On Friday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins was the featured speaker at the American Stewards of Liberty Land and Liberty 2026 conference, according to American Stewards of Liberty.
The event focused on issues related to private property rights, agricultural policy, and government regulation. These topics are significant as they affect farmers, ranchers, and private landowners across the country.
Rollins said her goal is to realign the U.S. Department of Agriculture with its original mission by prioritizing farmers, ranchers, and private landowners. She argued that such a shift is critical to preserving rural America. Rollins warned that the continued loss of thousands of farms and ranches each year, combined with rising chronic disease and obesity, poses an existential threat to the country if left unaddressed. Her remarks were reported by Texas Scorecard, which highlighted Rollins’ emphasis on property rights and agricultural policy as central to reversing these trends.
During her talk, Rollins said private property rights are the foundation of liberty and must be protected at all cost. She cited families she and her department have helped since being in office—including examples from South Dakota and Washington State—as cases involving what she called "agricultural lawfare."
Another featured speaker was Hariett Hageman (R-WY), who discussed legislation including amendments to the Endangered Species Act offered by American Stewards of Liberty. Hageman also addressed conservation easements, stating she does not support easements "in perpetuity" and believes they should be limited to terms no longer than 30 years. Hageman said easements can decrease property value by at least 50 percent and described certain contract provisions as a "poison pill." According to Hageman: "The very purpose of the contract is to protect the conservation or environmental value and as long as the holder of the easement considers traditional farming practices compatible with the easement’s purpose, the landowner is fine. But, at some point in the future if the holder decides farming and ranching are no longer compatible, you can be stopped from both practices, hence the ‘poison pill’."
Catherine Austin Fitts, founder of The Solari Report, also spoke at the conference about personal wealth as a component of individual freedom and community well-being.
According to American Stewards of Liberty, it is a Texas-based nonprofit organization that advocates for private property rights, limited government, and constitutional principles in land-use and environmental policy through litigation support, policy analysis, and grassroots education.
