The Make America Healthy Again Commission recently released a set of much-anticipated policy recommendations for addressing childhood chronic disease.
The recommendations are an improvement over the commission’s earlier report that had zeroed in on key pesticides that have been shown to be safe for their intended uses.
“This outcome is a testament to the power of corn grower advocacy,” said Tyler Drewes, President of the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association. “Growers have been working aggressively to ensure the recommendations are science-based and not an ill-conceived attempt to restrict our tools.”
Corn growers became concerned in May when the commission, working under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., released an initial assessment specifically naming glyphosate and atrazine as pesticides that required additional evaluation.
The advocacy effort around this issue was impressive. The Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association, along with the National Corn Growers Association, launched an aggressive campaign to ensure that these key pesticides were not restricted. Corn grower advocates met with Trump administration officials, members of Congress and took their message to the media.
“This win illustrates the importance of being a part of your state corn grower group,” said Drewes. “When we come together, there isn’t anything we can’t accomplish.”
