The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the Ranchers First Initiative, a package intended to continue rebuilding the Great American Beef Herd and strengthen the role of American ranchers in the food supply. Under the plan, USDA will offer the Beef Retention and National Development (BRAND) endorsement for Livestock Risk Protection (LRP), insurance against livestock price declines. BRAND would let producers insure the economic value of retaining a heifer for breeding over two years, using the animal’s expected slaughter value at enrollment as the protected value. If the heifer’s projected or realized slaughter value exceeds the economic value of keeping her as breeding stock at any point during the endorsement period, the policy would cover the difference. The initiative would also let producers use the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) on Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres to accelerate recovery after wildfires and other natural disasters. Building on the Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers (SPUR) program, USDA is creating a SPUR Guaranteed Loan Program for regional processing, including processor cooperatives, expanded small-business operations and a broader range of animal proteins. A Regional Processor Continuity Effort will seek to strengthen regional processing capacity and improve resilience across the agricultural supply chain. USDA will also prioritize federal procurement of locally processed American beef by encouraging purchases across federal and state institutions, including prisons, hospitals and related facilities.