secretary- and then Brooke Rollins for the USDA Cabinet Post.

It appears that President Trump will get both picks approved- Kennedy on a straight line party vote and Mrs. Rollins with several Democrats also giving her a "yes" vote.

Politico reports "After the vote on Kennedy, the Senate is expected to confirm Rollins as secretary of Agriculture, “with all Republicans and many Democrats likely to support her nomination.

"Why the bipartisan support? Republican senators “are hoping she’ll be a voice for agriculture during Cabinet discussions about Trump’s plans for tariffs and mass deportations. Several Democratic senators have also signaled they’re open to supporting Rollins’ nomination. They’ll have to work with her on farm bill negotiations, workforce issues and other USDA programs that their constituents rely on.”

Following CattleCon 2025, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays caught up with the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association’s Executive Vice President, Michael Kelsey to discuss the association’s legislative priorities.

Coverage of CattleCon 2025 is powered by Farm Data Services of Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma State House of Representatives has restructured its committees, now having a policy committee and an oversight committee, meaning that proposed bills must make it through both committees before making it to the House floor.

“From a logistical standpoint, it is very important to watch and be aware of that process,” Kelsey commented. “Most of the time, bills that make the news before the session and at the beginning of the session, struggle to move. They are so unique or controversial that they just generally don’t.”

National Livestock was founded in 1932 in Oklahoma City. National’s Marketing Division offers cattle for sale weekly at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City. The Finance Division lends money to ranchers across several states for cattle production. The Grazing Division works with producers to place cattle for grazing on wheat or grass pastures. 

Dakota Moss with Livestock Risk Services is also a part of the National Livestock Family.

National also owns and operates other livestock marketing subsidiaries including Southern Oklahoma Livestock Auction in Ada, Oklahoma, OKC West Livestock Market in El Reno, Oklahoma, and the nation’s premier livestock video sale, Superior Livestock Auction. National offers customers many services custom made for today’s producer. To learn more, click here for the website or call the Oklahoma City office at 1-800-310-0220.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released the following statement regarding the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) review of former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack’s choice to modify the longstanding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) obligation practice.

“Make no mistake, Secretary Vilsack and Deputy Under Secretary Stacy Dean put politics over commonsense, ignoring scores of USDA financial analysts and policy experts. Using a memorandum from the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities as their guide, Vilsack and Dean compromised the integrity of SNAP, the financial standing of USDA, and further eroded public trust,” said Kailee Buller, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “The Trump Administration will immediately correct this egregious action, making certain material weaknesses like this do not happen again.”

Randy Blach’s Take on Beef Supply, Demand, and Industry Growth

At CattleCon 2025, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays had the chance to catch up with the CEO of CattleFax, Randy Blach, and talk about the strengths and challenges of the beef industry today.

Coverage of CattleCon 2025 is powered by Farm Data Services of Stillwater, Oklahoma.

“There is so much opportunity,” Blach stated about the beef cattle industry today. “To see these kinds of profitability numbers in the industry, and hopefully, we will get adequate moisture throughout the year so we can keep a few more heifers, but expansion has been slow.”

His message to producers was that the strong prices seen today may last a couple more years, and he predicts that the top of it will be seen by the end of 2025. Under the current profitability figures, he also sees producers begin to keep some heifers and cull fewer cows.

Kent Lorens and Derek Sawyer each consider themselves to be “mere links in the reliable wheat supply chain.”

But without farmers like them, there is no chain.

Thus, the two play major roles in a new U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) video project that tells the story of how a reliable system of trucks, trains and ships moves U.S. wheat from farm field to grain elevator to shipping port and finally on to customers around the world.

The video focuses on wheat grown in Plains states for export out of the Texas Gulf. It includes footage and interviews with a major customer of U.S. wheat. A key figure at an export facility in Houston, Texas is also highlighted.

The American Soybean Association applauds Sen. Jerry Moran and Rep. Tracey Mann for introducing legislation to maintain the Food for Peace Program as the Trump Administration continues its audit of federal agencies and programs. Food for Peace supplies food-insecure communities throughout the world with nutrition assistance that includes U.S. soy.

“U.S. soybeans play an important role in addressing global hunger,” said Caleb Ragland, ASA president and a soybean farmer from Kentucky. “Soybeans are the only plant-based protein that provides all nine amino acids essential for human health, and our farmers have been proud to support international food assistance programs. ASA strongly supports efforts to protect these programs and to ensure U.S. grown commodities continue to feed vulnerable populations around the globe. We thank Representative Mann and Senator Moran for their leadership on this important issue.”

ASA was grateful to see the recent announcement from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service that activities critical to addressing global hunger are continuing. U.S. soybean farmers strongly support the Food for Progress program and the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program. Both programs play an important role in feeding people around the world, while building a foundation of long-term trading relationships for U.S. agricultural products.

The United States Agency for International Development administers the Title II Food for Peace program, which is the U.S.’s flagship international food aid program. In FY2024, USAID procured roughly $110 million worth of U.S. soy for Food for Peace. USAID has also utilized Food for Peace to procure Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF), of which soy is a critical ingredient.

In addition to Food for Peace, ASA supports the restoration of program funding for the 19 Feed the Future Agriculture Innovation Labs housed at land-grant universities. These facilities, including the Soy Innovation Lab, support critical research to combat agricultural challenges in underdeveloped countries and further expand markets for U.S. soybean farmers.

The 2024-25 National FFA Officer Team recently returned from the National FFA Officers International Experience Program (NOIEP) in Japan, where they experienced Japanese culture and agriculture in partnership with sister organization Future Farmers of Japan (FFJ). This annual trip provides National FFA Officers the chance to experience firsthand how agriculture transcends geographical boundaries and strengthen a partnership that dates back to 1950. 

The NOIEP develops the national officers’ language skills, business practices, and communication techniques to build cross-cultural cooperation while providing an opportunity for them to practice peer leadership on an international scale, explore the complexities and implications of agriculture as part of the international landscape, and expand their cultural competency through reflected and guided instruction. 

Democrats Warn Farm Bill Problems Ahead if GOP Cuts SNAP by $230 Billion

Both of the Ranking Minority Members of the Ag Committees in the House and Senate are warning Republicans that the proposed Budget Resolution they are working on could sink chances for a Farm Bill deal.

Top Democrat on the House Ag Committee, Angie Craig of Minnesota says “A bipartisan farm bill has always been a coalition between the farmers who produce the food and Americans who need a helping hand. Today, it appears House Republicans are proposing to cut funding for hungry children, seniors and veterans to help partially pay for their tax bill. 

“Taking $230 billion out of the food economy hurts the farmers who grow our food, the truckers who move it, the processors who package it and the grocery stores that sell it. Cutting farm bill nutrition programs does not make life affordable for everyday people. Instead of cutting SNAP to pay for handouts to wealthy donors, Republicans should prioritize helping working people and rural economies. Farmers and families are tightening their belts to make ends meet and cutting critical aid to our neighbors during a time of increased prices is not the answer.

“If my Republican colleagues move forward with this plan, it will certainly make getting a bipartisan farm bill across the finish line more difficult.” 

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, has echoed Craig in a statement from her office- click here to read it.