505: Brooke Rollins—Where's the Beef?

Mike Rowe (0:04)

Hello, friends, welcome to The Way I Heard It. My guest today is Brooke Rollins, the secretary of agriculture in these United States. The episode is called Where's the Beef?

You remember that woman, right? Clara, what was her name? Clara Peller, I think, made that expression famous back in the early 80s. It's a phrase that's been on my mind here of late ever since the president signed a proclamation a couple of weeks ago, allowing 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to come into the American food supply from various countries around the world. This is big news in the agriculture business. I've heard from a lot of ranchers and a lot of farmers who I'm friendly with, and opinions are very strong. A lot of people are talking about this. I pointed out because none of this was going on. When I interviewed Brooke a couple of months ago at the Reagan Library, she was running to catch a flight and very graciously agreed to sit and talk with me for a half hour. But that's all the time she had. And then a month or so after that, when we were about to post the conversation, this news broke, and I just felt weird putting the conversation on the podcast and not addressing the biggest story in agriculture with the Secretary of Agriculture. So I called Brooke back and said, look, can we just hop on a quick Zoom? Because I really need to ask you about this. It's a huge story. And of course, she said yes. So what you're about to hear is a podcast of typical length. I think the whole thing will probably last an hour. But it happens in two parts. The first part was recorded at the Reagan Library a couple of months ago. The second part was just recorded very recently in the wake of this proclamation that President Trump signed. Both conversations, I think, are really interesting. The first one is kind of general about all things agriculture. The second one is a bit more pointed around our meat supply, our beef supply. Where's the beef? You might ask. It's pretty much everywhere. How can you tell the difference between American beef and beef that's imported from another country?

That's a question we'll dive into, because it's not as easy as you think. Anyway, it's the Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins. Where's the beef? I'll show you right after this.

It's appropriate that Good Ranchers is a sponsor of this episode, and maybe a bit ironic as well, because the administration has just allowed foreign countries to ship 300,000 metric tons of ground beef into the American food supply. I'll ask Secretary Rollins why that's happening and how the decision is impacting America's ranchers. But right now, I just want to take a moment to remind you that American ranchers really do raise the best meat on the planet, but they face more challenges than most business owners can even begin to contemplate or relate to, including the preposterous policy that allows meatpackers to deceptively label their foreign grown beef as product of the USA and then sell it in American grocery stores. I'll ask the secretary about that as well, because honestly, that is seriously corrupt in my view, which is why you should know that Good Ranchers is the number one company in America that delivers 100% American meat right to your door. They partner with over 100 local farmers and ranchers to deliver pasture raised meat with no antibiotics, no added hormones. They got 25,000 five-star reviews on TrustPilot, including my own. This month, when you visit goodranchers.com/rowe, you get a free Angus ground beef bundle with your first order. Again, that's goodranchers.com/rowe for four bonus pounds of American raised ground beef. Guaranteed. Support your local ranchers by insisting on American meat delivered at goodranchers.com/rowe.

If you could eat a steer, if you could eat a cow, don't take a chance on a foreign ranch. Get Good Ranchers now.

All right, well, this is Brooke, Brooke Rollins.

Brooke Rollins (4:25)

Hello, yes. Hi. Brooke.

Mike Rowe (4:27)

You're very important.

Brooke Rollins (4:28)

No.

Mike Rowe (4:29)

You know, you're critically important. You're the secretary of agriculture.

Brooke Rollins (4:33)

This is true.

Mike Rowe (4:34)

And you've been in that position now since this.

Brooke Rollins (4:37)

Fourteen months. Yes.

February 13th, I raised my hand, and Justice Clarence Thomas swore me in.

Mike Rowe (4:44)

What was the oath like?

Brooke Rollins (4:46)

You know what?

Mike Rowe (4:46)

What do they make a secretary of agriculture swear to do?

Brooke Rollins (4:51)

Here's the amazing thing. I was up in the National Archives looking at what George Washington had his soldiers swear to in 1775, 1776, and it is basically the same oath from back then. Is that not amazing? I solemnly swear to uphold the Constitution, to not be beholden to other foreign adversaries. So help me God.