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(Washington, D.C., October 16, 2026) – Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins visited Giesenschlag Farms in Caldwell, Texas, where she announced two new actions under the Great American Cotton Plan to strengthen support for American cotton producers.
“Under the last administration, the United States lost our title as the world’s top cotton exporter. Our cotton growers have been squeezed by foreign competitors for too long, which is why we launched the Great American Cotton Plan in May,” said Secretary Brooke L. Rollins. “Today we are advancing that plan to give our producers more protection to manage their risks and improve opportunities for trade. We are not going to stop until we restore America’s cotton industry.”
The Great American Cotton Plan, launched in May 2026, is built on four key pillars:
- Promoting Domestic Cotton Consumption
- Providing Affordable Cotton by Increasing Domestic Demand and Production
- Improving Cotton Trade
- Protecting Cotton Growers from Adverse Risk
Today’s actions advance the plan as follows:
Expanded Crop Insurance Flexibility for Producers
USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) will allow producers, including cotton growers, to purchase multiple endorsements on a crop insurance policy for the 2027 crop year. This action builds upon the Great American Cotton Plan by further protecting cotton growers, as well as other eligible crops, from adverse risk.
The Working Families Tax Cuts Act, signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025, expanded and increased the affordability of many crop insurance products, removing unnecessary restrictions and providing producers with as many options as possible to protect their crops.
RMA will release final details to Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) and crop insurance agents by November 30, 2026.
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service to Assume Responsibility for Cotton TRQ Process
USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is designing a mechanism that will incentivize purchases of American cotton that will launch in 2027. This action delivers on the promises made in the Great American Cotton Plan by continuing to develop new opportunities for cotton trade.
Tariff-rate quotas establish the terms under which specified quantities of imported products may enter at designated rates. FAS will play a key role in verifying purchases of U.S. cotton by select countries, specifically Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Malaysia, in exchange for preferential tariff treatment on imports of apparel produced using U.S. cotton and textile inputs. This action aligns responsibility for this function with USDA’s broader agricultural trade mission.
To learn more, please view the Great American Cotton Plan (PDF, 2.7 MB).
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