continued from page 7 ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER COVER STORY 8 Kennedy’s stance. Four of the biggest farm groups, the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, and International Fresh Produce Association criticized the lack of consultation between farmers and the government. “Despite the effort of many of our organizations to work with [MAHA] to provide factual information about American food production, we have heard disturbing accounts that the commission report may suggest U.S. farmers are harming Americans through their production practices and creating foods that [are] destroying our microbiome and bodies—leading directly to our chronic disease crisis,” the group said. “Nothing could be further from the truth.” The farm groups’ suspicions proved to be accurate. Although Kennedy would later say he had no intention of disrupting glyphosate use on American farms, the MAHA Commission contended that one of the four major drivers behind the rise in childhood chronic illness was “environmental chemicals.” Others, it said, were poor diets, chronic stress, lack of physical activity, and over-medicalization. It blamed these ills on conflicts of interest and corporate influence in the food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. For its part, the American Soybean Association called the report “brazenly unscientific and damaging to consumer confidence in America’s safe, reliable food system,” not to mention how such reports affect consumers in Canada and in other countries, Brazil and Argentina, among them, where glyphosate is also popular. So, where is U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in all this? According to the USDA, she and Kennedy are working together in crafting what they call “sensical Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” which, in May, were said to be set to be released soon. The USDA said Rollins and Kennedy are working to ensure federal nutrition advice is sound, simple, and clear and will prioritize “whole, healthy, and nutritious” foods such as dairy, fruits, vegetables, and meats and suggest limitations of foods high in sugar and salt (no mention of grain). Given that Kennedy has claimed canola and soybean seed oil is toxic, the agri-food sector may once again be impacted. ETHANOL POLICY GARNERS INDUSTRY ACCLAIM Also worrisome to Midwest U.S. grain farmers is Rollins’ position on ethanol. From 2003 to 2018, she was the president and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank that opposed ethanol requirements for fuel. Farmers were concerned her history would harm ethanol development. However, in June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released proposed biofuel blending volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that garnered industry acclaim. President Trump and Secretary Kennedy. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News via Getty Images
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