Trump's pesticide dilemma: Health report vs. farm lobby
Last month, President Trump’s "Make America Healthy Again" commission released a new report on the decline in childhood health. It listed several causes, including the widespread use of pesticides.
The Trump administration has been friendly towards the nation’s agrichemical industry, which quickly denounced the report. Organic food advocates, including many who support Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., praised the report.
“This is a unique moment where … there's a chance that there could be some positive change in terms of responsible oversight for these toxins,” said George Kimbrell, co-executive director of the Center for Food Safety, which has fought the Trump administration to enact stronger pesticide regulations.
In this week’s feature story, I talked with various groups and individuals along this policy debate to get a sense of what the next few months could look like as the MAHA commission prepares another report with specific policy proposals. Trump’s EPA has the authority to restrict certain pesticide uses and further regulate the industry.
But the pesticide industry has warned that doing so could hurt the bottom line of farmers.
Ben Felder
-Editor in chief
— Ben Felder, editor in chief
DATA HARVEST: Rare Illinois dust storm shows how far climate shifts are reaching
By Ben Felder, Investigate Midwest
The number of dust storms in the U.S. has more than doubled in the past decade — and on May 16, one blanketed central Illinois, drawing comparisons to the Dust Bowl. This Data Harvest story explores what’s fueling these events, why agricultural practices are partly to blame, and how climate change is reshaping even the most unexpected corners of the Midwest.
View the graphics here.
ICYMI: The election data map everyone's still talking about
By Ben Felder, Investigate Midwest
This Data Harvest map by Ben Felder continues to make waves months after publication. It’s been cited in national stories, policy blogs, and rural forums alike: a sign of how powerfully it connects the dots between politics, agriculture, and economic fallout. The interactive data visual alone is worth revisiting.
Read more.
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Trump’s budget bill is on the verge of transforming how America eats, Grist
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