Ag Sec’y Rollins Delivers Remarks At Commodity Classic, Announces Next Steps For Economic Disaster Relief

Source: USDA news release

Denver, CO – Yesterday evening, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins delivered remarks at Commodity Classic, where she announced the Department’s plan to distribute the economic and disaster aid passed by Congress late last year. She also walked the trade floor and met with leaders of the four primary commodities represented at the event: corn, soybean, wheat, and sorghum.

“The state of the Ag economy–especially for row crop producers–is perhaps the worst it’s been in one hundred years,” said Secretary Rollins. “Fortunately, the era of economic malaise and decision paralysis ended the day President Trump took the oath of office. Working alongside each of you, we are going to chart a new course for American agriculture.”

During her remarks, Secretary Rollins provided an update on the ongoing review of IRA and IIJA funds and also announced the next steps for distributing the $30 billion in economic and disaster relief that Congress passed late last year.

On the ongoing review of IRA and IIJA funds, Secretary Rollins said: “Today, I am happy to share we have completed our review and have released funds for the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). We are still reviewing other programs to make sure they are focused on making American Ag the most competitive in the world.”

Additional announcements will be forthcoming soon.

On the $10 billion in economic assistance passed by Congress, Secretary Rollins said, “My team has been working around the clock to stand up this process. Today, I am proud to announce that the economic assistance program will be called the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, or E-CAP. Congress gave us 90 days to start distributing the first $10 billion in economic assistance–and we are on track to begin applications on or before March 20.

“I have asked my team to think creatively about how to develop a streamlined application process. We don’t want to be your bottleneck. In cases where we have information already on file, a pre-filled application will be sent to you. FSA will use the 2024 acreage reporting data you previously filed to initiate the application process. There will also be an opportunity for you to provide this information if you missed the window. You will be asked to review the information, sign, and return the completed application back to your local FSA service center. We are also developing tools to provide fair and transparent standards for calculating payments.”

On the $20 billion in disaster relief, Secretary Rollins said, “We are simultaneously working on rapid implementation of the $20 billion in disaster assistance due to weather conditions outside your control. Unlike the previous administration, we are not going to delay for an entire year–and gone are the days of progressive factoring. No longer will you be required to hand in your tax returns.”

Prior to her remarks, Secretary Rollins participated in a roundtable discussion with industry leaders representing corn, soybean, wheat, and sorghum production. She also engaged with farmers and agriculture stakeholders on the trade show floor after speaking with media about economic relief, trade policy, and USDA’s recently released response plan to address avian flu and ultimately lower egg prices.