09/02/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19SBxM2PM5/
JUST ANNOUNCED...
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins has announced the Ranchers First Initiative, a broad package of actions aimed at rebuilding America’s cattle herd, strengthening independent ranchers, and putting American-raised beef at the center of our food supply.
With the U.S. cattle herd at a 75-year low, the initiative focuses on several key areas:
• Supporting heifer retention with new risk-management tools designed to help producers rebuild their breeding herds.
• Strengthening local and regional meat processing through new loan programs and efforts to improve the long-term stability of independent processors.
• Prioritizing American beef in federal food purchases, including schools, hospitals, prisons and other institutions.
• Supporting beginning and veteran farmers and ranchers with expanded access to loans, insurance, conservation programs and other resources.
• Helping ranchers recover from natural disasters by expanding conservation program flexibility.
The initiative builds on USDA efforts announced over the past year to expand grazing access, strengthen domestic processing, invest in independent slaughter facilities, increase domestic fertilizer production, improve transparency through the Product of USA label, and bring more American-raised beef into school meals.
At its core, the message is clear: rebuilding the American cattle herd requires putting American ranchers, independent processors, and domestic beef production first.
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