USDA chief Brooke Rollins tells West Texas growers that streamlined cotton grading, campus‑driven research and regulatory rollbacks will keep the High Plains competitive in a $7 billion global fiber market

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins concluded a one‑day visit to Lubbock, Texas, on April 16, 2025, after touring the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cotton Classification Complex on the Texas Tech University campus and chairing a round‑table discussion with producers of sorghum, beef, peanuts, dairy and corn from across the state.

Joined by House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington, Rollins used the stop to hear local concerns and to underline the administration’s goal of reinforcing the economic backbone of rural America by improving market transparency and lowering input costs for growers.

The Lubbock facility, operated by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), now grades about 20 percent of the U.S. cotton crop part of an AMS network that classifies every bale produced nationwide.

Texas remains the leading cotton state, accounting for roughly 55 percent of planted acreage.

AMS officials report that automated equipment and streamlined workflows at the West Texas site have trimmed per‑sample costs by nearly 19 percent, savings that USDA says translate into more affordable raw materials for apparel, medical textiles and a host of other products that depend on reliable fiber quality.

Rollins told growers that the complex is emblematic of what the department hopes to replicate in other commodity sectors.

“We have our fabrics, clothes, and medical supplies because of the land and labor from cotton farmers in Lubbock and surrounding counties. With President Trump in the White House, we are putting farmers first at USDA. We are reversing the harmful policies of the Biden Administration that have put an unnecessary strain on farmers in Texas to ensure they thrive in America’s new Golden Age!”

Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

Arrington, whose district encompasses much of the High Plains cotton belt, welcomed the secretary’s pledge.

“I am excited to welcome my dear friend and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to West Texas to meet with our farmers and ranchers, listen to their challenges and concerns, and highlight President Trump’s commitment to a vibrant rural America and the most competitive, productive, and sustainable agriculture industry in the world. Rural America is blessed to have a proud Texan and principled conservative leading our nation’s Department of Agriculture, and I know Brooke will never stop fighting for our farmers and agriculture communities throughout the country.”

 Jodey Arrington, House Budget Chairman

The 30,000‑square‑foot complex built entirely with industry dollars and sustained through user fees stands as the first cotton classing laboratory ever located on a university campus.

Texas Tech administrators at the round table highlighted the facility’s dual mission of commercial grading and academic research, noting that students gain hands‑on experience with high‑throughput fiber testing, data analytics and robotics that are reshaping the global cotton trade.

Once bales are sampled and tested, AMS transmits classification data directly to owners and their agents, allowing merchants and manufacturers worldwide to match specific lots to the spinning and weaving requirements of end products.

USDA estimates that, in an average season, this real‑time grading underpins the marketing of U.S. raw cotton valued at more than $7 billion, with additional billions generated along the supply chain in ginning, transport, textile manufacturing and retail.

During the dialogue, producers also pressed Rollins on issues ranging from crop insurance to commodity credit programs and export logistics.

While no new policy announcements were made, the secretary reiterated that her staff is “evaluating every regulation and cost that touches the farm gate” to ensure U.S. agriculture remains globally competitive.

She pointed to the Lubbock lab’s cost savings as a template for “leaner, faster” service delivery throughout the department.

Rollins’ West Texas swing follows a series of early‑term outreach stops aimed at showcasing what she calls a “farmer‑first realignment” of USDA agencies.

For local stakeholders, the encounter offered both symbolic reassurance and practical insights into how federal grading services and campus‑based innovation can fortify the region’s dominant crop at a time of volatile input prices and shifting textile demand.