During AgRally 2025, American agriculture’s New Year celebration, President Trump’s pick to be Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, took a few moments to reflect and get personal. When questioned about more rural representation sitting at the President’s table than we’ve seen in decades, and the message that sends to America's agriculture community, Rollins shared a story she hadn’t shared with anyone else until that moment.
“It just gave me chill bumps” Rollins stated. “I just realized I haven’t even told this story yet … this is the first time.”
Secretary Rollins then reflected on a lunch she had just days before. “I was sitting in the Navy mess with three other Cabinet members, who … we were all having lunch together. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security; Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the Small Business Administration; and Lori Chavez-DeRemer who just recently was confirmed as the U.S. Labor Secretary. It was the four of us and, all of a sudden, we start talking about ‘oh yeah, well I was riding my horses a few days ago’ … ‘oh yeah, I went out to check my family’s crops in California’, that was Lori … ‘oh yeah, I just went back to the Midwest where my family has been farming for generations’.” As though that moment weren’t surreal enough, Rollins also noted that the four farmers talking around their Navy mess lunch table were all women.
“And I was sitting there, and I’m like thinking to myself how unbelievable it is we are at a moment in history, that we are all called to meet that moment, that we’re trying to save America at her 250th birthday, a birthday born from the sacrifice of patriotic farmers a quarter millennia ago … and here I am sitting in the Navy mess with these three other amazing ladies … the four of us all representing different parts of the Cabinet, all picked by President Trump for different reasons, and who all come from the same agricultural background. And to your point, there are many more in the Cabinet … Scott Bessent, our Secretary of the Treasury, has a farming operation in North Carolina … all the way across the Cabinet, almost every single person…”
Secretary Rollins went on to speculate that this common rural/agriculture bond among so many of the Cabinet members is largely why they are perhaps the most “family-like” Cabinet in our lifetimes … a direct reflection of the tight-knit support the American agriculture community is known for.
Within her 20-minute appearance during American agriculture’s New Year celebration, Secretary Rollins also took questions from farmers and ranchers in attendance:
* Iowa’s Devin Kruse asked about how future trade deals would be negotiated under new trade rules President Trump is forcing trade partners to accept;
* Donald Broom, of Colorado’s Sombrero Ranch, asked about helping farmers & ranchers with new/additional financial & risk management tools;
* Kansas rancher Jim Mueller posed a question asking if USDA had any thoughts on when cattle markets and input costs may stabilize.
To see the whole interview, including farmer/rancher Q&A, visit www.agrally.com.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
If you missed Ag Secretary Rollins during AgRally, please take a few minutes to watch the entire interview. Everyone in the RFD-TV studio was blown away by her charisma, intellect and knowledge of agricultural issues. She is down to earth and ready to get down to work for America’s farmers and ranchers. One of her top priorities is to protect current trade relationships while simultaneously building new ones. There is no doubt she will be successful and farmers/ranchers will realize more income. You know – more income equals more truck sales!
