Fresh from being confirmed as the 33rd Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins headed into her new office, surrounded by family and new staff and acknowledging a long list of challenges and opportunities ahead. 

“There's a lot of work we need to do, but it's also so joyful,” she said during her first media interview, exclusively with Agri-Pulse. With President Trump at the White House, she said those who are serving in the cabinet are given a “once in a lifetime, maybe in a country's lifetime,” chance to return government to the people.  

Her long-term goals include realigning the agency with its original intent of “working for our agriculture community, our farmers, ranchers and our rural communities” and more broadly, bringing prosperity back to rural America.  

“There is no doubt that people in this country are hurting, especially in corners of rural America that are often overlooked,” she emphasized. “Whether we're talking about things like rural housing, rural child care, whatever it may be, if we can bring this cabinet together, which I believe we can, and work across the agencies to ensure that we're really bringing the American dream to every corner.”

Rollins arrived in office shortly after the Trump administration had offered federal employees an opportunity to resign in exchange for pay through September. About 75,000 employees accepted the offer by Wednesday’s deadline, but Rollins said she had not yet been briefed on how many are in USDA’s workforce, which has numbered up to 100,000 employees. 

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“I think the numbers will perhaps be significant, but I also think it is an amazing opportunity for us to bring in new talent and bring in people who are excited to fight for American agriculture,” she said. 

In the short term, Rollins says she is focused on implementing Trump's vision of a more streamlined and effective government. She plans to work alongside Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to realign the agency around its core and central purpose of supporting farmers and ranchers.

Rollins said the DOGE team has already identified hundreds of programs supporting identity politics and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) which she will call back and move those funds into other efforts supporting farmers and ranchers.

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She’s also eager to get personnel back to this “beautiful building” in Washington, D.C., and to address issues that are front of mind for the entire ag community, including avian influenza. She was headed into a briefing on the bird flu shortly after her interview with Agri-Pulse and had several other meetings planned into the evening. 

“I expect that we'll be able to roll out some announcements on this next week,” she added. 

Over the next few days, Rollins said she would be reviewing “very, very carefully” government contracts that have been frozen, leaving farmers and ranchers uncertain about whether or not they will be reimbursed for expenses incurred under programs like the Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities. She hopes to have some answers as soon as next week. 

“Our intent is to ensure that the programs are supporting our farmers and our ranchers, but that we're also aligning with the president's vision on any commitments that have been made,” she explained, while adding that he would not support “green new deal specific programs that don’t align with where he thinks the country needs to go.” 

She is also closely following President Trump’s announcement today that lays the groundwork for reciprocal tariffs. Asked about how U.S. farmers might be supported if other countries retaliate and shut down ag exports, she recalled her conversation with the president shortly after her Senate confirmation vote. 

“He called to congratulate me, and we talked about the votes, and we talked about the work ahead, and without me even beginning the conversation, he immediately said ‘tell the farmers that we are with them, and that we are going to make decisions that will do nothing but help them,’” she said.  

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