In a landmark move positioning agriculture at the forefront of U.S. national defense strategy, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, announced the launch of the USDA’s National Farm Security Action Plan—a central pillar of Secretary Rollins’ Make Agriculture Great Again initiative.
The plan represents a sweeping federal strategy to address rising threats to the U.S. food and agriculture system, from foreign land acquisitions and cyberattacks to agroterrorism and intellectual property theft. According to Secretary Rollins, the initiative “puts America’s farmers, families, and future first—exactly where they belong.”
“We feed the world. We lead the world. And we’ll never let foreign adversaries control our land, our labs, or our livelihoods,” said Secretary Rollins.
A Coordinated Response to Growing Threats
The plan follows recent national security alerts, including the Justice Department’s indictment of foreign nationals allegedly attempting to smuggle crop-damaging pathogens into the U.S.—raising concerns about agroterrorism and biosecurity. With increasing foreign interest in U.S. farmland and the infiltration of domestic research institutions, the USDA’s plan is being cast as a critical countermeasure to protect agricultural infrastructure and innovation.
“Enough is enough,” Rollins said. “Protecting the homeland begins with protecting our farmland.”
Key Components of the National Farm Security Action Plan
The plan outlines seven strategic focus areas:
- Secure and Protect American Farmland – Strengthened transparency and enforcement around foreign ownership.
- Enhance Supply Chain Resilience – Bolstering domestic manufacturing and identifying trusted international partners.
- Protect U.S. Nutrition Safety Net – Cracking down on fraud and foreign exploitation in federal nutrition programs.
- Defend Agricultural Research – Preventing hostile foreign access to U.S. ag innovation.
- Prioritize U.S. Interests in USDA Programs – Aligning all USDA activities with a national security lens.
- Safeguard Plant and Animal Health – Targeting bio-threats before they reach U.S. soil.
- Protect Critical Infrastructure – Recognizing farms, food facilities, and ag logistics as national security assets.
Read the full Action Plan (PDF, 1.1MB)
Cross-Governmental and Bipartisan Support
Federal and state officials across the country have voiced strong support for the plan, echoing the central message: farm security is national security.
“Foreign ownership of land near strategic bases poses a serious threat to our national security,” said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
“Food policy is national security policy,” added Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
Governors, agriculture commissioners, and lawmakers from key ag states—including Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas—applauded the administration’s proactive measures, many pointing to successful state-level precedents such as restrictions on foreign land ownership and enhanced biosecurity enforcement.
Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. of Kansas summed it up:
“It is imperative that we start recognizing the national security value of agriculture before it’s too late. President Trump understands this, and his administration is taking the right steps to secure our future.”
What Comes Next
The USDA will lead coordination with state and federal partners to operationalize the plan across all levels of government, with an eye toward long-term integration of agriculture within the broader national security framework.
As Secretary Rollins stated, “Under President Trump’s leadership, American agriculture will be strong, secure, and resilient.”