Brings strong policy background and passion for agriculture and rural communities to the role
Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) applaud the confirmation of Brooke Rollins by the U.S. Senate as the incoming Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Secretary Rollins, whose family is deeply engaged in agriculture, was previously president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute. During President Trump’s first term, she led the Domestic Policy Council and oversaw the White House Office of American Innovation.
“Rural America—including millions of farmers and foresters, hunters and conservationists—is looking to this administration for support,” said Ariel Wiegard, PF & QF’s vice president of government affairs. “PF & QF look forward to working with Secretary Rollins to ensure this country’s food, fuel, fiber, and timber production remains the best in the world, while simultaneously creating and enhancing fish and wildlife habitat, improving recreational access to the outdoors, and building resilient rural economies.”
Secretary Rollins will be a key ally as agriculture sector stakeholders, including PF & QF, advocate Congress for a new Farm Bill. She will also now preside over management of 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands and a broad range of voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs for private landowners, including 26 million acres of land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, an important component of the farm safety net and a crucial tool to generate wildlife habitat nationwide.
PF & QF and USDA recently signed a five-year memorandum of understanding that will continue to foster a decades-long partnership; enrolling acres in conservation and hunting access programs, providing conservation technical assistance for landowners, and educating the next generation of conservation professionals are among the organizations’ top priorities.