{"id":739,"date":"2026-06-29T10:09:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T10:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=739"},"modified":"2026-06-29T10:09:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T10:09:22","slug":"how-an-industry-that-runs-on-pesticides-won-over-rfk-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=739","title":{"rendered":"How an Industry That Runs on Pesticides Won Over RFK Jr."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

What do Gen Z fashion influencers and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have in common?<\/p>\n

Read more Most Metro Fare Evasion Cases in D.C. Are Thrown Out<\/a><\/p>\n

They are both, all of a sudden, really into cotton.<\/p>\n

\u201cCrunchy girled so hard now I\u2019m wearing organic cotton socks, only cotton workout clothes,\u201d begins one recent viral TikTok<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes: plant, not plastic,\u201d Kennedy wrote on X<\/u><\/span> last month. \u201c… American-grown cotton supports our farmers, strengthens rural communities, fuels U.S. manufacturing, and gives families a natural alternative to synthetic, plastic-based materials.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kennedy\u2019s post was in response to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins\u2019 sweeping initiative<\/u><\/span> to strengthen the U.S. cotton industry. It was also a direct callback to a cotton-industry-backed, yearlong marketing campaign<\/u><\/span> designed to make cotton more appealing to the Make America Healthy Again movement.<\/p>\n

The title of that campaign: \u201cPlant Not Plastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did cotton, a struggling industry that\u2019s dependent on MAHA-reviled pesticides, position itself so successfully among Kennedy\u2019s pet issues? And has it won over the greater MAHA community?<\/p>\n

The answers to those questions are part of an ongoing tug-of-war between the MAHA movement\u2019s anti-chemical goals and entrenched industrial interests. They\u2019re also a central part of the growing list of contradictions<\/u><\/span> plaguing the MAHA movement\u2019s priorities on everything from plastics to clean food<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

The result: Kennedy, in pursuit of microplastic-free clothes, is repeating word-for-word a marketing campaign that also appeared<\/u><\/span> on the social media accounts of Bayer, the chemical corporation that produces the glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is just, in our opinion, another way for Bayer Monsanto to solidify their foothold in American farming, and we found it offensive that they tried to say that this was a MAHA-backed initiative, because it absolutely was not,\u201d said Hannah Dunning, the founder of the Clean Clothing Coalition. (Bayer acquired Monsanto, the original manufacturer of Roundup, in 2018 and did away<\/u><\/span> with its politically charged name.)<\/p>\n

Dunning called Rollins\u2019 Great American Cotton Plan the \u201cantithesis of what we were hoping for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBAYER-MONSANTO JUST DUPED MAHA INTO SUPPORTING ITS TAKEOVER OF THE AMERICAN CLOTHING INDUSTRY,\u201d wellness influencer Lauren Lee wrote<\/u><\/span> on X.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Bayer said via email the company was not involved in the creation of the Great American Cotton Plan, the \u201cPlant Not Plastic\u201d campaign or lobbying federal agencies on the dangers of microplastics or the benefits of cotton.<\/p>\n

But they added, \u201cWe support initiatives of many of our grower groups, including those of the National Cotton Council.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement, Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Emily Hilliard said the agency is \u201ccommitted to empowering America\u2019s cotton growers as they face increasing foreign competition and a flood of cheap synthetic products\u201d and is \u201craising awareness about petroleum-based synthetic fibers and concerns related to microplastic shedding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSecretary Kennedy believes in providing consumers with information to make more informed choices,\u201d Hilliard said.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

In some ways, the blossoming (no pun intended) relationship between cotton and Kennedy can be traced back to last year\u2019s .<\/p>\n

That report<\/u><\/span>, released in May 2025, posed a major problem for the cotton industry. It was critical of pesticides and herbicides and said clothing can expose children to potentially dangerous microplastics \u2014 without differentiating between natural and synthetic fibers.<\/p>\n

The National Cotton Council of America, the cotton world\u2019s leading trade organization that lobbies for pro-cotton policy and legislation, said<\/u><\/span> the industry was \u201cdisappointed\u201d with the MAHA report.<\/p>\n

The NCC chair at the time, Patrick Johnson, called for the cotton industry to get a \u201cseat at the table\u201d going forward.<\/p>\n

In June 2025, it did: The MAHA Commission, which Trump created and put Kennedy in charge of to address chronic childhood diseases, hosted roundtable discussions with leaders from various sectors of the agricultural industry. Marjory Walker, vice president of council operations and communications at NCC, attended on behalf of cotton.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was brought in with sugar, rice and wheat,\u201d she said in a presentation<\/u><\/span> at a January 2026 industry conference.<\/p>\n

Sugar went first, Walker said. Then it was her turn to convince the MAHA Commission, which includes figures like Kennedy adviser Calley Means, that cotton was on their side.<\/p>\n

At first, Walker said, her case did not go over well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just weren\u2019t understanding the importance of crop protection products,\u201d Walker said, referencing herbicides and pesticides.<\/p>\n

As a last-ditch resort, Walker argued those products were required to put \u201csafe food and fiber on the backs and plates of our American children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth Kennedy and Calley Means just stopped and said, \u2018OK, let\u2019s dive off into that,\u2019\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was terrified because those are scary people,\u201d Walker said. \u201cBut it went very well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her winning argument: Synthetic microfiber textiles, unlike cotton, can release microplastics that can be inhaled<\/u><\/span> \u2014 and then accumulate in \u201cyour brains, your lungs, your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is a growing body<\/u><\/span> of scientific research on the health<\/u><\/span> risks of microplastics, some of which backs up the claims made by the cotton industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not inundated by cotton particles. We are inundated by synthetic particles,\u201d said Dimitri Deheyn, who studies microplastics in the environment at Scripps Institute of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.<\/p>\n

The released a few months after that meeting was different from the first report.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe actually got microplastics mentioned in their report, and glyphosate was not,\u201d Walker boasted in the January presentation. \u201cNational Cotton Council, I think, hit a home run on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just like that, the cotton industry had an in with MAHA. One day after the MAHA strategy report was released, the NCC announced<\/u><\/span> it was launching its new marketing campaign: \u201cPlant not Plastic.\u201d (Walker and others at the NCC didn\u2019t respond to requests for comment from NOTUS.)<\/p>\n

In a recent interview<\/u><\/span> on \u201cThe Cotton Companion\u201d podcast, Buddy Allen, president and CEO of the American Cotton Shippers Association, called \u201cPlant Not Plastic\u201d the cotton industry\u2019s \u201cfirst offensive, aggressive messaging to take on the opportunities and advantages of natural fiber, specifically cotton.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s Takeover Of 250th Birthday Celebrations Is Bumming Out Congress<\/a><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The U.S. cotton industry has faced significant challenges<\/u><\/span> in recent years. High production costs, weak global demand, competition from cheap synthetic textiles and extreme weather caused by climate change have all contributed<\/u><\/span> to declining cotton acreage in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Despite some interest from the MAHA Commission, the industry still had work to do to convince the Trump administration to fully back cotton. Throughout the second half of 2025 and beginning of 2026, the NCC lobbied the Agriculture Department, Environmental Protection Agency and \u2014 somewhat unusually for the organization \u2014 HHS, lobbying<\/u><\/span> disclosures<\/u><\/span> show<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Walker \u2014 whom Allen called the \u201creal developer\u201d of the \u201cPlant Not Plastic\u201d campaign \u2014 went on industry podcasts to talk about the anti-microplastics initiative. In an October 2025 interview<\/u><\/span> on \u201cThe Cotton Companion,\u201d Walker said the NCC was \u201cheavily involved\u201d in social media and hoped to get \u201cinfluencers across the health field, as well as the fashion field,\u201d to talk about \u201cPlant Not Plastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Walker\u2019s account, the campaign was proving extremely successful. In a February episode<\/u><\/span> of \u201cThe Produce Moms,\u201d an agriculture industry podcast, she said the NCC was \u201camazed and very gratified\u201d by the response from business publications and agriculture blogs \u2014 but also from regular consumers on social media.<\/p>\n

Indeed, \u201cnatural fibers\u201d have been all the rage online<\/u><\/span> \u2014 though whether that\u2019s due to the larger conversations around chemical exposures and the risks of microplastics or to the \u201cPlant Not Plastic\u201d campaign is hard to say. Google Trends data shows rising interest in terms such as \u201cnatural fibers,\u201d<\/u><\/span> \u201ccotton clothing\u201d<\/u><\/span> and \u201cplant not plastic.\u201d<\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

By early 2026, even Bayer was highlighting the \u201cPlant Not Plastic\u201d campaign in posts<\/u><\/span> on social media<\/u><\/span>. The company also lobbied<\/u><\/span> the USDA and EPA on issues including MAHA \u201clegislative and administrative action,\u201d records show.<\/p>\n

The real turning point for the cotton industry, according to NCC\u2019s vice president of Washington operations, Robbie Minnich, was when Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden appeared at cotton industry events<\/u><\/span> in early 2026. In February, Vaden and Senior Advisor Kelsey Barnes went to the offices of the American Cotton Shippers Association for an \u201cextensive roundtable discussion\u201d on the cotton industry, according to association Vice President Shea Ishee.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when things really kicked into high gear,\u201d Minnich said on a June episode<\/u><\/span> of \u201cThe Cotton Companion.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, some activists within the greater MAHA ecosystem were growing increasingly frustrated<\/u><\/span> with the Trump administration\u2019s reluctance to take action to reduce pesticide use in agriculture.<\/p>\n

In February, Trump signed an executive order<\/u><\/span> aimed at promoting glyphosate production. The cotton industry was thrilled<\/u><\/span>. MAHA activists were furious<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was outraged. I was actually sick to my stomach,\u201d Zen Honeycutt, director of Moms Across America, said in an interview<\/u><\/span> on CNN. \u201cSupporting glyphosate is the wrong direction to go in.\u201d<\/p>\n

In April, the EPA announced<\/u><\/span> it would be adding microplastics to its list of water contaminants. Additionally, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health announced a new initiative to develop a \u201ccomprehensive toolbox for measuring, researching and removing microplastics\u201d from the human body. Once again, the NCC praised<\/u><\/span> the administration for taking action on microplastics.<\/p>\n

By May, Rollins had announced<\/u><\/span> the , a four-part strategy to boost the cotton industry and \u201celevate the \u2018Plant Not Plastic\u2019 initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ishee said Rollins\u2019 \u201cefforts to elevate cotton through national media appearances \u2026 brought much-needed attention to our industry.\u201d She also thanked Bayer for \u201cits continued support\u201d of American cotton producers, though she noted she couldn\u2019t speak to Bayer\u2019s involvement in either the \u201cPlant Not Plastic\u201d campaign or the Great American Cotton Plan.<\/p>\n

A USDA spokesperson said via email that Rollins \u201cdid not meet with any special interest groups\u201d in forming the Great American Cotton Plan, but did meet with \u201csmall-town family farms, and rural communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe believes credibility does not come from being the largest company or the loudest voice in the room, but from sitting down with the people living these challenges every day and actually listening to them,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

MAHA was skeptical of Rollins\u2019 plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cConventional Cotton is one of the most highly sprayed (with toxic chemicals) crops. Will this cotton be organic?\u201d Honeycutt asked<\/u><\/span> on X. (The Great American Cotton Plan makes no mention of organic cotton.)<\/p>\n

Kelly Ryerson, known on social media as Glyphosate Girl, told NOTUS via email that she was concerned about increasing production of genetically modified cotton varieties that require high levels of herbicides.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is critical that the increase in cotton production is supported by a transition to regenerative practices that support soil health and decrease toxic exposures,\u201d Ryerson wrote.<\/p>\n

Others, like Dunning, were more dismissive outright.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this were MAHA aligned, you would have seen regenerative mentioned once, at least,\u201d Dunning said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t. And that\u2019s because it\u2019s not MAHA aligned. This is the result of chemical companies being in the ear of this administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunning said the Republican Party should be careful of framing things as MAHA when they aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cA large segment of the MAHA population is starting to say, \u2018We\u2019re clearly being used, we\u2019re clearly not being heard,\u2019\u201d Dunning said. \u201cMore and more of the MAHA vote is up for sale as a direct result.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

***<\/p>\n

The Trump administration has been caught between the MAHA pesticides fight and the agricultural industry since Kennedy took office. It has attempted to have its cake and eat it too: The same day a recent Supreme Court decision<\/u><\/span> protected Bayer and Monsanto from lawsuits claiming Roundup causes cancer, Trump signed an executive order<\/u><\/span> titled \u201cAdvancing Regenerative Agriculture and Strengthening American Farm Resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, cotton appears to have a leg up. That executive order doesn\u2019t actually call<\/u><\/span> for any new regulations or legislation on pesticide use \u2014 instead, it directs federal agencies to conduct more research into the health risks of pesticides without providing any additional funding.<\/p>\n

And Kennedy\u2019s push for cotton has the backing of at least some of the advocates in his movement.<\/p>\n

Del Bigtree, Kennedy\u2019s close ally who runs MAHA Action, hosted USDA spokesperson Michael Abboud on the lobbying group\u2019s weekly public outreach call<\/u><\/span> soon after the Great American Cotton Plan launched. Abboud spoke alongside Allen, the president of the American Cotton Shipper\u2019s Association, about the \u201c\u2018Plant Not Plastic\u2019 campaign that USDA is going to be promoting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis really is not only a Make America Healthy Again push, but also a Make America Great Again push,\u201d Abboud said<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Then Allen addressed the virtual room of MAHA supporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe couldn\u2019t be happier with the progress that\u2019s been made in the last year, in the last quarter, in the last month, in the last week,\u201d Allen said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a wonderful partnership between USDA, HHS, EPA, the list goes on and on \u2014 and now MAHA, so thank you for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bigtree thanked Allen for appearing on the call. Only minutes earlier, he had excitedly introduced an Iowa gubernatorial candidate who made \u201ctransitioning away from toxic chemicals\u201d a key element<\/u><\/span> of his platform \u2014 and whom MAHA Action has endorsed<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

But Bigtree didn\u2019t bring pesticides up with Allen.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re part of a war on plastics, on microplastics,\u201d he told Allen instead. \u201cWe want to fight that battle with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more State Fair on the Mall Sputters Out of the Gate<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The health secretary is all in on the cotton industry\u2019s \u201cPlant not Plastic\u201d campaign. 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