While the first aftershocks of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) report were assessing the public perception of the claims made against current production agriculture, very quickly those claims could be used in tangible policy change recommendations.
This has agricultural leaders and groups sounding the alarm to bring forward the false claims before Aug. 12, which is when the MAHA commission will announce its policy recommendations.
Kip Tom, farmer and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations’ Agencies for Food and Agriculture says MAHA is undermining science and food security.
He’s invited Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to visit his farm.
“If there’s anyone that’s got a stake in this, that really needs to be engaged in the conversation, it’s the farmer,” Tom says. “This [MAHA] is a movement. It’s gotten large. It is growing in size daily. If we don’t get in front of it, I’m fearful for what agriculture will look like going forward in the future.”
He says while it can be easy to agree to make American healthier again, the movement is causing more schisms than bringing forward science-based ideas for progress.
“For agriculture, our voice can be heard, and this is time for us to come together,” he says. “I’ve seen some draft agenda items in terms of some bills that would like to be proposed to rein us in our use of crop care products that would be very restrictive, would hurt our ag economy, would hurt consumers and would be inflationary or food costs. It’s important we get involved and involved now, because Aug. 12 is going to be here before we know it.”
What is at Stake
Commodity groups are also voicing fear about the possibility of losing key crop protection tools and how much that could cost U.S. farmers.
There is even more urgency after a new investigation uncovered the use of faulty studies. Farm groups are calling into question the science the MAHA Commission used to make their recommendations especially around important pesticides such as glyphosate and atrazine.
Tim Lust, CEO of National Sorghum Producers says, “We have products that we know have been around 50 years have been registered and re-registered and been through study after study over time. We just want to make sure that that sound science is heard and that we’re able to continue to move forward with what we know are products that have been through the rigors of all the scientific processes.”
Lust says they’re also concerned MAHA could upset the government approval process for crop protection tools.
“You know we’ve got to be real careful here that we don’t undermine our regulatory systems,” he adds.
A new report from the National Corn Growers Association warns the recommendations in the (MAHA) initiative could impose steep economic and environmental costs on U.S. farmers by limiting access to glyphosate and atrazine for weed management.
“Farmers are facing costs of up to 60% higher,” says Krista Swanson, chief economist, National Corn Growers Association. “The reason for that is because some of the other options that cover a spectrum are more expensive, or we’re looking at maybe stacking two to four different herbicides to replace just glyphosate or atrazine as part of their crop protection plan.”
Citing a 2023 Directions Group study, Swanson says there are environmental benefits tied to glyphosate including a 22% reduction in sediment loss, 19% less water use for irrigation and over 1.2 million tons fewer carbon emissions from machinery.
“While using tillage was previously maybe one of the weed control methods that farmers would use, because of the effective herbicide options, they aren’t doing that,” she says. “And so we’ve been making these great strides in sustainable ag practices.”
The same is true of atrazine, she adds. And the benefits are coming at a time farmers are using less herbicides overall.
Now while the report wasn’t as damaging as it could have been, Swanson says they’re far from out of the woods.
“Certainly while on the whole spectrum of things, it could have been worse,” she says. “We still don’t view this as a good place to be in.”
And that’s why ag groups want a seat at the MAHA table before the next report comes out in August.
“I think it’s one of those that we just reiterate how critical it is that farmers be involved in this process and farm groups be part of the process,” Lust adds.
What Can Farmers Do?
“Reach out to Secretary Rollins, your congressman, your commodity groups, and make sure you’re putting them on notice to make sure that we have to have a system that allows us to produce food, fiber energy,” Tom says. “The way we do today, safely affordably and make sure we can feed the United States of America and our consumers around the world.”
