President-elect Donald Trump’s selection for agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, told Agri-Pulse Wednesday her meetings with senators this week have been "extremely productive" and highlighted the regional and bipartisan nature of farm policy.
“It's been illuminating. It's been inspiring,” she said in a brief interview between meetings with the senators who will have to confirm her nomination.
Rollins, 52, has been president of the America First Policy Institute, an organization closely allied with President-elect Donald Trump, since its founding in 2021. She served as director of the Domestic Policy Council and assistant to the president for strategic initiatives during the first Trump administration.
Rollins has met with all current Republican members of the Senate Agriculture Committee except for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky.
John Boozman of Arkansas, who will chair Senate Ag next year, said Rollins is “ready to hit the ground running and work with Congress to deliver a farm bill that addresses the needs of America’s agricultural producers.”
Incoming Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman and Brooke Rollins. (Photo: @SenateAgGOP on X)Rollins also met with incoming ranking member of the committee, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, on Wednesday.
Rollins noted that “agriculture is very regional,” saying that the topics of meetings varied by the senator’s home state.
Rollins said she discussed dairy policy with Vermont Democrat Sen. Peter Welch and issues facing corn growers with Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. She had a conversation about Pennsylvania’s rural communities with Democratic Sen. John Fetterman.
Fetterman told Agri-Pulse his meeting with Rollins was “very productive.” There was an agreement that it was off the record, so he couldn’t provide specific details. “But I promise you, we're going to have plenty of things that we would agree with,” he added.
Backers of Rollins say her close connection to Trump as a former White House adviser and head of the America First Policy Institute makes her a valuable ally because she will have the president’s ear. Her previous positions running the Texas Public Policy Foundation for 15 years and working directly on state issues in her previous White House role will position her with an understanding of varying regional issues.
Appointed Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins (center) with her FFA advisor Gary Rosenbusch (right) and fellow FFA members. Rollins was a Texas FFA State Officer. (Photo: @BrookeLRollins on X)Rollins grew up active in 4-H and FFA – including serving as a state FFA officer – as well as raising horses and showing goats in her hometown of Glen Rose, Texas, southwest of Fort Worth. She was also first runner up in the Miss Texas Farm Bureau contest and served as the first female student body president at Texas A&M University.
Rollins was quick to share about her fondness for Hereford cattle and beamed when discussing the busy livestock exhibition schedule her children will compete in next year.
Agriculture groups across the industry have extended statements praising her agriculture background and shared their excitement for the opportunity to work together in the future.
Reflecting on her meetings with lawmakers so far, Rollins said “one of the key takeaways for me is that protecting our rural communities and protecting farmers and ranchers is not a Republican versus Democrat issue. It really is bipartisan.”
She added, “How can we all work together? How can we all agree to elevate and honor the backbone of our country, which is our agriculture industry?”
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