📍 St. Martinville, Louisiana Louisiana’s sugar cane farmers help feed America — and today, we announced new action to protect their crops and livelihoods. Pasture mealybug is an invasive pest that can damage sugar cane, destroy pastures, and kill plants within weeks. @USDA is confronting it head-on: ➡️ We released a coordinated Action Plan outlining USDA’s response in Louisiana, Texas, Florida, and Georgia. ➡️ We awarded $500,000 to @LSUAgCenter to help researchers detect the pest, control outbreaks, identify resistant sugar cane varieties, and give farmers practical tools to protect their harvests. ➡️Increased funding for the Plant Pest and Disease Program to $90M in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act The award comes through @USDA_NIFA’s Rapid Response to Emerging and Re-emerging Pest and Disease Program, which we created last year to move quickly when new threats emerge. Thank you to my friend @LAGovJeffLandry, the incredible team at LASUCA, and Louisiana’s hardworking sugar cane growers for standing with us. The Trump Administration is putting American farmers first.

Honored to join @LAGovJeffLandry and Louisiana’s incredible farmers today at the Governor’s Mansion for a roundtable on strengthening the future of Louisiana agriculture. From sugarcane and rice to soybeans and cattle, these producers feed America. And @USDA is working hand-in-hand with them to deliver relief, drive down input costs, and open new markets across the world. 🇺🇸 One thing I heard from almost every farmer is how grateful they are to @POTUS for opening FSA offices during the Democrat shutdown! Farmers First. Always.