WASHINGTON, DC, US — US agriculture organizations congratulated Brooke Rollins on her nomination as US Secretary of Agriculture and said they looked forward to working with her.

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Rollins over the weekend for the role, which oversees the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA is made up of 29 agencies and offices with 100,000 employees at more than 4,500 locations in the US and abroad.

“I am confident she will bring valuable insight to the issues important to the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) members and US agriculture,” said Mike Seyfert, president and chief executive officer of the NGFA. “NGFA and I congratulate and look forward to working with her to Transform America’s Harvest.”

Rollins is currently president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank formed in 2021 to promote Trump’s public policy agenda. She also served as the director of the Domestic Policy Council and assistant to the president for strategic initiatives in Trump’s first presidential term.

She was Texas Governor Rick Perry’s policy director before running the Texas Public Policy Foundation for 15 years.

Rollins has a juris doctor from the University of Texas School of Law and a degree in agricultural development from Texas A&M University.

She is originally from Glen Rose, Texas, US, and was a member of the National FFA Organization growing up.

“We appreciate that Rollins holds a degree in agriculture development and grew up on a farm and that she will bring that perspective, along with her policy experience from the previous Trump administration, to the role,” said Josh Gackle, American Soybean Association president and soy famer from Kulm, North Dakota, US. “The mission carried out by USDA is vital to the continued success both domestically and abroad for US soybean farmers. ASA welcomes the opportunity to share the importance of soy in the US economy and work with the department and this nominee upon her confirmation on issues critical to farmers.”

Kenneth Hartman Jr., president of the National Corn Growers Association, said the group looks forward to working with Rollins on issues of importance to production agriculture, including the expansion of domestic and international markets.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) said Rollins has a good relationship with its state Farm Bureau in Texas and hope to build on that if she is confirmed by the Senate.