[SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST]

Brought to you by:

In the latest edition of the No-Till Farmer podcast — brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, our editors attended Commodity Classic 2026 in San Antonio, which hosted U.S. Secretary Brooke Rollins, NRCS Secretary Aubrey Bettencourt and USDA Undersecretary Richard Fordyce.

They answered many questions from the farm media about the state of U.S. trade, the fighting to eliminate the new world screw worm, input costs, E-15, the USDA’s relocation to hub offices in the heartland, farm succession and more.

 

     
   

   

     
   

   

The Conservation Ag Update Podcast is brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment.

More from this series

Since 1930, Yetter Farm Equipment has been providing farmers with profitable solutions. From residue management and fertilizer placement to seedbed preparation, our equipment is designed to maximize your inputs, save you time, and deliver a strong return on investment.

Explore our full line of planter attachments, precision fertilizer placement options, strip-till units, and stalk rollers at yetterco.com. Let Yetter help you prepare your equipment lineup for success today.

---

Full Transcript

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the No Till Farmer Podcast, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment. In this episode, US Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, and our CS Secretary Aubrey Bettencourt and USDA Undersecretary Richard Fordyce answered many questions from the farm media at Commodity Classic about the state of US trade, the fight to eliminate the new world screwworm, input costs, E15, the USDA's relocation to hub offices in the heartland, farm succession, and more. Now let's listen in to the Q&A with Secretary Rollins in San Antonio.

I've got our incredible undersecretary, Richard Fordyce here with us today, who's really been driving the One Farmer One File announcement that we just had and then our amazing Aubrey Bettencourt, who is head of NRCS. And I wanted her up here as well just in case you had any specific questions to that. So just a couple of quick top lines you all heard and have heard me probably say many, many times over the last year. With the massive crowd, by the way, that was incredible out in the main event stage, talking about three top lines. Number one, the commitment that we made last year when we were at the same event in Denver, what we were going to work on, new trade deals, bringing the cost of inputs down, putting farmers and ranchers back at the very front and center of the US Department of Agriculture.

It was a new day when President Trump was reelected and certainly I was so grateful for the opportunity. So that was the first thing, and really giving a report to all of our constituents from that stage on how we were doing. I'm very quick to note that I'm proud of what we've done, but we are far from declaring any kind of victory. There's a whole lot more to do. The second thing we talked about, of course, was the One Farmer One File. I hope you all heard the staggering numbers. Hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money have gone into an antiquated and broken system that included over 1,000 contractors across hundreds of different platforms. I have no idea how these farmers have been dealing with this all these years. Richard probably, he himself as a farmer, can probably talk about that a little bit more, but I'm really proud.

We, as I mentioned, pivoted members of our Doge team to work on this over the last year. So instead of having the Richards and the Bricks and the Aubreys trying to come up with new IT platforms, we had super geniuses who did this really for a career, walked away from that career to come in and help us rebuild the USDA IT system. So that was number two. And then of course, number three were our commitments for the year ahead and what we're going to continue to work on for our agriculture industry. So I'm going to, Richard, I'm going to have you say just a couple words about One Farmer One File. And then Aubrey, I may let you jump in on regenerative agriculture because I know that's a big topic right now in the Maha lane and she's leading that for us. But again, I just want to thank everyone for being here and then we'll take some questions.

So thank you all. Richard.

Thank you, Secretary. It truly is an honor actually to stand here as the undersecretary of Farm Production and Conservation at this event. And while I was standing here, just waiting to say a few words, I was looking out and I see so many friends. I do refer to you as friends. We've had a lot of conversations over the years. We've been talking about technology. You all used to stick one of these in my face. Now it's something more digital and fancier, and it's kind of where we're going at USDA. We did deploy the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program on Monday, actually urging farmers to get a login.gov account. And the secretary talked about it in her remarks in the general session, but those of us that have worked on this, those of us that have participated in years previous without an opportunity like this, we were walking around on Monday and Tuesday here at the Commodity Classic with smiles on our faces because we have right now, and we have a counter. It's counting all the time. Almost 37,000 applications have gone through the farmer.gov security front door, and that's just the beginning.

Secretary-

That's amazing.

The secretary talked about our plans for the future, and I know we've met with every commodity organization here, state caucuses on Tuesday. We talked about this is exciting news. This is very exciting news today, but we're really looking forward to Commodity Classic in New Orleans because we're going to have a whole lot of other good things to share and progress made on our new digital facing deployment of programs. The secretary said your file will follow you. When you go from NRCS to FSA to RMA, it's long, long, long overdue. And we do, the secretary made a point, Doge, some of the architects are actually folks that looked at these antiquated legacy systems and said, "Oh my gosh, these things are going to break." And really design kind of the pathway forward. And so super happy to be a part of it. I am not a computer engineer or programmer by any means, but I do know when I see something that looks like it's going to work, I can say, "Yeah, let's do that." So anyway, great to be here with you today. I look forward to your questions. And Aubrey?

By the way, I didn't tell them they were speaking. So in typical fashion, this is all off the cuff, but thank you.

That's all right. Thank you. Thank you, undersecretary. I'm not as small as I, but I am mighty. So I appreciate that. And thank you for the opportunity today, Madam Secretary, to piggyback off of what One Farmer One File affords us to do and provide in terms of customer service. We are so excited that FSA is piloting this on this first farmer bridge program, but coming right behind it is the ability then to look at the farmer as a whole across that NRCS FSA backend. And so a great example of that will be our regenerative pilot program, which Secretary Rollins rolled out so terrifically just before the holidays.

And along with that program, part of its foundation is farmers who are willing to do a whole farm plan, to look at their farm holistically, to see it in all of its resource concerns at once, are able to apply and under the eQIP and CSP programs under the regenerative pilot program.

And what that allows us to do is actually then go look at acreage reporting and look at maps to share that back and forth within policy, but we are able to do that and expedite and speed up that response time as we are considering those applications and rolling those programs out to our farmers. Contingent in that, of course, is also farmers willing to do a soil test on the front end and back end of that plan as they enroll in these practices and as a foundation of regenerative agriculture, regenerative agriculture being that conservation management approach that emphasizes soil health, water management, and natural vitality. So again, we encourage all of our farmers just to put this out there, to go take a look at that pilot program, look at the core practices we've identified within that program. And if they have been doing them or they feel they want to jump in the pool on regenerative agriculture for the first time, we encourage them to come in and fill out that application, address multiple resource concerns on a singular application.

We are reducing paperwork. That is what is very important for us. But again, it also helps farmers adopt and transition into that whole farm management approach. We also have within that program an outcomes-based report, because when a farmer voluntarily changes their cultural practices on their farm, they take a big risk in growing what they grow a new way. We can't control all factors on the farm. And so with that, we know that when they create those benefits, it's not just dollars on acres. It's put the dollar on the acre afforded. It afforded improved soil health, improved microbiome, improved soil moisture retention, improved habitat for critical pollinators and others. And it is important that the farmer who created that benefit, that benefit belongs to them.

And so we now are able to provide an outcomes report where the farmer is able to come in and if you've already been utilizing some of these practices, we meet you where you're at. We can get that outcomes report to you and show you what your recent practices have been doing on your farm and that improvement. We can scope out what new practices on your farm may do with regards to those metrics that matter, as we say.

And then when you finish your time into the regenerative pilot project, those benefits that you created belong to you and you can take that into the marketplace, take that into your own decision making and take that wherever you would like to or need to demonstrate the good investment you have made on your operation and what that's doing to underline the prosperity and health of our country and our natural resources that we care so much about, that we as farmers care so much about. And so this truly is farmer first. It's putting that outcome back into the hands of the farmer and allowing them an opportunity to transition into a new type of farming certified by the USDA and hand in hand with an NRCS out in the pickup and in the field with you and away from the filing cabinet and away from the computer thanks to the incredible modernization and leadership of these two wonderful leaders.

So thank you.

Oh, amazing. Aubrey, well said. Okay. We'll take any questions. You and a lady in the front [inaudible 00:10:10], light's very bright. And then the mayor, I think it was a man I heard in the back say Madam Secretary [inaudible 00:10:15]

That's okay. Madam Secretary [inaudible 00:10:19] state of Texas. We know that we've had a lot of our ranchers and feedlots closed because of what's happening with the border closing. There's been a lot of rumors the last couple of days, so there might be potential announcement coming from you in the USDA to opening one section of the border.

Let me address that there is no plan to open the borders anytime soon. Every day I get an update and every day I have to make the decision to continue to protect livestock on our side of the border. And I understand there are so many implications, there are so many of our fellow Texans that rely on those ports being open and it is an incredibly difficult call on one hand. But on the other hand, you can go to screwworm.gov, words I never thought I would say a couple of years ago. You can go to screwworm.gov and you can for yourself see the upward movement through Mexico. And this is after a year of working so closely trying to push back until we get the major facility opened in. [Inaudible 00:11:36] Air Force Base, we will not be able to produce enough flies to eradicate.

My hope, and frankly, my prayer is that we can do enough with what we have. We just opened a new dispersal facility down there. We've got the Matapa facility coming online, which is about another 50 or 60 million sterile flies. In addition to the 100 million coming from Panama, we've moved the polygon, we've got AI working. My hope is that we will be able to begin to push it back and once we do push it back, then we will look at Douglas, Arizona, then we will look at New Mexico and we'll begin to think about that. But as of today, it's still a forward moving pest.

So there is no imminent announcement. I have learned that my words can move markets and I want to be very, very careful and intentional when I say that. There is no plan right now to open any of the four ports. However, we are watching it day by day. We are putting more boots on the ground, more tools literally in the air and I am hopeful that once we show that pushing back, that we can move to opening one or two.

Thank you.

Madam Secretary. [inaudible 00:12:53]

I'm so sorry. Where are you?

I'm over here.

Oh.

When the president was in Iowa and speaking to the group there, he said he would defer to the majority leader and Senior Johnson to accomplish the purpose of the [inaudible 00:13:11]. I believe this is the president who gets what he wants. Can the White House be more firm with Congress for what they want? Can he go ahead and grant the emergency waiver for 26 so industry can prepare itself for higher blends file to be wait on Congress?

Yeah, it's a really good question. I wish you all knew how much E-15 has been discussed in the Oval Office and in the Capitol and what a priority it is certainly for me and also the president has made clear while he was with our great friends in Iowa for him as well. I have been given assurances that it is going to happen. Of course, there's only so much we can control from the White House, but to your point, this president, when he puts his mind to something, mind you something can really move literal mountains. So I am encouraged and hopeful. As far as the current state and the waivers, I believe those are imminent, but I don't want to speak out of turn. So if you don't mind, let's get you with Alec and I want to make sure you have the most up-to-date information on where that sits. But my understanding is those are...

Welcome back to the episode in a moment, but first I'd like to thank our podcast sponsor, Yetter Farm Equipment, looking for innovative solutions to maximize your farm's productivity? Look no further than Yetter Farm Equipment. We're dedicated to providing farmers with the highest quality equipment, from road cleaners and closing wheels to fertilizer management, strip till units, installed devastators. Yetter has the tools you need to optimize your farming operation. Visit yetterco.com to learn more and find a dealer near you.

Yes.

Yeah. CJ Miller with Luzer Ag today. Deputy Secretary Steven Baden had given an update recently, I should say late last year about the transition. Oh, there we go. Deputy Secretary, Steve Baden had [inaudible 00:15:23] today, Michigan Ag today, an update on the transition of moving USDA to the regional hubs. The last time we spoke was sometime late last year, that targets timeframe would be this summer.

Correct.

I know that yesterday you and your team made the announcement about moving out of the south building in Washington DC. Could you please provide us an update as soon as how soon folks from USDA will be moving into Indianapolis and the other regional hubs across the US?

Yesterday, I thought was an important day. It was an encouraging day for those of us that believe that government should be closest to the people that it serves. It was not a great day for people who love the consolidation of power in Washington DC. We took the south building, which for those of you who have visited us, is a monster of a building right next to the Whitten Building, which is the one where the main offices are, but the south building, 432,000 square feet, 7,000 offices. When it was built, it was the largest office building in the world until the Pentagon was built. In its heyday, in the 50s and 60s, it was teeming with activity. Today, those 7,000 offices, other than about maybe 600 sit empty, hallway after hallway after hallway of emptiness.

In addition, there's about a billion, 600 million dollars in maintenance that is needed in that building. For years, no one would do anything about it. We announced yesterday, as we're moving a lot of the USDA headquarter team into the country, Raleigh, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Colorado, Springs, and Salt Lake City, that building will close and we'll turn it back to the GSA who will then put it up for better use, likely sell it, but we'll see. So the timeline question, our goal is to get everyone moved out of DC before school starts in the fall. So we'll be able to make sure that those who are moving with their families to any of those five hubs have the opportunity to find their homes, get signed up for school and get their children in school. We feel pretty confident. We've been working hard for a year that we are going to meet those deadlines. So stay tuned. I think it's an important step, but it's just a first step is working to decentralize power in Washington and move it back into the heartland.

Thank you. Yes, sir. And then next.

I'm Jeff Schreier on [inaudible 00:18:03] and I'm a fifth generation farmer myself. What is the administration doing moving forward to help next generation to ensure that they can make an affordable living for [inaudible 00:18:17].

Yeah. It's such a great question. There is perhaps no greater threat. There's a lot of threats, but there's maybe no greater threat to what I talked about in the big room, to the future of agriculture and the future of rural America, and therefore the future of America than the fact that our average age of a farmer in this country is 60 years old. And as I'm mentioning closer to 60, that seemed real old a while ago, but it doesn't seem that old today. But I think when you're looking at working to build a life in a multi-generational business and farm, and that's what this industry has done so beautifully better than any other. The righteous nature of the work has incentivized generations to stay on the land and stay in the business, and we're losing that. And there's a lot of reasons for that. The consolidation, the purchasing of a lot of our farmland, foreign companies, the farming for homes, farming for houses, because you can't make a living farming for corn anymore, whatever it may be.

And so all of those is what we're really working to solve to make more prosperous again. But if we don't begin to focus on opening up that aperture in the market for our younger farmers and ranchers for multi-generational, your kids, your grandkids, future grandkids, but also for new farmers and ranchers, then I don't know that we can save this. I really don't. It may be okay for the next couple decades, but in the long run, I don't know that we can say this, unless we can change that. Having said that, the encouraging, for me, piece of all of this is the idea that America has a renewed focus on the importance of food, the importance of where it comes from. USDA spends almost $400 million every single day on nutrition programs. That's a market mover. You can incentivize an entire new generation by just purchasing with government money through food stamps, school lunches, et cetera, more of the locally grown crops, et cetera.

We've got programs. Obviously, you heard me on the One Big Beautiful Bill that was actually included in the bill to open up how many years before you qualify. So we're really serious about that. I do think mental health of the farmer is also an important piece of that, and I'm working on a pretty big program to announce on that very soon. But as difficult as it may seem, I'm actually incredibly optimistic that we are going to be able to reverse that trend and that you as a farmer and Richard for his kids and Aubrey, for hers and beyond, and all of you that are in this business, myself, that we will be able to hand off and hand on to the next generation and build in a way that we haven't seen in decades in this country. Well, that's my goal. Yes, sir.

[inaudible 00:21:18], do you have any updates on whether China will be purchasing another eight million metric times this marketing year or just [inaudible 00:21:26]

I think there's a very good possibility there will be more very soon, but until we actually see it, all the signs are very encouraging, and then the signs are also very encouraging on the 25 million, then 25 million, then 25 million. The president had a call with Xi Jinping a week ago and brought up soybeans again, so it remains a focus. But one of the things I really want to work on is we've got a lot to do with soybeans, but we've got our soy guys, we've got milo, we've got soybean, we've got cotton, we've got a lot of other industries that are really hurting. So we're going to keep focusing on soybeans, focusing on China purchasing, but also opening up the markets. A, so we're not so reliant on China for soybeans, but also so we have other opportunities for a lot of our other row croppers that are really struggling.

[inaudible 00:22:24].

Right there.

Thank you for progress.

Good to see you.

Yeah, good to see you. This week, you said the farm input costs are going down the first time, I believe in four or five years. During the session here today with three ad economists, including the recently departed USA chief economist, disputed that data shown. Can you talk a little bit about what your data shows and are you talking about overall costs or just some specific costs?

Well, that's interesting. I don't, unfortunately, I'm not privy to that, but I'll leave here and go dig that out. By the way, Seth, our former chief economist, he said has departed. He's still alive. Yes, not dearly departed, but so we love Seth. No, I'll need to really look into that. As I mentioned, it's a 1.6% decline and 1.7% decline, fertilizer seed, et cetera. Now fuel, labor, interest rates, very significant decline that hopefully will make a big difference, but as far as the seed fertilizer, well, and feed, it is very moderate, but I haven't seen their data, but obviously Set knows both sides. So we'll follow up and if you don't mind, Josh, we'll just get back in touch with you once I have a better sense. Okay, great. Why don't we do one more? I know a lot of people came to try to ask questions.

Yes, sir. Go ahead.

[inaudible 00:23:56] said that they were concerned that continued government payments would actually exacerbate production.

That's right.

[inaudible 00:24:16] moving forward [inaudible 00:24:28]

These are very difficult, but very important questions that the number one priority is supporting our farmers and ranchers in every way possible, but I'm sure you've all seen the charts that show that these payments barely keep them in business year to year. It's a struggle, it's a struggle, it's a struggle. While a lot of our input companies increase 20%, increase 30%, increase 40%, and you can track it when there is a government payment, you can see it happening in real time. And so I talked about this with the president multiple times. I talked about it in the cabinet room multiple times. I think we have to get to the bottom of this very, very quickly. It's why the president called on the Department of Justice to do some significant investigating into several of these lanes of a product. Now, having said that, we have to ensure, again, we're supporting the farmer, we're not compromising the food supply, we're not crashing anything unnecessarily, but it is a question that I am very, very focused on and will remain so.

Y'all, thank you so much. As you can tell, this is very, very, very... It's a part of me, and we're going to keep doing everything we can. The extraordinary people, Aubrey and Richard standing next to me, they represent hundreds, if not thousands, of both political appointees, but career workers at USDA. I have been so blessed and so honored and so inspired by the teams that are back in Washington doing everything we can in a very short period of time to hopefully get things back in the right place and to save the country. Thank y'all so much. Thank you.

Well, that's it for this episode of the No Till Farmer Podcast. We'd like to thank USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, USDA Undersecretary Richard Fordyce and NRCS Chief Aubrey Bettencourt for sharing important information about the state of the US farm economy during this year's commodity classic. We also want to thank our sponsor, Yetter Manufacturing, for helping to make this podcast possible. The transcript of this episode in our archive of previous podcast episodes are both available at notillfarmer.com/podcast. From our entire staff here at No Till Farmer, I'm John Dobberstein. Thanks for listening. Keep on no-tilling and have a great day.