CaliToday (09/12/2025): Standing beside President Donald Trump, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins delivered a fiery and emotional declaration to the nation’s farming heartland today: the era of neglect is over, and the check is in the mail.
In a sweeping address that blended scathing criticism of the previous administration with a multi-billion dollar promise of relief, Rollins announced that January 20th marked the definitive end of the "war against American agriculture."
1. The "Grim Legacy" of the Past Four Years
Rollins opened her remarks with high praise for President Trump, calling him the "world's greatest boss," before pivoting to a stark assessment of the agricultural economy inherited from the Biden administration.
"We faced a crisis of severity that our farming communities have never seen in their lifetimes," Rollins stated. She painted a picture of a sector strangled by a "grim legacy" of misplaced priorities, where the previous White House focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) mandates and climate ideology while pushing farmers to the brink of bankruptcy.
Rollins cited harrowing statistics to illustrate the "input inflation" that has crushed profit margins over the last four years:
Fertilizer costs: Up 36%.
Manual labor: Up 47%.
Interest rates: Skyrocketed by 73%.
"For four years, not a single trade deal was signed. Instead, you were ignored," Rollins told the gathered farmers. "That war ended the moment we took office."
2. The $11 Billion "Bridge to the Future"
The centerpiece of the event was the announcement of a massive financial injection designed to transition the sector from crisis to stability.
President Trump and Secretary Rollins unveiled an $11 billion direct aid package, which Rollins described not as a handout, but as a "transitional bridge."
The Goal: To move American farmers from a state of survival to a "New Golden Age" where they can produce, sell, support their families, and pass their farms down to the next generation without relying on government subsidies forever.
The Timeline: The funds are fast-tracked. Farmers will be notified of their specific payout amounts in the coming weeks, allowing them to approach banks with "financial certainty" for the 2026 planting season. All funds will be disbursed before February 28, 2026.
Specialty Crops: Of the total, $1 billion is being held in reserve to ensure adequate support for specialty crop growers, whose needs are currently being assessed.
3. Cracking Down on "Price Gouging"
Beyond the immediate cash infusion, the administration is launching an offensive against the soaring costs of doing business. Rollins announced that President Trump signed an executive order over the weekend mandating a federal investigation into the supply chain.
"We need to know why the price of machinery, fertilizer, and seeds is inflated time and time again," Rollins asserted. "We will not let any special interest group manipulate the costs borne by American farmers."
4. Powered by Tariffs
In a nod to the administration’s "America First" economic doctrine, Rollins emphasized that this historic aid package was made possible entirely by tariffs.
"This $11 billion would not exist without tariffs," she explained. "After decades of other nations taking advantage of us, tariffs are now bringing in hundreds of billions of dollars. We are using that revenue to protect our own."
She also confirmed that new trade agreements are being aggressively negotiated to dismantle unfavorable tariff structures abroad, ensuring American products can flood global markets.
5. Trump on Deregulation: "You Shouldn't Need a PhD to Mow the Grass"
Before handing the podium to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, President Trump took the microphone to address a specific grievance: over-regulation.
Focusing on heavy machinery manufacturers like John Deere, Trump slammed the "pointless" environmental regulations imposed during the Biden era. He argued these rules did nothing for the planet but made tractors more expensive and less efficient.
"Farmers right now need a PhD from MIT just to start a lawnmower," Trump quipped, drawing laughter and applause. "We are ending that."
However, the President issued a stern warning to manufacturers: deregulation comes with a price tag. "We are stripping away these costly regulations, but we expect the companies to lower their prices accordingly. You can't say 'cut the regulations' and then keep the prices high," Trump insisted.
Summary
The message from Washington today was clear. The administration views the last ten months as a listening tour and the upcoming year as the turnaround. With $11 billion in fresh capital, a war on input costs, and a rollback of environmental red tape, the White House is betting everything on 2026 being the year the American family farm roars back to life.