Rollins addresses labor, diesel costs, beef imports at World Dairy Expo

USDA ag secretary says labor reform remains a priority, hints at diesel-price relief and defends beef imports despite producer concerns.

Labor shortages on dairy farms, soaring diesel prices during harvest and concerns over beef imports emerged as some of the most pressing issues raised by journalists to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins during a question-and-answer session at World Dairy Expo. Rollins used the session to defend the Trump administration's approach on each issue while signaling that additional relief could be coming for producers. Among the questions receiving, the top concerns were related to the dairy industry's ongoing struggle to secure year-round labor. Rollins said one of her first meetings after becoming agriculture secretary focused on labor shortages in the dairy sector, noting that the current H-2A visa program was designed for seasonal agriculture and does not align well with dairy's continuous labor needs. "Cows need milking every day, two, three times a day," Rollins said. "The three months just doesn't work." The USDA supported a June clarification allowing dairy farms to ...