Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) enacted sweeping reform that will help heal America’s wounded dairy industry by ensuring that the fees farmers pay to advance farming interests no longer go to advancing ESG-related activities and subsidies often directed by interests outside the United States.
In a memorandum released on September 17, 2026, Secretary Rollins terminated mandatory ESG-related checkoff funding, terminating checkoff support for ESG commitment solicitation of food processors, and aligning research and promotion activities with the Trump administration’s priorities.
The memorandum directs all Research and Promotion Boards to align with the administration’s policy priorities favoring, “[A]gricultural production, prouder profitability, and freedom from ideologically driven mandates.” The memo goes further: that mandatory producer, handler, and importer assessments must support nutrition education, not underwrite ESG frameworks that impose tangible downward costs or onerous restrictions on domestic producers or processors.
Secretary Rollins sent a pointed and significant letter to Lolly Lesher, the chair of the National Dairy Board, informing the National Dairy Board of the pivot away from Environmental, Social, and Governance frameworks, net-zero, or climate neutrality initiatives. The letter continues by requesting a detailed list of all current and planned projects that support ESG activities, along with a proposed termination plan, to be sent to the USDA by September 30, 2026. The letter also states that “All work and creation of materials associated with these activities – including research, media, social media, websites, and any meeting where work supporting ESG activities would be a topic – will be required to cease.”
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