OP-ED USDA: American greatness depends on our great American farmers

Last Friday at the White House, President Trump and I stood shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of farmers to celebrate the greatness of American agriculture. Every day, patriots across rural America pour every fiber of their being into the vital work of feeding, fueling, and clothing

America and the rest of the world, and they deserve our gratitude. The men and women of American agriculture support nearly 49 million jobs — about one in five jobs in this nation — and generate more than $10.4 trillion in economic activity, accounting for nearly 20% of total U.S. output.

But more than that, as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we are reminded that their way of life — independent, risk-taking, daring, often solitary — is nearly the last way of life that recalls the founding generation. It is nearly the last way of life that stays connected to pioneers and frontiersmen.

They remind us where we are from, what sustains us and what we are called to be.

Over the past year, I have traveled to dozens of states and met with thousands of rural Americans, and time and time again they tell me they care about preserving their way of life more than anything else. They love what they have, but they’re worried it will be stripped away from their children in the years to come.

President Trump will not let this happen. Since day one, this administration has worked around the clock to fight for rural America. While there is still much more to do, we have already achieved incredible results.

The One Big Beautiful Bill increased reference prices for the first time in over 10 years and strengthened the farm safety net through crop insurance reforms, saving producers more than $400 million annually. We also delivered historic direct relief to farmers and ranchers — including $12 billion in farmer bridge payments — to help them recover from natural disasters and carry them through to the next season as new trade deals come online. On that front, President Trump has inked 18 new trade deals and frameworks that open up new markets for American products. As a result, U.S. food and ag exports increased by double digits in 2025 compared to the previous administration, from corn and eggs to dairy and canola.

Our farmers and ranchers have been grateful for these improvements, but they deserve even more. That’s why we rolled out a new voluntary “Product of the USA” label at USDA last week. When consumers see this label on a meat, poultry or egg product, they will know it was entirely born, raised and slaughtered here in the United States.

And at the White House, we built on these achievements by launching an expanded Rural Revival Agenda that will breathe new life into rural America faster than ever before.

This agenda has four pillars. First, implementing the One Big Beautiful Bill’s unprecedented investments in rural America, including $50 billion for the new Rural Health Transformation Program,

$100 billion in total tax refunds in 2026, and permanent Opportunity Zones & Rural Qualified Opportunity Funds. Next, cutting red tape across the administration and continued investments in rural infrastructure, healthcare, housing, education and more. Third, promoting private‑sector investment in rural communities, whether it’s John Deere investing $40 million in Des Moines, Iowa, or our dairy processors investing more than $11 billion in new or expanded manufacturing across 19 states. Finally, collaborating with state and local policymakers, who are best positioned to lift up their communities. Our Governors’ Task Force is already coordinating efforts on the federal, state and local levels, and this is just the beginning.

Our Rural Revival Agenda is about putting farmers, ranchers, and everyone in rural America back at the center of our policymaking and back at the center of our national conversation, right where they belong.

We know it — and we’ll keep the charge.  No matter what challenges our nation has faced, these men and women have always stood in the gap, declaring their unwavering commitment to the American way of life — to patriotism and civic responsibility, to standing where their mothers and fathers stood, and to holding down the fort and guarding the flame so it can burn even brighter for future generations.

As the farmers I met at the White House last week return to their fields, I hope they will remember that the Trump administration will always fight to defend their freedom, because defending America is defending farmers — and defending farmers is defending America. It was true at the founding, and it is true today.