In Response to The Washington Post: Congress Must Act for Farmers

The Post’s recent editorial on glyphosate rightly emphasizes that legislative action is a critical path forward for American agriculture. Farmers rely on crop protection tools that undergo extensive scientific review before reaching the marketplace. This robust regulatory process governing crop protection tools provides the safety and consistency farmers depend on. Congress should focus on providing certainty through a strong Farm Bill and a clear, science-based federal framework.

As our recent State of the American Farmer report makes clear, today’s farmers are operating on razor-thin margins during one of the most challenging periods in a generation. Farmer bankruptcies increased by 46% in 2025. Input costs remain high, commodity prices are under pressure, and nearly half of operations are struggling to break even. Meanwhile, a growing patchwork of conflicting state requirements is creating uncertainty, making it harder for farmers to plan, invest, and manage risk

Unfortunately, debate around crop protection tools has become clouded by a growing amount of disinformation and activist-driven claims that mischaracterize products farmers rely on. Every tool on the market has passed extensive health and safety assessments, often requiring more than a decade of testing and EPA review before approval. Products are also continuously re-evaluated as new science emerges — a process that makes EPA’s system the global gold standard. Policy decisions should be guided by evidence and the experts charged with evaluating it.

Keeping Section 10205 in the Farm Bill would clarify federal and state roles in pesticide labeling and strengthen regulatory consistency. The need is urgent: without access to glyphosate, farms could lose nearly $3 billion annually, and food inflation could rise by as much as 2.5 times.

Congress must move forward with a Farm Bill that provides clarity instead of chaos.