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Human Development

Jul 21, 2026 Christopher Marquis

A new executive order on regenerative agriculture might seem to suggest that US President Donald Trump’s administration wants to help American farmers. But a closer look at the order and other recent developments reveals a familiar pattern: an unhappy public gets reassuring words, while corporate interests receive tangible support.

CAMBRIDGE—June 25 was a consequential day for American agriculture. In the morning, the US Supreme Court—encouraged by President Donald Trump’s administration—ruled (7–2) that a federal pesticide labeling law precludes state-level lawsuits against the chemical giant Monsanto over its failure to warn users about the cancer risks associated with its weed killer, Roundup. In the afternoon, Trump signed an executive order titled “Advancing Regenerative Agriculture and Strengthening American Farm Resilience,” supposedly to ensure that food in the United States is the “healthiest, most abundant, and most affordable in the world.”