WASHINGTON — Conservation efforts on American farms did not dominate the conversation Thursday at the confirmation hearing for Brooke Rollins, President Trump’s nominee to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

In fact, it was one of the last questions asked before the hearing was over, as the discussion was dominated by macro farm policies.

But Rollins – who worked on a family farm in Minnesota growing up – did reiterate the importance of those programs during her nearly 4 hours of testimony before the Senate Ag Committee.

The committee’s chairman, Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) said conservation programs in recent years have focused on carbon sequestration, water and wind erosion control and drought mitigation, which acknowledged were important but might be seen as “top town” approaches.

Boozman said he believes locally led programs and technical assistance in years past were most effective in meeting farmers’ resource concerns. He asked Rollins if she was committed to “voluntary, locally led incentive” models for conservation programs.

“We all know that the best conservationists are farmers and ranchers,” Rollins said, noting that a piece of land on their farm was enrolled in a voluntary conservation program. “So, we actually have first-hand knowledge of what that looks like and how to do it and (I) believe in how important and invaluable (conservation) can be.”

The plight of U.S. farmers -- who are facing low crop prices, high input cost and interest rates, and consecutive natural disasters – is clearly on the minds of the Senate members, as is the current $45 billion agricultural trade deficit and failure by Congress to reauthorize the Farm Bill last year.

What's Coming

Rollins said the first 100 days of her tenure, if she is confirmed, “will be a fast and furious effort” to get disaster aid distributed to farmers after it was approved by legislators, as well as cracking down on animal disease outbreaks and working with an internal team already waiting to tackle Farm Bill reauthorization.

Rollins also pledged to stand up for the agriculture industry on immigrant labor, even as Trump has ordered mass deportations of illegals in the U.S. One Senator noted a large percentage of immigrant farm workers are undocumented but still perform crucial services for farmers.

Rollins said she has otherwise been encouraged by the dialogue she’s had with Senators from both political parties over the last several weeks.

“While there will be moments of disagreement, I have no doubt that there will also be many, many moments of agreement. Excellence is not only the goal but the expectation that we move with rapid speed to ensure it gets done, and that we work 24 hours a day seven days a week for our constituents, which is American agriculture.”

With Trump threatening potential tariffs on certain trading partners, Rollins was asked how her administration would minimize the impact of a trade partner unfairly targeted U.S. farmers.

Rollins said, “expanding access to these markets across the country” was a high priority and she had faith that Trump would negotiate ag trade deals with the interests of American farmers in mind.

“He believes it is a very important tool in his toolkit to continue or bring America back to the forefront of the world and to ensure that we have a thriving economy. But just as he did and we did in the first administration, he also understands the potential devastating impact to our farmers and our ranchers,” Rollins said of Trump.

Most observers do not believe Rollins will face any serious objections to her confirmation.

CLICK HERE to watch Rollins’ confirmation hearing in its entirety before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.