Attorney General Brenna Bird and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins Address Issues Facing Iowa Farmers

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird joined United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins today to discuss issues affecting family farmers and the importance of state attorneys general in protecting states’ agricultural laws. 

Attorney General Bird asked Secretary Rollins about foreign ownership of agricultural land, year-round, nationwide E15, rising input costs, and the USDA’s new initiative, One Farmer, One File.  

The mission of One Farmer, One File is to create a single, streamlined record that follows the farmer—no matter where they go in the USDA system. The new system will save time and money for farmers and taxpayers. The project should be completed in 2028.  

Attorney General Bird and Secretary Rollins discussed year-round, nationwide E15 and agreed that E15 is important for both farmers and consumers—a reality that is seen right now with the price of oil responding to the events in Iran. E15 would help keep gas prices down for Americans.  

As they talked about challenges to farm economy, including rising input costs such as fertilizer, Secretary Rollins reiterated President Trump’s pro-farmer stance. Under the first Trump administration, they had opened up the market for farmers. After four years under Biden, farmers were facing a 50-billion-dollar agricultural trade deficit with zero new trade deals in the previous four years. In the first year of the second Trump administration, they have made 18 trade deals.  

Attorney General Bird and Secretary Rollins also discussed the administration’s stance on foreign ownership of farmland and how this administration recognizes how important it is to partner with states rather than waiting on Congress to pass laws about foreign ownership. In specific, they will continue to partner with state attorneys general who fight to uphold foreign ownership laws such as Iowa’s.  

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For More Information:

Jen Green 

jen.green@ag.iowa.gov