U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins spoke at Commodity Classic, outlining the Department’s plan to distribute economic and disaster aid approved by Congress late last year.
She also visited the trade floor and met with leaders representing corn, soybean, wheat, and sorghum.
During her remarks, detailed in a USDA news release, Rollins provided an update on the review of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds and announced the next steps for distributing $30 billion in economic and disaster relief.
Regarding IRA and IIJA funds, Rollins stated, “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 ensure they are focused on making American agriculture the most competitive in the world.” Additional announcements are expected soon.
Rollins also introduced the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (E-CAP) for distributing the $10 billion in economic aid. She confirmed that the program is on track to begin applications by March 20. To streamline the process, she said that pre-filled applications will be sent to producers using 2024 acreage reporting data already on file with the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Producers who missed the reporting window will have an opportunity to submit their information. USDA is also developing tools to ensure fair and transparent payment calculations.
On the $20 billion in disaster relief, Rollins emphasized the department’s commitment to rapid implementation. She noted that applications would not require tax returns and that previous delays in processing aid would be reduced.
Before her speech, Rollins joined a roundtable discussion with industry representatives from the four major commodity groups. She also engaged with farmers and stakeholders on the trade show floor and spoke with media about economic relief, trade policy, and USDA’s response plan for avian flu.
