(KIWA Staff Photo)Boone, Iowa (RI) — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins visited the Farm Progress Show in Boone Tuesday, highlighting new actions for the cattle industry following President Trump’s decision to waive tariff charges on imported beef for 90 days to reduce ground-beef prices.
The move caused cattle prices to drop. Rollins says the USDA will offer an insurance product for cattle producers who retain heifers and cows to grow herds, and the agency will expand loan access for regional beef processors.
The U.S. cattle herd recently fell to a 75-year low as drought conditions forced producers to sell animals they could not feed. Rollins says the USDA will be more flexible in allowing grazing or haying on Conservation Reserve Program acres. She also hinted that President Trump will make a meat-labeling announcement later this week.
On Monday, the EPA announced 29 refineries will receive waivers this year allowing them to skip ethanol blending. Rollins told the crowd the Trump Administration will ensure refiners blend the reduced gallons into gasoline by 2027.
Rollins also announced the USDA will improve smartphone access to surveys and launch an experiment to evaluate how satellite images may be used to calculate yield estimates. She says the initiative will reduce duplicative forms farmers have been required to fill out.
Rollins says the plan will improve the accuracy and timeliness of USDA reports relied upon by farmers and the broader ag industry.
