The MAHA Commission Must Choose Science Over Rhetoric

In an industry that operates at the mercy of Mother Nature and the markets, the last thing farming families like mine – and the thousands more represented by the Modern Ag Alliance – need is more uncertainty, but the conversation in Washington over crop protection tools has American agriculture on edge.

As the MAHA Commission prepares to issue its policy recommendations this week, farmers are watching closely. After the commissions deeply flawed and concerning initial report, recent signals from the administration have been encouraging. We should all applaud the renewed focus on improving public health, but threatening access to essential tools, like pesticides, risks undermining a key ally in that effort: the farmers who ensure there is enough affordable, nutritious food, fuel, and fiber for the country. Farmers – and the tools they use – arent obstacles to making our country healthier, but essential to achieving it.

Securing the future of American agriculture will require policymakers to recognize three realities about crop protection tools: (1) they are subject to rigorous scientific review by regulators, with thousands of studies proving their safety; (2) they keep healthy, nutritious food affordable and available for families; and (3) many family farms, already operating on razor thin margins, wont be able to adequately sustain their business.

Pesticides undergo an extensive development and review process – taking 12 years on average – before reaching the field. Once the EPA confirms that a new chemistry meets its stringent health and environmental standards, these scientists continuously review all new scientific information to ensure the safety of approved products. By contrast, AI may have done a lot of the heavy lifting in writing the initial MAHA Commission report released in May, which mischaracterized scientific findings or made them up entirely out of thin air. One “study” cited in the report was rejected by a court as “junk science.”

Such glaring oversights are particularly troubling given that food inflation remains a stubborn problem for consumers: A new Associated Press survey found that about half of all Americans say the cost of groceries is a “major” source of stress in their lives right now. Crop protection tools save the average family of four up to 48% on their monthly food bill, and food inflation could more than double if farmers lose access to the most widely used herbicide. That spells only further trouble for the average American and their ability to purchase the healthy food Kennedy so strongly advocates for.

Unfortunately, attacks against crop protection tools undermine the foundation of productivity, reduce yields, and ultimately harm both producers and consumers. Efforts to restrict crop protection tools will also set back decades of improvements in soil health. These products reduce tillage and runoff, decrease nutrient losses, and conserve water.

The family farms that work so hard to protect their land have gone from being revered as the very foundation of American prosperity and strength to being unfairly portrayed as contributors to environmental harm. Farmers take offense at such false accusations, and are already struggling to make a living in an industry that relies on extremely small margins – nearly three-quarters of farms make less than 10 cents on every dollar they spend before taxes. These families deserve clarity, not confusion, from the public servants committed to their well-being.

Improving public health in America will only succeed if it reflects the lived realities of those who grow our food and those who buy it. That means crafting policies that make nutritious food more affordable for working families – and supporting the farmers working to keep those shelves stocked. As the MAHA Commission finalizes its recommendations, it must uphold the integrity of science-based processes and prioritize risk-based assessments over ideology.

Elizabeth Burns-Thompson serves as executive director of the Modern Ag Alliance, where she advocates for U.S. farmers’ access to essential crop protection tools.

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