800 326 9054Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins addressed Chinese ownership of U.S. land, New World Screwworm and more at a lively congressional hearing on USDA budget priorities.
Trump administration plans to bring down skyrocketing fertilizer costs were also discussed by Rollins at the House Appropriations ag subcommittee hearing on Thursday. Read more here.
The U.S. agriculture chief singled out foreign buying of U.S. farmland and ag companies, particularly by U.S. adversaries, as an urgent matter. “I don’t know that there is a more perilous threat in front of us,” Rollins said. “In 1983, China owned about 2,000 acres in America. Today, they own 300,000 acres of what was good American farmland, a lot of it around military bases.”
In absence of a congressional directive, Rollins said work by states like Arkansas is crucial in fighting back. Rollins also cited efforts by foreigners to steal U.S. secrets and disrupt domestic systems as a “major issue.”
The comments came during a hearing on President Donald Trump’s request to cut the Department of Agriculture’s “bloated” bureaucracy. The White House seeks to slash USDA’s fiscal 2027 budget by $4.9 billion, or 19%, from current funding levels, and eliminate international food aid programs.
Other hearing highlights include:
- On the request to further cut staff at USDA, including the Farm Service Agency, Rollins said the administration must ensure it is using tax dollars wisely, and noted progress in developing new tools allowing farmers to access USDA services online, like the current bridge payments. She also asked lawmakers to tell her if an FSA office isn’t responsive to farmers. “I’m not living in some Pollyanna world. These are very difficult times.”
- Rollins said she’ll be at the U.S.-Mexican border for the fourth time talking about efforts to fight New World Screwworm and the threat to U.S. cattle. On Friday, ground will be broken on a nearly $1 billion sterile fly facility aimed at fighting the disease, she said.
- On when farmers can expect congressionally approved funds related to organic farming, Rollins said there will be more evident progress ahead but “it’s a slow recalibration” toward organic and regenerative farming.