By TIM ALEXANDER 

Illinois Correspondent

NEW PALESTINE, Ind. — Hancock County (Indiana) farmer and Indiana Corn Growers Association (ICGA) President Chris Cherry was among the folks on hand to hear U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins address farmers and media gathered for the 2025 Commodity Classic in Denver, Colo. 

“It was a packed house and we were lucky to get a seat. It was probably 8-10 deep with people gathered around the stage trying to listen to what she had to say,” said Cherry, who has been an ICGA board member for four years and is in his second year as its president. “She was appointed by President Trump and obviously has a lot of things she intends to get done. I think she is definitely pro-agriculture and pro-ranching. She is a farm kid so she understands some of the things we do, and she covered a lot of topics that we were all interested in.”

Cherry and other farmers heard Rollins reveal USDA’s plan for pushing out $10 billion in economic relief funding, which she said would be issued through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) by March 21. “The way it is going to be administered is pretty simple; from what (Rolins) said they are going to go off of your 578 forms or producer acreage reported to the FSA office. which was due last July. If someone for some reason did not get that accomplished there are some avenues that can get them lined up,” Cherry said.

Rollins claimed that under the oversight of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), USDA had eliminated thousands of inefficient or unnecessary USDA programs, saving taxpayers millions upon millions of dollars. However, conservation programs embraced by farmers including EQIP and CSP are among those that will remain funded, at least for now.    

“Farmers had concerns because most of those monies have already been paid by the farmer through a contract in which they expected to be reimbursed for a portion. The fact that those are going to be paid is good news,” said Cherry. 

As for rumored potential cuts to the personnel who staff FSA and other USDA-led offices that farmers rely on to facilitate such payments, Cherry reported that Rollins assured them their local offices would remain open for business. “She said ‘we are reachable 24-7, 365, and if you (the USDA employee) don’t make yourself available then you are putting yourself at risk, because we are here for farmers and ranchers first.’ The staff has all been directed to show up and show out for that,” he said. 

Rollins told the farmers that she would work hard to roll back burdensome regulatory standards imposed by the past administration in order to relieve some of the financial pressure they are facing. “As a farmer we are worried a little about any regulations, including the EPA Pesticide Strategy, that affects the way we operate and do business,” Cherry said. “We all kind of have an eye on RFK (new U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy) and the position he is in. She mentioned at that meeting that she is working with RFK to — and this is her quote — ‘to make America healthy again, but not at the expense of the farming practices farmers need and utilize.’ Glyphosate, atrazine, what we need to operate, hopefully they allow us to keep those at our disposal.”

Touching base on the farm bill, Rollins said she hoped to have new legislation approved and signed into law before the end of 2025. “I think there are going to be some headwinds she is going to face, but I think she has great intentions of getting that through,” said Cherry, adding that Rollins did not offer specific strategies for achieving success in completing the farm bill. 

“They have kicked the can down the road for several years now, and as a farmer the safety net, crop insurance and the different programs within the farm bill (are things) we are all paying attention to. It’s important to get a farm bill done not just for farmers but for everyone,” he added.

Rollins spoke to the farmers in Denver about economic trade sanctions the Trump administration would be imposing on key agricultural trade partners including China, Mexico and Canada. Cherry said the ICGA would soon be issuing a statement on the newest round of “trade wars” placing U.S. farmers in financial peril. (Less than 24 hours after Cherry’s interview with Farm World, the ICGA and the Indiana Soybean Alliance’s Membership and Policy Committee issued a statement asking Indiana’s congressional delegation to intervene in Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on U.S. trading partners.) 

“We urge Indiana’s congressional delegation to work with the administration to resolve these trade issues so that Indiana farmers can continue to export corn and soybeans to these critical markets,” Cherry said.

Although Rollins did not directly address the administration’s suspension of funding for research conducted on behalf of farmers and the agriculture industry at universities and USDA Agricultural Research Service facilities, Cherry said it was a topic on the minds of some producers and industry leaders. “Here in Indiana we’re worried about Purdue University which is near and dear to a lot of people’s hearts. They do research in collaboration between the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Soybean Alliance, and any time funding is in the discussion it is a concern, though (Rollins) did not mention anything about this in specific,” said Cherry.

“(Rollins) said a lot of good things, a lot of things we wanted to hear, but now it’s a matter of getting these things done,” he added.