The National American Farm Bureau Federation and its Montana chapter say a new report about childhood health led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. instills doubt in the use of pesticides to produce American food.
The Trump Administration in February assigned a commission of department heads with the task of analyzing childhood health issues and outlining a strategy to solve them.
The 72-page Make America Healthy Again report links chemicals like pesticides to childhood disease and calls for further study into how agriculture could be contributing.
Montana Farm Bureau Federation president Cynthia Johnson says the report excludes input from farmers and casts doubt on their practices, while also celebrating their contributions.
“If agriculture had been at the table, the report would have highlighted safety first,” she said.
The report cites research from the USDA Pesticide Data Program that found 99 percent of samples passed federal standards for pesticide content.
It also questions the validity of existing studies and the understanding of chemical impacts. According to the report, an updated U.S. government health assessment on common herbicides is expected in 2026.
