After nearly a month of delays, the Make America Healthy Again Commission released its second report Sept. 9. The MAHA Commission, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., included recommendations to President Donald Trump on addressing chronic childhood diseases.
The report also offers a slew of suggested strategies to help federal agencies better coordinate efforts to improve the health of U.S. children. What the report does not include, much to the relief of agriculture advocates, are specific rules that could potentially impact farmers.
“We appreciate the commission’s willingness to meet with farmers across the country, hear our concerns and develop smart solutions,” said Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, in a press release. “Those of us involved in the food system look forward to being fully engaged with the commission, and policymakers at all levels, to ensure a full understanding of the scope and intention of the recommendations and impact on our food supply chain.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Mark McHargue, Nebraska Farm Bureau president, during a Sept. 9 policy discussion at Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, Neb. He said his group was happy to have a “seat at the table” this time, something he says was not offered before Kennedy released his first much-maligned MAHA report in May.
What the report says about ag
The report identifies four potential drivers behind the rise in childhood chronic disease that present the clearest opportunities for progress:
- poor diet
- chemical exposure
- lack of physical activity and chronic stress
- overmedicalization
Kennedy’s rhetoric on chemical exposure and, to a lesser extent, dietary guidelines have long concerned agriculture leaders. They’ve repeatedly expressed their unease that regulations in those areas could cause farmers to lose key tools and be subject to greater government oversight.
In their report, the MAHA Commission says USDA and EPA will prioritize research and programs to help growers adopt precision agricultural techniques. That will include remote sensing and precision application technologies intended to optimize crop applications.
“The research and programs should emphasize ways in which precision technology can help to decrease pesticide volumes, improve the soil microbiome and have a significant financial benefit for growers,” the report states.
Regarding pesticides, the report says EPA, will partner with food and agricultural stakeholders, to ensure that the public “has awareness and confidence in EPA’s pesticide robust review procedures and how that relates to the limiting of risk for users and the general public and informs continual improvement.”
The MAHA Commission also directs the National Institutes of Health to partner with the Food and Drug Administration, USDA and the Trump administration for a “healthy America” to conduct “high quality” nutrition research and ingredient assessments.
USDA will be tasked with prioritizing “precision nutrition research” to identify dietary exposures impacting individuals. This, the report says, will lead to “more targeted” nutritional recommendations.
Concerns remain
In a Sept. 9 press release, Caleb Ragland, American Soybean Association president, said soybean farmers are thankful the MAHA Commission recognized EPA’s approval process as the global gold standard.
“Between the May report and today’s strategy, the commission was accessible and open to learning more about modern farming practices,” he said. “We truly felt like we had a seat at the table, and for that, we are incredibly appreciative.”
Still, ASA “remains concerned” about what it says is “misinformed rhetoric” from some MAHA Commission members regarding edible soybean oil. The association urged careful consideration of any upcoming rulemakings that could negatively impact U.S. farmers and the public.
Those sentiments were echoed by the Modern Ag Alliance, a coalition of ag organizations that advocates for pesticides and crop protection tools. Executive Director Elizabeth Burns-Thompson says that while farmers’ voices were heard, the work to defend their access to those tools is far from over.
“The commission avoided some of the most damaging potential outcomes for American agriculture, but it still advanced some misconceptions about these essential farming inputs, and the gold-standard science and regulatory processes that stand behind them,” Burns-Thompson said.
Lawmakers left in dark
While farm groups were generally pleased with how the second report was crafted, multiple lawmakers say they expected to be more involved in the process. During a call with agriculture reporters Sept. 9, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the Senate’s longest-serving Republican, says his team not only wasn’t briefed on the report, but also learned of the release date from lobbyists.
Staffers for at least three other congressional lawmakers said they only knew ahead of time about parts of the report that were leaked to reporters in the last few weeks.
“We weren’t even given the privilege of seeing the report being released today, so you can understand why I’m irritated about that,” Grassley said.
Other ag implications
Under a section titled “Agriculture Deregulation,” the report directs USDA to take multiple actions including:
- streamline organic certification processes and reduce costs for small farms transitioning to organic practices
- eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic barriers for Community Supported Agriculture programs and direct-to-consumer sales
- improve the farm-to-school grants application process to better connect local producers to schools
- reduce regulatory compliance burdens for small farms
Examples of reducing compliance burdens are streamlining and digitizing USDA application processes, providing greater access to markets and infrastructure, and enhancing risk management and business planning tools.