Soy growers call on President Trump to intervene, correct glaring misinformation

The American Soybean Association strongly rebukes the May 22 Make America Healthy Again Commission report for being brazenly unscientific and damaging to consumer confidence in America’s safe, reliable food system. Should the administration act on the report—which was drafted entirely behind closed doors— it will harm U.S. farmers, increase food costs for consumers, and worsen health outcomes for all Americans. ASA calls on President Trump, who has long been a friend of farmers, to step in and correct the Commission’s deeply misguided report.

Farmers represented by ASA are disturbed the MAHA report contains recommendations that are not at all grounded in science and seem to advance the agenda of food elitists and activist groups that have long sought to undermine U.S. agriculture. These developments are even more troubling after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. falsely assured members of Congress earlier in the week of the report’s release that, “there is not a single word in [the report] that should worry the American farmer.”

ASA Director Alan Meadows grows soybeans in Halls, Tennessee. As ASA’s Regulatory Committee Chairman, he understands explicitly the implications of the MAHA report and spoke to the deep concerns of he and ASA’s full farmer board: “Both farmers and members of Congress tried to warn the administration that activist groups were trying to hijack the MAHA Commission to advance their longstanding goal of harming U.S. farmers. Reading this report, it appears that is exactly what has happened.”

MAHA’s misleading report suggests glyphosate, atrazine and other pesticides essential to farmers are potential contributors to health ailments.

“Activist organizations and trial lawyers are already engaged in baseless lawfare on pesticides. By bizarrely, without reason singling out two specific pesticides, the administration has offered activists a gift on a silver platter. Those groups will be poised to use the report to advance litigation aimed at taking away these tools American farmers use safely and effectively to produce our food,” Meadows said. “It is sad—and downright unjust—that, because of this one unfounded report, those decisions likely will be made by a judge and the court of public opinion instead of the regulatory system created for these very decisions and based on years and reams of credible science and research.”

In addition to repeated safety findings from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ASA notes that glyphosate was recently re-approved by the European Union for 10 years after finding it safe. These findings follow similar conclusions from regulators in Canada, Japan, the UK, Australia, South Korea, and elsewhere.

Concerningly, this report may also undermine national security. If domestic manufacturers exit the market due to increased and unfounded liability created by the report, the U.S. will be almost entirely reliant on China—which currently produces more than 80% of the world’s glyphosate—for continued supplies of this essential agricultural tool.

ASA is also disturbed the report implies seed oils are contributors to reduced human health. Significant research conducted over decades shows that plant-based oils are low in saturated fats and can improve health outcomes. For example, a March 2025 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association found after following more than 220,000 individuals for more than 30 years that frequent consumption of plant-based oils led to a 16% reduction in cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other ailments when compared to alternatives high in saturated fat.

“This is truly a case of saying up is down and down is up,” Meadows said. “We’re discouraging people from consuming heart-healthy oils and driving them to instead use fats that will make them less healthy and cost them more in the process. This is the exact opposite of what our government should be doing.”

A third-party economic study released in April and conducted on behalf of ASA and the United Soybean Board found that removing seed oils from the food supply could increase consumer costs for edible fats and oils by as much as 42%.

The Executive Order creating the MAHA Commission directs that a second report be issued within 80 days of this report, providing policy recommendations based on the findings of the first report.

U.S. soybean farmers call on President Trump to intervene and correct the glaring misinformation and anti-farmer findings in this first report. Further, farmers implore the president to create a process for public input for any follow-up reports to ensure activists cannot again use a closed-door process to harm American farmers and consumers.