U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins visited the Farm Progress Show in Boone yesterday (Tuesday), touting announcements for the cattle industry that came after President Trump waived tariff charges on imported beef for 90 days to reduce ground beef prices for consumers. The move caused cattle prices to drop. Rollins says the U-S-D-A will offer an insurance product for cattle producers who retain heifers and cows to grow their herds and the agency will provide more loans for regional beef processors.
The number of cattle in the U-S recently hit a 75-year low as farmers sold cattle they could not feed after droughts reduced the volume of grass available in pastures. Rollins promises the U-S-D-A will be more flexible in granting access to Conservation Reserve Program acres for grazing or providing hay to cattle. She also hinted the president will make a meat labeling announcement later this week.
On Monday, the E-P-A announced 29 refineries are getting waivers this year so they do not have to add ethanol to gasoline. Rollins told the crowd in Boone the Trump Administration will ensure refiners blend the gallons reduced from this year’s tally into gasoline by 2027.
Rollins also announced the U-S-D-A will improve smart-phone access to surveys and launch an experiment to evaluate how satellite images may be used to calculate yield estimates. Rollins says the initiative will reduce the duplicative surveys and forms farmers have been required to fill out.
Rollins says the plan will improve the accuracy and timeliness of U-S-D-A reports that are widely used by farmers and others in the ag industry to make decisions.
