USDA chief's fossil fuel holdings clash with farmers' soaring costs

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins disclosed that she and her husband, oil-industry executive Mark Rollins, possess as much as $2.5 million in fossil-fuel investments, with at least $1 million each in a Kurdistan-focused partnership and a Texas-based venture, plus additional holdings in Texas oil operators. Since the start of the year, oil and gas prices have risen sharply, pushing diesel to record levels and raising fertilizer costs that depend on natural gas.

Farmers, already coping with trade tariffs and extreme weather, are confronting higher production expenses. Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee, now with Climate Power, warned that the war in Iran has added substantial diesel costs for growers. The administration has also rolled back several climate-related USDA programs, further fueling criticism of its approach to agricultural policy.