Modern agriculture relies on a steady supply of glyphosate. This critical crop protection tool controls weeds, saves millions of tons of valuable topsoil, and is essential to Missouri farmers’ conservation practices. This year, the Missouri legislature, led by people like Rep. Dane Diehl and Sen. Jason Bean, made great progress in protecting the future of American-made glyphosate.
Why is this legislation so important? As a state with a robust agriculture economy, it is critical that our lawmakers do everything in their power to ensure Missouri farmers can access the tools they need. We all saw–and felt–the consequences of outsourcing our supply chain during the pandemic. No matter what happens globally, it’s important that our farmers can continue to produce the food we need to live at a price families can afford.
Further, without protections in place for American-made glyphosate, farmers could be forced to buy their crop protection tools from China, the only other producer of glyphosate in the world, which does not have the best interests of Missourians, or Americans, at heart. Making our farmers rely on a hostile foreign nation is bad for business and bad for our food security.
Glyphosate protects 66% of all corn and 91% of all soybean acres in Missouri. What’s more, Missouri is a top-10 producer of both of those crops, making our state especially vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and price increases. Margins for farmers are already thin, with up to 40% of crops lost to pests and diseases every year. If access to glyphosate is taken away, crop yields could skyrocket as high as 85%, putting family farms and our state’s economy at risk. With inflation still high, families across the country will feel the effects of shortages and price spikes in their monthly grocery budgets.
Unfortunately, out-of-state special interests, including the left-wing litigation industry, have done everything they can to keep commonsense glyphosate protections from becoming reality. Trial attorneys have turned agriculture into a cottage industry for lawsuits – targeting farmers specifically. These special interests don’t know much about life here in Missouri, and they don’t care about our farmers. It’s time we do what’s right for our communities because only Missourians know Missouri.
This past legislative session, farmers and people of all stripes stood up for protecting American-made glyphosate. The legislature listened, and strong leaders like Speaker Plocher helped get protections passed in the House. Several state senators, including Senators Black and Justin Brown, stood firmly on the side of farmers. This is great progress and gives me hope for the future.
With the election right around the corner, I ask my fellow Missourians to talk to their legislators and urge them to support these measures. While we made headway in 2024, next year is the time to bring this issue home. Let’s work together to protect farmers, families, and our economy by implementing lasting provisions to keep American-made glyphosate available for our agricultural producers.
7th Generation Harrison County Farmer
