The United States has built one of the most productive and reliable agricultural systems in the world. That did not happen by accident. It rests on farmers who do the quiet, demanding work of producing more with less, season after season; a domestic industry that formulates and manufactures the tools they rely on, and policies that support rural communities and keep food affordable for American families.
For all the debate in Washington about food prices, public health, supply chains and domestic manufacturing, too little attention is being paid to the system that determines whether crop protection products are developed, produced and ultimately reach the field. It does not fit neatly into a slogan. It is not as politically fashionable as “MAHA.”
But farmers need tools that work. Consumers expect food to be safe and affordable. Businesses need enough certainty to invest in research, formulation, manufacturing and supply chains here in the United States. That foundation depends on a regulatory system grounded in science, equipped to do its job and predictable enough to support long-term investment.
EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs is being asked to do more with limited resources, and the strain shows up in slower decisions, growing backlog pressure and less predictability for companies trying to bring products to market. At the same time, key portions of the global supply chain for crop protection inputs remain concentrated overseas, leaving American agriculture exposed to disruption and geopolitical risk. Layer on a public debate that too often treats modern crop protection as a political target rather than a practical necessity, and the warning signs are hard to ignore.
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If Congress expects a science-based regulatory program that is timely and credible, appropriations have to match that expectation. A system asked to do more every year with fewer resources will fall behind, and the consequences will show up far beyond Washington.
Predictability matters just as much. Companies can operate within a rigorous system. What they cannot operate in is one where timing, cost and outcomes are unclear. If the United States wants more domestic formulation, more manufacturing and more resilient supply chains, then regulatory certainty has to be treated as a priority.
Trade frameworks should support domestic value-added activity, not tilt the playing field toward imported finished products. The farm bill and federal research investments should continue to drive innovation and ensure farmers have access to the next generation of tools. Practical improvements inside EPA and across permitting processes can reduce unnecessary friction without weakening scientific standards.
This comes down to whether the United States is serious about maintaining the systems that make our agricultural economy work and underpin the strength of the country as a whole. Food does not become safe, affordable and abundant on its own. It depends on a chain of decisions that stretches from research to regulation to production. When that chain is strong, the country leads. When it weakens, the consequences follow.
The United States built that advantage over decades. It is rooted in science, sustained by investment, and reinforced by policies that allow farmers and businesses to plan, produce and compete. But that advantage is not permanent. When the system becomes harder to navigate, when decisions slow, and when uncertainty grows, investment shifts and capacity moves with it.
The question now is simple: do we keep it working and continue to lead, or do we allow that leadership, and the security that comes with it, to move elsewhere? Because systems like this do not fail all at once. They weaken over time. And by the time the consequences are fully visible, the advantage we once took for granted is far harder to reclaim.
Andrew Walmsley is vice president of government relations at the Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology.