Farmers Need Tools, Trust, and Science-Based Rules
As agriculture faces growing scrutiny from policymakers, consumers and the media, farmers are being asked to do more than ever: produce safe, affordable food, protect the land, navigate tight margins, and defend the tools they depend on to farm.
Modern Ag Alliance Executive Director Elizabeth Burns-Thompson recently joined RFD-TV’s Market Day Report Weekend to discuss what is at stake in the national conversation around modern agriculture, pesticide labeling, glyphosate and public trust in the food system.
The Label Is the Law
For farmers and pesticide applicators, “the label is the law” is more than a familiar phrase. It is the foundation of how crop protection products are used safely, legally, and responsibly.
Burns-Thompson explained that the Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act, as well as similar state-level measures, is rooted in that same principle.
“The Ag Labeling Uniformity Act, at its core, really is a codification of something that many of the farmers listening here this morning have heard as part of pesticide applicator trainings. We hear over and over again that the label is the law.”
Before a pesticide can be sold or used, it must go through EPA review and receive an EPA-approved label. That label sets out how the product can be used, including requirements that protect human health and the environment. The challenge, Burns-Thompson noted, is what happens when states, judges, or juries attempt to impose requirements that conflict with those federally approved labels.
“Once a manufacturer has an EPA-issued label (and in the case of pesticides, the issuance of a label is kind of like your permit to operate, or your permit to bring a product forward, once that is issued, that is all-encompassing of what the label entails. It does not allow, then, for a patchwork of changes or differences in those labels from states, or in some cases, judges and juries, which is what we’ve seen unfold over the last handful of years.”
That consistency matters for farmers who need to make decisions season after season about what to plant, how to manage weeds and pests, and how to keep their operations viable.
A Broader Risk for Modern Agriculture
While much of the current debate has focused on glyphosate, the implications extend far beyond one product. Burns-Thompson warned that uncertainty around glyphosate could become a model for challenges to other crop protection tools farmers depend on.
“That has been a problem that has really been focused on glyphosate or Roundup in recent years, but we absolutely see that as something that could be a bellwether for what other chemistries stand to face down the road if we don’t solve for this and provide the much-needed clarity.”
That is why MAA continues to support action at both the federal and state levels. Burns-Thompson pointed to the inclusion of pesticide labeling provisions in the House version of the Farm Bill as an encouraging step, while emphasizing that the work is not limited to Congress.
MAA will continue engaging with lawmakers to advance policies that reaffirm the role of EPA’s science-based review process and prevent a patchwork of conflicting labeling requirements.
Telling the “Why” Behind the Tools Farmers Use
Burns-Thompson emphasized that agriculture has an opportunity and responsibility to explain not just what tools farmers use, but why those tools matter.
“We all, with a background in agriculture, understand why these chemistries are so important. We understand the complications and details that go into the label and the regulatory system, but that is not something that the general public knows and appreciates. And that is also reflected in some of our policymaking bodies.”
Crop protection tools help farmers control weeds, protect yields, manage costs and support conservation practices. They also help keep food production efficient at a time when families are still feeling pressure from higher prices.
“We need to proactively go out and tell more of our story. And it’s not just the what we depend upon, and these tools are important. It’s really important to tell why, right? That they open up opportunities for conservation, that they open up a low-cost avenue for getting more food on tables in a time and place where inflation is skyrocketing. It really has allowed for us to farm not only differently, but better.”
As public debate around agriculture grows louder, farmer voices matter more than ever. Burns-Thompson made clear that the people closest to the land are often the most effective at explaining how and why modern farming works.
“The more the farmers themselves are telling that story — not just to the general public, but really to their policymakers — is really, really important.”
That is especially true as misinformation about agriculture spreads quickly online and in policy debates. Farmers understand the care, science and stewardship behind the tools they use. Sharing that perspective is critical to building public trust and ensuring policymakers understand what is at stake.
Watch the full RFD-TV interview here.