Agriculture Industry Reacts to Nomination of Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture

On Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump tapped surprise pick Brooke Rollins to be the next USDA Secretary of Agriculture. For weeks, the industry had been speculating who would be next to lead the department.

Agricultural industry groups and several other contenders for the position were quick to react to the news.

National Sorghum Producers

Amy France, a sorghum farmer from Scott City, Kansas was among the first to comment on President-elect Trump’s nomination of Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture.

“We congratulate Brooke Rollins on her nomination as Secretary of Agriculture. This is an important moment for U.S. agriculture, and we are optimistic about the opportunities her leadership will bring to rural America,” said France, Chairwoman of the National Sorghum Producers.

Sorghum farmers are at the forefront of innovation, contributing to domestic biofuels and heart-healthy, nutritious ancient grain foods. We are eager to work with her to advance policies that strengthen the sorghum industry and benefit growers nationwide.”

National Corn Growers Association

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is a farmer-led trade organization that represents the interests of more than 300,000 farmers.

President Kenneth Hartman Jr. offered congratulations on behalf of the organization, “We congratulate Brooke Rollins on her nomination to be the next Secretary of Agriculture. We look forward to working with Ms. Rollins and the president-elect on issues of importance to production agriculture, including the expansion of domestic and international markets for corn and improved farm and tax policies.”

National Grain and Feed Association

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) consists of grain, feed, processing, exporting, and other grain-related companies that operate facilities handling U.S. grains and oilseeds. The organization consists of 27 affiliated State and Regional Grain and Feed Associations.

President and CEO Mike Seyfert released this statement Saturday after the nomination announcement, “On behalf of the member companies of the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), I congratulate Brooke Rollins on her nomination by President Trump as Secretary of Agriculture in his cabinet. NGFA’s members represent much of the food and agriculture food chain, and we are excited to partner with Ms. Rollins and the entire Trump team to deliver for U.S. agriculture. I am confident she will bring valuable insight to the issues important to NGFA members and the entire food and agriculture chain. NGFA and I congratulate and look forward to working with her to Transform America’s Harvest.”

Growth Energy

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor reacted to Rollins’ nomination saying, “Growth Energy looks forward to engaging with Secretary Designate Rollins and demonstrating how our industry is vital to growing jobs and innovation across rural America and unleashing American energy dominance. The USDA Secretary is rural America’s voice in the White House, and we will work hard to ensure Rollins is well-positioned to deliver on President Trump’s rural agenda, expand markets for homegrown renewable fuel, and bring more low-cost options to the pump.”  

American Farm Bureau Federation

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is the national advocate for farmers, ranches, and rural communities. Farm Bureau members in over 2,800 counties meet annually to discuss and vote on ag-related policies, and those policies set the agenda for state Farm Bureaus and AFBF.

In a statement released Saturday, AFBF President Zippy Duvall said, “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.”

Glenn Thompson 

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), who was among the names floated for secretary, congratulated Rollins on the nomination on X. Thompson said he’s looking forward to working with Rollins “to make agriculture great again!”

Abel Maldonado 

Abel Maldonado, who was also on the unofficial short list for USDA secretary, echoed support for Rollins by reposting several congratulatory messages on X on Saturday. Maldonado was 48th Lieutenant Governor of California during Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration. 

Kip Tom 

Kip Tom, who was also on Trump’s unofficial short list for the position, offered up his congratulations to Rollins on X. “Brooke has been a Trump loyalist from the beginning and having grown up as part of a generational farming family, agriculture is in her DNA. I stand ready to assist with issues related to agriculture and rural America,” he said. Tom served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture during the first Trump administration.