MAHA Petition Asks USDA Secretary to Support Small Farms

The Trump administration has supported large American crop farmers with increased funding in the Big Beautiful Bill, and there’s also a recent pledge to earmark some tariff revenues for soy growers. However, cuts by the USDA to several key local agricultural programs have alienated the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) base and rankled many small-scale farmers. A petition drive has been launched to persuade USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to support America’s small farms to procure more healthy, whole foods for Americans.

MAHA Promises Kept?

Furthering Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s longstanding call to “Make America Healthy Again,” the initiative is gathering strong support from prominent groups allied to support healthy soils, regenerative agricultural methods, and cleaner foods for America’s children. Farm Action, Moms Across America, United We Eat, and MAHA Action (among others) join in urging Secretary Rollins to implement policies that will immediately support small farms while reducing dependency on ultra-processed foods.

Titled “Tell Secretary Rollins to Protect Farmer Livelihoods and Promote Healthy Food to End Chronic Disease in America,” the letter outlines specific agricultural policies that the USDA Secretary can implement immediately, without congressional authorization. America’s farmers, and organizations affiliated with the still-growing MAHA movement, are invited to sign the letter; an accompanying Change.org petition is being distributed for grassroots circulation.

The petition (“TELL Secretary Rollins and the USDA to Promote Healthy Food and Protect America's Farmers”) summarizes the key requests of the farmer letter:

“We call on Secretary Rollins to act NOW:

• Restore conservation staff and funding to protect soil and water.
• Support organic and regenerative agriculture to reduce the toxic load in children’s food.
• Restore the $1 billion cut from local food infrastructure programs that children and families rely on for a healthy diet.
• Use USDA purchasing power to support healthy food and independent, sustainable farmers.
• Support healthy school meals by investing in real kitchens and staff training so that children are not dependent on ultra-processed foods.
• Reform checkoff programs so funds don’t flow to Big Ag lobbyists.”

Help Small Farms

As the list suggests, some elements of the appeal to Secretary Rollins request the restoration of recent cuts to USDA programs. Yet the effort does not level recriminations at the secretary or the Trump administration. Instead, it emphasizes key policies that will have the most immediate impact to benefit farms, the environment, and human diets. As the petition notes, “These are not partisan issues – they’re common sense, pro-family, pro-farmer, pro-healthy food values that unite Americans across the spectrum.”

President Trump has directed his administration to cut costs and boost the US economy. This initially led to some cuts in domestic USDA programs, which attracted widespread criticism of his administration and the USDA. At the same time, HHS Secretary Kennedy has endured a relentless barrage of attacks for investigating the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines that did not work as promised. This has detracted from his core campaign messaging that the nation’s chronic disease epidemic is chiefly caused by unhealthy foods and lifestyles, not infectious diseases. Polls show that a large majority of Americans from both parties support this mission.

The letter and petition call to prioritize the MAHA messaging of improving health outcomes for all Americans through affordable, whole foods. This requires increasing regenerative and organic food supplies to meet growing needs in hospitals, schools, and grocery stores.

A Huge Task With Growing Momentum

Eliminating toxic dyes from food systems demonstrated the complex challenges of regulating cautiously to shift production models while companies secured healthy alternative ingredients. The MAHA Commission reports explain that nutritious whole foods are a cornerstone of improved health outcomes. Changes to SNAP benefit programs through state waivers have reduced the availability of sugary drinks and candies; many states seek to expand healthier offerings for program beneficiaries. All of these changes require increased support for American family farms to meet demands for increased production.

These policy changes are incremental first steps to deliver on the hopeful promises to improve Americans’ health, especially for schoolchildren and nutritionally vulnerable families. Time and predictability are necessary for the nation’s farms to target the growing demand for clean, unprocessed whole foods. The letter and petition to USDA Secretary Rollins prioritize policies that will hasten production by providing regulatory and fiscal supports for farms to achieve the administration’s stated goals.

The message to Secretary Rollins echoes the campaign messaging that led many voters who prioritized health, and thus healthy foods, to elect a Republican Congress and president in 2024. As Angela Huffman, President of Farm Action and one of the signers of the letter, explained, “We’re working with partners across the country to urge USDA to stand with the farmers growing healthy food for our communities – not Big Ag.”