Bringing whole milk choice back to schools could align with Rollins’ and Kennedy’s priorities

By Sherry Bunting, Farmshine, November 29, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Elect Donald Trump has nominated Brooke Rollins of Fort Worth, Texas to be the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. She would be the second woman to serve in the top USDA post, the first being Ann Veneman in 2001 under President George W. Bush.

Trump’s announcement Saturday, Nov. 23 brought ripples of surprise across ag media outlets after many had floated a long list of other names under consideration.

In the end, it came down to Rollins, a lawyer and trusted advisor who previously served on Trump’s 2016 Economic Advisory Council as well as Director of Domestic Policy Council and Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives in Trump’s first term.

Rollins has spent the past four years as founder and CEO of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI). Trump highlighted her commitment to American farmers, food self-sufficiency, and rural small-town restoration.

The AFPI has not had much to say on agriculture, specifically, but has advocated for a ban on China’s ownership of American farmland. Rollins also spoke out against any sort of carbon or methane tax in a 2018 Texas Public Policy Foundation broadcast.

“As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American farmers who are truly the backbone of our country,” Trump stated.

Raised with a generational ranching background in the small town of Glen Rose, Texas, Rollins was involved in 4-H and FFA leadership and credits her high school ag teacher for “changing her life.”

She earned her B.S. in agriculture development at Texas A&M and spent her public policy career in nonprofit and governmental leadership at the state and federal levels. 

She and her husband Mark have four teenage children, who avidly show cattle.

While searches for paper or interview trails on her agriculture policy positions come up mostly empty, what can be gleaned is that Rollins has the President-Elect’s ear and a penchant for analyzing issues with an ear to those affected, not just the ‘experts.’ 

In a post on X (formerly twitter), Rollins thanked Trump for “the opportunity to serve… It will be the honor of my life to fight for America’s farmers and our Nation’s agricultural communities. This is big stuff for a small-town ag girl from Glen Rose, Texas… Who’s ready to Make Agriculture Great Again?”

Ag and dairy organizations responded. Several took the opportunity to also weigh-in on Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a week earlier for Secretary of Health and Human Services with the Make America Healthy Again agenda.

The two departments jointly issue the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) every five years, which USDA uses to regulate meals (and milk) served at schools, daycares, and senior centers. A large chunk of USDA’s massive budget and staff administer and regulate nutrition programs. 

The next cycle of DGAs is already in process with the two new USDA and HHS secretaries tasked with finalizing the 2025-30 DGAs by the end of next year that will set the rules for schools and other nutrition programs for years to come.

American Dairy Coalition CEO Laurie Fischer observed in a statement that the incoming secretaries will have the opportunity “to fix food nutrition policy, such as a long overdue reform of the Dietary Guidelines that govern school meals where children have been prohibited from choosing whole milk and 2% milk since 2010.”

Grassroots Pennsylvania Dairy Advisory Committee chairman Bernie Morrissey also expressed hope that Rollins and Kennedy, if confirmed by the Senate, will work together to bring the choice of whole milk back to schools. 

“For far too long, America’s children have been deprived of the choice of delicious, nutrient-dense whole milk. USDA requires schools to only offer fat-free and 1% low-fat milk. Many children throw that milk away, so they are missing nature’s nutrition powerhouse. Now, more than ever, we need to offer the “good stuff,’” Morrissey stated, adding that “Rollins is a mother, and that helps. We have mothers on our committee and they really get it.” 

He explained that his committee includes dairy farmers, allied industry representation, a recently retired internal medicine doctor, school nurse, school foodservice director, and former school board director who have worked on this issue over more than a decade. He wants the incoming secretaries to understand the problem so they can unwind the decades of worsening low-fat rules that pave the way for more ultra-processing leaving children with less nutrient-dense choices and unfavorable nutrition and health outcomes.

“We look forward to working with the next Administration on reforms that allow dairy farmers to market the whole milk they produce and allow children the opportunity to choose milk they will love,” Morrissey added. “Our friends at the 97 Milk organization are doing a wonderful job educating the public. Now, we just need real leaders willing to stand up and roll back the federal ban on whole milk in schools. We are eager to help Make America Healthy Again and Make Agriculture Great Again.”

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) has conducted surveys showing the vast majority of parents want their kids to have the choice of whole milk at school. 

In his response to the Rollins and Kennedy nominations, IDFA CEO Michael Dykes, DVM also highlighted the joint nutrition roles of USDA and HHS, citing the need to “enhance the diet quality of Americans, protect the integrity of food production and processing, and establish a regulatory environment that drives innovation and efficiency… to continue leading the world in the production of high-quality dairy nutrition.” 

In a follow up interview with ADC, Fischer said dairy labeling integrity is another big issue for dairy farmers in the wheelhouse of both USDA and HHS. “We hope to see the restoration of labeling integrity in the dairy case when it comes to plant-based lookalikes that don’t even come close to real dairy’s nutrition. That includes the regulation and clear labeling of these novel bioengineered fake ‘dairy’ and ‘meat’ lab-created proteins.” 

More broadly, she cited the need for real world application of sound farmer-led policy and innovation that meet the realities farmers face daily. 

“ADC looks forward to working with the next Secretary on ways to reduce redundancies and wasteful spending to improve efficiency so more of the dollars intended to support farms get to the actual farmers. We are encouraged by Rollins’ history with the Office of American Innovation in Trump’s first term because our farmers are key innovators and lifelong stewards of natural resources,” she said. 

As of Nov. 26, National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) had not yet released a public statement to the media on the nominations of either Rollins or Kennedy, stating simply in a social media post on X: “Congratulations to Brooke Rollins on her nomination to become the next USDA Secretary. Dairy farmers are ready to hit the ground running in 2025!” 

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association VP of government affairs, Ethan Lane touted Rollins’ “history of fighting for Main Street and Rural America. America’s cattle producers need a secretary of agriculture who will protect family farms and ranches, roll back crushing regulations, and stand up for rural values.” 

American Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall weighed in, noting the “good relationship” Rollins has with the Texas Farm Bureau: “We hope to build on that. We’re encouraged by her statement that she’d ‘fight for America’s farmers and our nation’s agricultural communities.’ Effective leadership at USDA is more important than ever as farmers and ranchers face a struggling agricultural economy.” 

Trump’s cabinet nominations are now complete and require confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

Check out some other interesting perspectives on the next USDA Secretary, pending Senate confirmation.

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