\n<\/p>\n
May 20, 2025<\/b> \u2013\u00a0During a visit to Nebraska yesterday, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins introduced<\/a> a Small Family Farms Policy Agenda<\/a> she said \u201cis tailored specifically to support small-scale farms to thrive for generations to come.\u201d Since Trump took office, small farms that sell into local markets have been hard hit <\/a>by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)\u2019s funding freeze and grant cancellations.<\/p>\n The 10-point agenda is light on details but includes several proposed actions on deregulation, labor, and market access.<\/p>\n It says the USDA will \u201cstreamline delivery and increase program efficiencies\u201d related to application processes, credit, and farmland access. \u201cSmall family farmers often have little to no support staff to fill out USDA required paperwork to participate in programs,\u201d it reads, before proposing simplified, digitized forms. In addition to recent layoffs<\/a>, about 16,000 employees have accepted resignation offers<\/a> and more staff cuts are expected.<\/p>\n The proposals also include disincentivizing federal funding for solar energy on farms<\/a>, increasing production of fossil fuels, revising the controversial Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule<\/a> that regulates farm runoff, and pursuing \u201cadditional flexibility\u201d for farmers to comply with other environmental regulations.<\/p>\n The plan also says the agency is reviewing farm size definitions to \u201censure they adequately reflect modern-day realities,\u201d suggesting the USDA is considering including larger operations in the small-farm category. And it calls on Congress to ensure farms and ranches \u201care protected from an increase in the death tax.\u201d Republicans in Congress are currently trying to extend exemptions on estate taxes\u2014which are often referred to as a \u201cdeath tax\u201d\u2014that already exempt up to $28 million<\/a> in inherited property.<\/p>\n On labor, a controversial and important issue amid an immigration crackdown<\/a> that has direct implications for the farm workforce, the plan says, \u201cwe must take action to relieve this persistent issue, including H-2A and H-2B non-immigrant visa classification reform.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n