Brooke Rollins, the new Agriculture secretary, has pledged to revamp the department and develop more efficient nutrition programs. She aims to enhance efficiency at the USDA and curb unnecessary spending.

If Rollins genuinely wants to reduce waste, she should closely examine the extravagant mandates and billions of taxpayer dollars that flow directly to agricultural corporations annually.

Despite the substantial public investment, the agricultural industry mainly benefits a handful of large corporations, leading to overproduction and wastage that impose added costs on Americans. Rollins has a significant opportunity to bring about change.

Although $20 billion of taxpayer money goes into farm subsidies each year, most U.S. agricultural products do not reach American consumers. Only a fraction of major crops produced are consumed domestically, with the rest enriching large agriculture corporations through exports, industrial processing, and being diverted from the country during tariff disputes.

For instance, the biofuel industry thrives on Congressional subsidies through the Renewable Fuel Standard, compelling fuel refiners to blend excessive amounts of corn and soy-based biofuels in gasoline and diesel. These biofuels have not fulfilled their energy independence promises, nor have they curbed carbon emissions. Instead, they inflate consumer costs by over $8 billion annually.

Rollins can leverage her position to assist corn and soy farmers transition to more beneficial land uses, curbing their dependency on subsidies. She can also tackle food wastage, which accounts for about 40 percent of food discarded in homes, restaurants, stores, and production chains, such as dairy farms disposing of subsidized milk.

While these food wastage issues have persisted for years, policymakers continue to support overproduction-inducing subsidies that benefit a few large corporations. Such subsidies, in the case of overconsumed unhealthy foods like high-fructose corn syrup, contribute to diet-related diseases costing over $1 trillion in health expenses annually.

By addressing the myth surrounding small family farms, Rollins can tackle the reality of today’s agriculture industry, where industrial-scale corporations dominate and benefit most from subsidies, leading to the consolidation and loss of many small and medium farms.

Rollins should emphasize smart conservation practices and beneficial farming systems backed by subsidies in the upcoming farm bill renewal to cut waste, boost efficiency, and enhance public health. Her commitment to these changes will show her dedication to delivering on her promises.