Trump’s Roundup stance riles MAHA farm allies
Farmers aligned with Make America Healthy Again say Trump’s support for Bayer and Roundup clashes with his regenerative agriculture pitch.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
President Donald Trump tried to soothe a pesticide fight with a fresh pitch for regenerative farming. Some of his Make America Healthy Again-aligned farm supporters heard something else: mixed signals on weed killer.
The anger centers on Bayer, the owner of Monsanto and maker of Roundup. The company recently won a Supreme Court case tied to allegations that it failed to properly warn users about cancer risks from the product, according to Grist.
Tens of thousands of plaintiffs had sued Bayer, alleging Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, caused cancer and other health problems, and that the company violated state labeling laws by not including a cancer warning. The ruling means states cannot require more on the label than federal law demands, narrowing the legal routes for those claims, Grist reported.
Hours after the decision came down, Trump signed an executive order promoting regenerative agriculture and farm resilience. The timing landed badly with parts of the MAHA world, where cutting pesticide exposure is a core demand.
Roundup fight hits Trump’s health coalition
The administration had already taken several steps that critics saw as friendly to Bayer, according to Grist. It urged the Supreme Court to take the case, Trump signed a February order treating glyphosate-based herbicides such as Roundup as important to national security and calling for more domestic production, and EPA officials reportedly met Bayer’s chief executive about litigation issues in March.
In April, the administration sent a lawyer to argue on Bayer’s side during the Supreme Court hearing, Grist reported.
Mollie Engelhart, who runs a 200-acre organic farm and cattle ranch in Bandera, Texas, told Grist she voted for Trump largely because of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s endorsement and their promise to address chemicals in the food system. Kennedy now serves as health and human services secretary.
Engelhart hosted a two-day MAHA farming retreat in May that drew politicians, activists and movement leaders, including Kennedy, according to Grist. She said she prefers “MAHA-aligned” to being called a “MAHA mom,” but said the movement’s voters are now disillusioned.
She described the administration’s Roundup posture and regenerative farming order as contradictory, telling Grist that the situation “does seem a little schizophrenic.”
Polls show frustration inside the base
Polls cited by Grist show the political risk is real, though not tidy. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll last October found about 74% of MAHA supporters identified as Republicans, while 59% also identified as MAGA supporters.
A Politico poll this spring found 47% of self-identified MAHA respondents who voted for Trump believed the administration had not done enough to “Make America Healthy Again.” Another KFF poll found 28% of MAHA voters somewhat or strongly disapproved of the administration’s handling of food and vaccine policy.
Politico polling also found 94% of MAHA adherents supported reducing exposure to harmful chemicals, according to Grist.
Jonathan Lundgren, a South Dakota farmer who raises bees, sheep and poultry and grows flowers and apples, was at the White House when Trump signed the regenerative agriculture order. He told Grist the order was “meaningful,” but noted it did not create new money or regulations.
Mike Lavender, policy director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, was more dismissive, telling Grist he saw nothing substantive in the order that changed the administration’s approach to regenerative agriculture.
Lundgren told Grist he stopped using Roundup about eight years ago and said nearby spraying still affects his farm. He claimed his bees slow down and die, orchard leaves cup from herbicide drift, and his family and staff experience seasonal illness he called “The Spray Flu.”
Kelly Ryerson, co-founder of American Regeneration and a leading MAHA mom, told Grist the Supreme Court ruling and the order showed a disconnect. A registered independent who voted for Trump, she said she plans to back midterm candidates who want to reduce toxic exposures, regardless of party.
This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.