U.S. ag secretary visits La Crosse County dairy

ONALASKA, Wis. — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited Wisconsin April 27, heading to a Coulee Region dairy farm to learn about the state’s dairy industry and listen to agricultural leaders and stakeholders.

Rollins joined Wisconsin Congressman Derrick Van Orden at Morning Star Dairy in Onalaska,
where John Schaller showed the policymakers his family’s multi-generational La Crosse County farm, which is home to 500 cows.

Dozens of Wisconsin agriculturalists joined Rollins and Van Orden for a round table discussion and listening session. The visit marked Rollins’ first trip to the Dairy State since being appointed by President Donald Trump to head up the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Rollins paid homage to the 1.28 million dairy cows that support the state’s leading cheese-producing status, accounting for more than 3.58 billion pounds of cheese production in 2024. She also recognized the impact of Wisconsin’s broader agriculture scene.

“Agriculture is one of the largest industries in this incredible state,” Rollins said. “Wisconsin has more than 58,000 farms, which are stewards of more than 13.8 million acres across the state that are used for agricultural purposes. Agriculture contributes $116 billion to the state’s economy and supports more than 353,900 jobs — nearly one in 10 jobs in the state.”

Rollins said the future of the dairy industry and agriculture is worth battling for.

“Dairy farms like this one are truly the backbone of America’s economy and our food supply,” Rollins said. “Dairy has been a part of America’s history from the beginning — our first president, George Washington, 250 years ago, used milk from his own dairy cows at Mount Vernon to make cheese, butter and even ice cream.”

Preserving that way of life is a priority, Rollins said.

“Whole milk is back,” she said. “You probably all followed the dietary guidelines for Americans that Bobby Kennedy and I released last January, reintroducing full-fat dairy as part of a healthy, great American diet.”

Proposed rule-making is underway for bringing more dairy back into schools, Rollins said, in addition to the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, signed into law by Trump earlier this year.

“Thanks to our friends on Congressional Hill, this is a huge win for our dairy farmers, our consumers and the health of American children,” Rollins said. “It will return us to the way it should have been, as it was more than a decade ago.”

The administration’s trade policies were also highlighted by Rollins. The current administration has cut 42% of the $50 billion agricultural trade deficit that existed when Trump took office.

“We’re looking at a 17% increase in our dairy exports, just this year,” Rollins said. “This has been possible because of the extraordinary work across the Trump administration, in partnership with our producers in America. We have inked almost two dozen new trade deals.”

For the first time, U.S. dairy has significant access to markets in Malaysia, Rollins said, adding that Indonesia is removing 99% of tariffs placed on American exports, including dairy.

“We have more than 12 U.S. dairies who are now selling into Indonesia,” Rollins said. “That is a huge emerging market for all of American agriculture. Costa Rica, for the first time, streamlined dairy access, opening up $15 million in opportunities for our dairy. In 2025, the USDA issued more than 63,000 U.S. export certificates to more than 130 countries to facilitate dairy trade.”

Van Orden echoed Rollins’ commitment to the agricultural community.

“Every single day when I go to work in D.C, I’m thinking about our farmers and our entire agricultural industry,” Van Orden said. “We’ve reorganized an entire global trade network. We’ve reopened domestic markets that were taken away in 2010, and now kids can have whole milk back in the schools.”

During the April 27 listening session, Rollins and Van Orden both touched on the farm bill, which was passed on the House floor April 30.

“This administration, in conjunction with Congress, is putting our farmers first,” Van Orden said. “Agriculture is the one industry that should touch every single American, at least twice a day; it’s the most important industry we have.”

The current farm bill expired in 2023, with extensions made in 2024 and 2025. Moving through reconciliation, important pieces of farm-related legislation were included in the Reconciliation Act, which became known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“The wins for rural America and our farmers are real from the Working Families Tax Cut Act, and we’ll see a lot of that this fall,” Rollins said. “But, we didn’t get everything done. We need to strengthen crop insurance; make sure we have the right labor rules on the ground so our farmers can have labor that can work year-round.”

Rollins said she is encouraged by the progress being made to bring a farm bill to the president’s desk.

“I’m very proud of this team that has been resolute, relentless and indefatigable on ensuring the farm bill stays front and center for all Americans,” Rollins said. “I’m proud of my boss; he’s got a lot of things on his plate, but he’s said we have to get a farm bill done.”

Rollins said that the USDA is committed to helping small dairy farms, investing tens of millions of dollars to help those farms build towards the next generation.

“These actions are a step toward a stronger food supply — farm and food security are national security,” Rollins said. “That is how important this is, and why we will always support our incredible farmers. When farmers all across the board win, America wins.”