Texas Visit Highlights Farm Relief and Health Goals

USDA and HHS unite for food safety and rural well being

In a joint effort to strengthen farming and public health, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Texas. The trip included tours of research labs at Texas A&M and farms using sustainable practices to grow healthy crops.

At the Texas A&M Beef Center, Secretary Rollins updated efforts to stop the New World Screwworm, which threatens U.S. livestock. She urged the Mexican government to remove barriers to aircraft crucial for pest control operations.

Rollins also confirmed a major agreement with Mexico to provide Texas farmers water under the 1944 treaty. To support those impacted by delays, USDA granted $280 million in economic relief through the Texas Department of Agriculture.

More help came through USDA’s MASC program, supporting specialty crop growers with input costs and market expansion. Secretary Rollins also noted $521 million had been delivered to nearly 20,000 Texas farmers via the ECAP program this year.

“It was an honor to join Secretary Rollins in her home state of Texas,” said Secretary Kennedy. “Together, HHS and USDA are taking on the chronic disease epidemic by fixing our broken food system.”

The secretaries highlighted the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, which is reviewing school nutrition, SNAP, and dietary policies. They aim to publish updated nutrition guidelines by December 2025.

Rollins praised voluntary reforms like the removal of artificial colours from school meals and called for more healthy food choices across America.

This partnership between USDA and HHS signals a strong move toward better food, improved health, and empowered farmers.