Ag Secretary tours research center, meets ag representatives

Agriculture challenges abound, and following a round table discussion with Nebraska ag leaders Saturday near Mead, Saturday, Aug. 9, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins acknowledged there is work to be done.

Her visit, the second to Nebraska this year, was arranged by U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. Three other members of the Nebraska Congressional delegation joined Rollins before the roundtable as she toured the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center (ENREEC), learning how the University of Nebraska-Lincoln applies research to give farmers and ranchers science-based information to aid their operations.

“In visiting with leaders in Nebraska agriculture about the challenges they are facing I understand food security is a national security issue as well,” Rollins said.

She pointed to the labor shortages facing different ag sectors and how wheat, corn and soybean producers are hurting with low commodity prices.

“Over the last five years we’ve lost 200,000 family farms across the U.S., mostly in row crops,” she said.

Pointing to Trump’s country-by-country trade negotiations, Rollins said the expansion of markets into South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia will help.

“But it is not a quick fix. Row crop producers have been operating at a loss for a number of years. That’s not sustainable. Hopefully stop gap measures won’t be required, but we are looking at ways to help if needed.”

First District Congressman Mike Flood said 2026 will be a pivotal year. In visiting with growers and bankers they told him it’s going to be tough to make operating loans cash flow with corn at $3.80 a bushel and continued rising input costs, he said.

Fischer, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee, expressed her gratitude to the secretary for making another stop in Nebraska. She added she heard loud and clear that key issues facing the state’s producers are trade, labor issues caused by immigration policies and the need for science-based research.

Another issue raised by the media present revolved around the huge number of vacancies in USDA as potential appointees await confirmation hearings.

“This is a sticky and tough process,” said Rollins. “We continue to encourage Sen. Thune (Senate Majority Leader) to work through the appointments. We do finally have a Deputy (ag) secretary and trade negotiator approved, which will help. But we need to take a real look at getting this process changed.”

Fischer added that with 1,200 confirmation hearings still pending the process has slowed.

“We (the Senate) are working on this over the August break,” she said.

Because of the two-year delay in passing a new farm bill, Rollins pointed to portions of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) that included some of those priorities, including funding increases in the agriculture appropriations bills for trade and agriculture research.

“Hopefully we will get a new farm bill this fall. My commitment is to focus on a Prop 12 fix and getting year-round E15 included,” said Rollins.

U.S. Congressman Don Bacon, who represents Nebraska’s Second District and serves on the House Agriculture Committee, said he is committed to passing a farm bill

“But it takes cooperation on both sides,” he said.

Before she left ENREEC, Rollins hinted that some more good news for agriculture would be coming in the next two weeks. One piece came later in the day as she traveled to the Iowa State Fair to be part of the Governor’s Charity Steer Show with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. She announced that 19 Iowa projects would receive funding through USDA Rural Development grant and loan programs.