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Alex Clark
I am frickin pissed. Did President Trump just hand legal immunity to pesticide companies?
Kelly Ryerson
The Republicans in Congress are working very hard right now to give immunity to chemical manufacturers to provide them with this shield so that when we get sick from their chemicals, we will not be able to sue. It is the most enormous slap in the face to Maha and all that we've worked for.
Alex Clark
Is it true that the Democrats all voted against this and the Republicans voted for it?
Kelly Ryerson
That's right. These congresspeople knew that the pressure was going to be so big that they made sure that their votes were secret. I don't even know what to say.
Alex Clark
What if the most dangerous ingredient in your kitchen isn't even listed on the label? This week I'm joined by my friend Kelly Ryerson, AKA Glyphosate Girl, a public health advocate, investigative writer and one of the loudest voices holding Big Ag and Big Chem accountable. From skyrocketing infertility to gender disruption, micro penises. Yes, really. Corporate cover ups and chemical warfare on our food supply. This is the episode that will make you question everything in your pantry. And yes, we're talking about how Republicans in particular are currently betraying the Maha base by pushing legal immunity for chemical companies and what we can do to stop it. This episode is mind blowing, educational, shocking, fun and super easy to listen to. If this show inspires you to make any big changes in your life, pause real quick, leave us a five star review. It takes less than five seconds and then come join the cuteservatives Facebook group to debrief with other like minded women. You may notice things look a little bit differently. I am once again filming at the Y Refy studio. Our friends at Wirefi have been so generous. My studio is out of commission currently. There was a leprechaun. His foot and shoe actually got stuck in the rainbow as he was climbing down. Really sad story. Please welcome Kelly Ryerson, AKA Glyphosate Girl to culture apothecary. Did President Trump just hand legal immunity to pesticide companies?
Kelly Ryerson
Effectively, that is what we're seeing happening right now in Congress. Not so much President Trump, but the Republicans in Congress are working very hard right now to give immunity to chemical manufacturers to provide them with this shield so that if when we get sick from their chemicals that they produce, we will not be able to sue for damages.
Alex Clark
And this is exactly what happened with the vaccine companies, Correct?
Kelly Ryerson
This is exactly the same thing that happened. And as you know, that created a whole lot of irresponsible behavior. It takes away the incentive for companies to do the right thing and to report the safety damage. It is an epic fail of regulation. That is one of the things that a lot of voters were looking to overturn in the vaccine world. Not even realizing that this was going to come from chemical manufacturers as well.
Alex Clark
It feels like we're being sold out to Bayer and Syngenta.
Kelly Ryerson
We are 100% being sold out. Think about this. Bayer is a German corporation. Syngenta is owned by Chem China. What we are doing right now in Congress and what congresspeople are suggesting is that we allow these foreign chemical companies to poison us, and we. You can't do anything about it. When we get cancer, when we get infertility, when we get Parkinson's disease, when we get als, all of these illnesses, we will no longer be able to sue the manufacturers for causing.
Alex Clark
Is it true that the Democrats all voted against this and the Republicans voted for it?
Kelly Ryerson
That's right. In fact, the first round of votes, the Democrats came in strong saying, this is outrageous. Of course they shouldn't have legal immunity. Republicans came and said, yes, they definitely should. It went to a larger group and it was predominantly Republicans that were voting for. But get this. There was a big uprising of tons of Maha moms and conservatives that called and told these congresspeople they have no interest in having a pesticide liability shield. These Congress people knew that the pressure was gonna be so big that they made sure that their votes were secret. So when they voted for this pesticide liability shield, we couldn't call them and say, hey, that vote was outrageous and you shouldn't even be elected next term. No, that can't happen because they made it secret. So we don't know.
Alex Clark
Okay, but why would the conservatives be doing this? We have the Maha move. This is important to us. I'm shocked the Democrats voted against it. They haven't really been on board with that much of our Maha stuff. So what's going on here?
Kelly Ryerson
There is a significant detachment right now from particularly some of the senior members in Congress and in Senate that are Republicans. There is a detachment and a complete lack of acknowledgement for the younger base of Republicans, the base of families and the people that are ready to have kids, the people with kids that don't want these poisons anymore. If they think that we are not paying attention and that we aren't going to hold them accountable for these acts that are completely against the reason why we even voted for all of these people in the first place, then they're mistaken, because the midterm elections are Going to be coming up pretty soon and it is shaky in several different spots. Whether or not Republicans are going to hold Congress or not, they are completely underestimating what this block of young conservatives want and expect out of our elected officials.
Alex Clark
I feel like the American people are awake at this point for the most part to corruption in Big Pharma, to how powerful Big Food is when it comes to Big Chemical and Big Ag. Are people still asleep at the wheel?
Kelly Ryerson
Traditionally, and there are always exceptions, but pharmaceuticals have generally been quite protected by the Democrats. The Republicans have protected oil and gas and agricultural chemicals. Now, of course there's variances, but effectively that's the trend. So this is in line with sort of the traditional old school, frankly extremely stale and not up to date mentality that Republicans are going to be willing to continue protecting these poisoners.
Alex Clark
It seems like the fight against Big Ag is going to end up being the fight of our lifetime.
Kelly Ryerson
Oh my God, Alex, like that. You just said exactly what it is. And I think people don't understand that. That is absolutely the truth. In fact, it's to the point where it is so significantly contributing to our chronic disease epidemic and is so broadly under recognized by design by the agricultural chemical companies. Meanwhile, our entire future as a species, literally as a species, depends upon us addressing this Big Ag chemical problem. It's frankly too late in some cases to even rectify things because there's a lot of epigenetic damage that we're passing down through our babies. If we can't correct this extremely soon, we do not have a future as a country.
Alex Clark
What can we even do?
Kelly Ryerson
There are definitely things that can be done. So I'll just start first with this, this legislation right now.
Alex Clark
What is it called?
Kelly Ryerson
So there are two different ones that are going to be coming up. We have the. So when you have a bill like this, it's a spending bill. And what's really crafty, by the way, just to go back for a second because I got my start as glyphosate girl because I was blogging and covering all of the Monsanto cancer roundup trials. Around that time. Bayer acquired Monsanto. Monsanto and the. Bayer, the pharmaceutical company, acquired this big ag company and they merged. Bayer has had a catastrophic drop in their share price because it was the worst acquisition they could possibly have. They've had to shell out now $16 billion on settlements for glyphosate causing cancer and there's no end to it. They don't want to put a label that some research might show that this causes cancer on their product. This is what this is about. They don't want to put the label and instead they're trying this roundabout way to get legislators to pass legislation to make sure that they don't get bankrupt and that their stock price can come back up. And frankly, when Bayer outlined this strategy, the CEO came out and said, this is one of the strategies we're going to do. We are going to go to state levels and we're going to go to the federal level. We're going to establish immunity. And frankly, a lot of us read that you couldn't do that. That would take the utmost of corruption to be able to pass something like tried it twice last year. They tried it in the farm bill. That didn't go anywhere and they tried it in a separate legislation. It didn't go anywhere helpful that Democrats were in charge at that time when it comes to this. They have now gone full onslaught, hitting up many states in this country trying to pass it at the state level. It's passed now in Georgia and North Dakota. If you get sick from pesticides or many other chemicals in either of those states, you can no longer sue the company for failing to warn. This is awful. There are tons of people that worked really hard on it, particularly in Georgia, the freedom people. And it passed anyway. Governor Kemp signed it into law that gave Bayer and all the other chemical companies the go ahead green light to go ahead and pass it federally. And there were lots and lots of people that were excited to do this. So now you have in the House this spending bill. They slid it in section 453. It is so innocuous sounding, the way the wording is in the bill that when I've been talking to offices over the last week about this, they're like, that's not what that is. That's not a pesticide liability shield. In reality, the words are tricky. Deliberately, it absolutely 100% provides liability shielding for chemical companies, foreign chemical companies. So the thing that people can do, and if there was ever a time that you wanted to be an activist, I would say right now is the time. Yeah, absolutely. Could not be a more important time to actually get on the phone and be calling offices. This means can you call not only your congresspeople, but call other congresspeople? And there are lists that are being made of people to call. Can you email the staffers that work for those congresspeople and tell them where you stand? This is going to need to come from the Republican base because otherwise it's going to pass. This has to be the largest uprising of Republicans that can put pressure on these congresspeople and frankly, direct directly on President Trump because he should be on the phone right now calling those congresspeople and senators and saying, this goes against my mandate to make America healthy again.
Alex Clark
Trump supporter voted for him three times. Okay. Die hard conservative, absolutely enthralled. Love the Maha movement. I am frickin pissed. This is so against everything that we've been fighting for that we said that we had voted for. So our voices in this moment have never mattered more to say. Hold on a second. When we're talking exactly what Kelly's saying in terms of making America healthy again. This goes against everything that we said that we wanted you to do and everything you promised us that you would do. So we have to be, you know, guns ablazing on social media, calling, calling our legislators, saying, we want a change here and we do not want this to pass. So what is the script? Like? We pick up the phone, who do we call? What do we say?
Kelly Ryerson
What you need to do is you pick up the phone and this is for the House version. And then I'll get the Senate version, the House version. You need to call all the congresspeople that you can. Republican congresspeople. You tell them the appropriations bill is coming up, there's going to be a vote. All of the Congress people are going to vote on it. I will not support you if you support language in this bill that gives pesticide and chemical companies immunity from liability and lawsuits. That is what you need to say. And it really doesn't need to be much more than that. Now offices are saying, oh, in fact, you. And disgustingly, a congressperson yesterday said that. Oh, it's so funny. Like MAHA moms are calling and saying, we don't want a pesticide liability shield. Well, they don't really understand what's actually happening. It was total gaslighting and so obscene. And guess what? We're a really brilliant group of women. We know exactly what they're trying to do and that type of putting down the moms. What are they thinking? We're the ones that put them there. You need to call those congresspeople and senators that are Republicans and you remind them what this voting block is. So now going over to the Senate, the Senate has not released their appropriations bill yet, so we don't know what the language is, but we can work proactively and preemptively to call Republican senators and particularly if you're from that state, but it doesn't even matter. It could be Any of the states. And you tell them you will not support any language that gives pesticide companies liability shield and a free pass to go ahead and pollute and make us sick with no repercussions whatsoever. Just think about even having to ask that. Like I'm saying those words. I'm like, that is so insane that we're even having to ask what is.
Alex Clark
Going on with the epa.
Kelly Ryerson
I would have to say that Lee Zeldin, the supposed MAHA appointee of the EPA that was actually going to keep us safe, has done nothing, has made no signal whatsoever that he is going to do anything about our toxic poisoning. This appointment of this person, now that is head of our Environmental Protection Agency, has no business being there. He doesn't represent Maha. I don't think he represents the base of Republicans either, because it is completely anti freedom, it's anti health, it's all these things that we're voting on now. So I don't understand this appointment. It's no different than previous administrations. It's the same as like what Biden did. It's the same that Obama did, same that Trump did the first time. It's this repeated protection of pesticides and chemicals that keep us poisoned. And after the MAHA Commission report came out, and by the way, it was an enormous win to even have glyphosate and atrazine mentioned in that thing. The original drafts had a lot more about how they're making us sick. That was just. Even to get it mentioned was a huge win. Well, in response, Lee Zeldin brought in the superstar of the soybean association to come in and regulate our pesticides. He's the biggest protector of these toxins. He's gonna make sure that no evidence gets to the surface that might change regulation. It is the most enormous slap in the face to Maha and all that we've worked towards.
Alex Clark
What do you think Secretary Kennedy thinks of all this?
Kelly Ryerson
He holds things really tight, tightly close to the vest, probably because that's what a smart politician would do. I do know that when he was at the MAHA Commission report announcement and his whole idea is he read Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, which is a book about how pesticides are basically gonna kill us all from the 1960s. He always refers back to that. And at the beginning of his presentation with the other commissioners in the White House that we both attended, he was talking about that importance of identifying how chemicals are injuring us. And it was interesting because the EPA administrator said nothing of the kind. And his actions are really show the continuation of this Today there's word that he's going to approve the continued use of dicamba, which is a terrible pesticide. Finally, it was withdrawn for some uses last term and now it's back. It's just like they want to turn on the faucet of toxicity.
Alex Clark
When it comes to the Maha movement as a whole, is big agriculture really the only place we're seeing glaring holes here?
Kelly Ryerson
I would say it's definitely the worst. Now, what is different about Maha fighting pharma or Maha fighting big food? You know, it's us versus the company with this we have. It's us versus entire agricultural system and a lot of farmers that are terrified that they're going to lose their farm because they won't be able to use chemicals and all of the money that's at place. So, you know, it's not just Americans versus the corporation. It's Americans, the farmers, and the corporations and the government that are all trying to get their way.
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Kelly Ryerson
Our agricultural system is too big to fail. We cannot say tomorrow we want everything to be organic. You stop using those pesticides because just like any drug dependency, let's say like if you are on benzodiazepine opioid like ssri, you can't cold turkey it that day and expect that you're going to be okay. Our soil is the same way. So they're so used to these inputs. The soil is so used to these inputs that you can't just cut it because. Because it needs time to heal itself. Some people in the Maha movement have been talking about. No, we just need it all to be organic tomorrow. But Actually, that is where we get in trouble with the farmers saying that's completely unrealistic, realistic. You don't know what you're talking about, because scientifically, you can't really do that. That being said, we do have a love affair with chemicals. It is all due to the misappropriation of subsidies. So the USDA puts tons, billions of dollars into supporting our agricultural system and our farmers, and they are committed to supporting these same, same GMO seeds, the same chemical system, year after year, even though it's destroying the soil, it's destroying our bodies, it's destroying the pollinators. Now bees are being made, are being replaced with drones because the bees are dying off. Our pollinators can't pollinate. I mean, it is such a disaster that needs to be addressed.
Alex Clark
Why does the USDA support that?
Kelly Ryerson
Primarily because of the revolving door. So it's like the other agencies where, where you get these people in from industry, they work there, they do favors for big ag and these chemical companies, and then they're offered these sweet jobs when they come out, and they're compensated financially for it. And this is a cycle that happens over and over and over again in all the regulatory offices. So that is a cycle that actually needs to be cut. That's something that Secretary Kennedy had talked about. We need to cut that off. Because without cutting it off, those are gonna be bad actors perpetually. We actually had some amazing things in the USD. When I say we as a country, we had some amazing things over the last three years. There were all of these farm to school programs that were being supported where schools were getting locally sourced, regenerative, and oftentimes organic food supported by the government. There were a lot of soil health initiatives that were really supporting this transformation. There were processing mills for grains and for meats that were going to provide small producers the ability to actually sell their food and process their food. By and large, I don't know the actual percentage. I would say most, if not all of these programs have been sliced since Brooke Rollins took place. Those school programs were cut. You no longer have that fresh food going to the kids in schools.
Alex Clark
Why did she do that?
Kelly Ryerson
I have no idea. Every time she stands up and she says, I am a Maha mom and I, you know, I have to say, I would like to have a conversation with her and be like, how is that maha mom? Unless there's a grand scheme, which there could be. I mean, I'm not willing to totally turn on her because I think that she's doing some great things with Secretary Kennedy.
Alex Clark
This is the nuance, too, that I think is important because I know immediately upon posting this episode that we're gonna get these doctors, medical professionals on Instagram that are very anti Maha, they're very anti Trump, they hate conservatives, and they're very, very pro, like, big food, big pharma. There's, you know, you guys are a fake alarmist. You're fear mongering, like, there's nothing to worry about. Seed oils are great. You know those people?
Kelly Ryerson
Yes, I know. I know them.
Alex Clark
So those people are going to see this and they're going to be like, see, we freaking told you. Voting for Trump was a mistake. You never should have trusted him. And I'm like, okay, I am not opposed to calling out, you know, as we go here, hey, there's certain things I don't like. I don't like how we've done all this weird backpedaling on Epstein. I don't like, you know, the thing, how we're handling some of these things when it comes to Big Ag, that's important, I think, for us to call out. I am the voter. I voted for you. You know, we are the client, basically, like, we hired you to work for us. So I think it's okay for us to say, hold on a minute. I'm not happy with how things are going in, you know, this circumstance. Now. There's a hundred other things that I could point to and say when it comes to Maha, that I'm like, oh, my gosh, yes. Like, this is incredible. Like, we've done a lot of great things too. But I just know. I just wanted to say that for the people that are gonna be like, well, we told you, like, come on. Like, if. If you really care about these issues, you cannot deny all of the amazing things that we have accomplished besides this. But, yeah, there's still work to be done. It's not gonna be perfect.
Kelly Ryerson
My entire world of working towards Clean food were very anti Trump, anti Maha. And in, in the circles that I've worked with for over a decade.
Alex Clark
And you live in San Francisco and.
Kelly Ryerson
I live in San Francisco. Can you imagine? I. I have a lot of friends, like, are in talking to me about this, to say the least. But I am definitely not turned against the Maha movement. I think what Secretary Kennedy is doing and just the momentum in general is unprecedented. And the things that they're doing, people say, oh, Jess, food dies. I'm sorry. My son, by the way, would get repeatedly kicked out of class all through second grade. I didn't know why until I figured out from reading Bonnie's blog that it was red food dyes. Guess what? He wasn't kicked out anymore. Like, that's not small. This work that they're doing on ultra processed food food, the work that they're doing on redefining nutrition standards, like, all of that is so vital. And I don't think that in voting. Once again, I'm a realist because I've been working in this for so long and I've had all kinds of horrible trolls and things come after me for talking about agricultural chemicals and how, you know, I just want the world to starve. So I'm not surprised by this pushback. I would have been surprised if it was easy.
Alex Clark
Is it true that President Trump is reversing bans on forever chemicals?
Kelly Ryerson
There's a really huge problem where a lot of forever chemicals are making their way into our soil and imagine what that does. That is really bad news for those farmers. Ability to grow crops in there and it impacts soil much like it impacts us. It is a toxic situation. There have been a lot of great moves to try and make sure that that didn't happen. Now Trump has given the go ahead and so I haven't seen it implemented yet. But the thought is, yes, PFAS will be allowed in our farming system and to be contaminating our soil. What a weird thing that is. Like, that's just weird.
Alex Clark
I think it's weird. And so I'm like, okay, again, another thing that we need to be posting about on X compared to any other president. I know for a fact President Trump really does care what voters think. So if all of a sudden everyone on social media is calling him out on something and saying we don't like it, I mean, I feel like that's going to get to him. It's. He's going to pay attention to it. I mean, we've seen this with the Epstein stuff that all of a sudden, you know, we, we're seeing Pam Bondi saying like, oh, okay, Mr. President, yes, we're going to look into some things and do this because he's now seeing the voter base is like turning on him. So he does listen. So I think that's important. And I also think, isn't this super contradictory? Isn't Trump doing some kind of Make America Beautiful Again act, which is being pushed by the American Conservative Coalition?
Kelly Ryerson
Yeah, they released that, by the way, not too much fanfare. I think actually that organization, Benji, who runs that organization, deserves like a round of applause because didn't see that coming. Right. Yeah. Yeah. So he put that out there. But of course, all the critics are like, that was just show because look at all that he's doing in terms of mining and not protecting public parks.
Alex Clark
Why are you glyphosating, girl?
Kelly Ryerson
This is so crazy. I never thought I would be. Like, I had no idea what glyphosate was. Like, I loved my Oreos. Like, I didn't think anything about this. But right after I had my second child, I became really sick with probably something many people relate to, with sort of a vague autoimmune like, condition where I had all kinds of symptoms, didn't know what was wrong with me, saw 20 doctors. No one really knew. They layered me on two antidepressants, on a benzodiazepine, on gabapentin and a steroid, and basically like, oh, I had a hysterectomy and I had sinus surgery, all to fix this problem, right? No one ever asked me what I was eating. So finally they told me I was crazy because I'm a woman, I'm imagining these symptoms. And so I finally went to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist happened to have intake blood work that for the first time, tested my vitamin levels. Oh, my gosh. I had scurvy. I had zero vitamin C. I had all of these severe nutritional deficiencies. Brought it back to my doctor. My doctor said, oh, that doesn't have anything to do with health. Oh, my gosh. And so I finally saw someone else who said, I think you should try giving up gluten. So I gave up gluten, started eating cleanly, took vitamins, got so much better, but then was mad that I couldn't have gluten, Right? So then I went to a conference at Columbia University. They have a preeminent celiac center. I don't have celiac. But they were talking about gluten sensitivity. So a scientist stands up there and says, we don't know if it's actually the gluten that's causing the inflammation. It might be something else. So I'm like, okay, well, I wonder what that would be. I went up to the microphone and I said, do the farmers spray anything on the grain? And they're like, we don't know. So someone from General Mills happened to be there. He found me afterwards, and he came over and he told me, hey, yeah, right before harvest, they spray Roundup all on these grains. And so it ends up in the final food product. I'm like, oh, my gosh. This opened my whole world to understanding that glyphosate is impacting the gut microbiome. It's contributing to leaky gut. All of these different, different chronic conditions that are connected to the most used pesticide of all time. That's all over our whole environment and in our food and in our water. I was very upset at the time. And around that time, in San Francisco, the glyphosate cancer litigation trials. The trials were beginning, which actually are the basis of why now we have this liability shield situation. I went up because I wanted to protest. I'm not a protester, but I was so mad about not eating gluten and my autoimmune condition.
Alex Clark
I'm the same way. I am really serious about my bread.
Kelly Ryerson
Super serious. Like, this is worth any kind of protest. So I had a sign with me. I go up there. There's no. No anything. Like, there's barely a journalist there. I walked right into the courtroom, sat down next to RFK Jr. And that's how I got to know him and watch this whole thing. I quit my job at the time, which was health coaching, and I decided I was going to cover every single day of everything that happened in that trial because I knew it was going to be misreported out to mainstream. And I called myself glyphosate Girl to be anonymous. But Monsanto quickly figured out who I was, and they sent a spy to come. She said she was a mom blogger to come and keep an eye on me. And I didn't know that until a journalist called me and said, hey, I think that that person is connected with Monsanto. I'm like, no.
Alex Clark
What was she doing?
Kelly Ryerson
She was just hanging out, you know, with me each day in the courtroom. She invited me to a couple things. I went. She was great. She was a delight. A person, perfect spy to say what?
Alex Clark
See, I would fall for this. I would fall for this.
Kelly Ryerson
You and I are too nice.
Alex Clark
We're too fun. We're like, sure, the more the merrier. You know what? It's being a girls girl. That's what's going to end us in the end is we're too much of girls girls.
Kelly Ryerson
Like, too positive. Like, oh, this is a fun person to go to a party with.
Alex Clark
So what was her job to do? Just, like, tell them, like, what you're talking about?
Kelly Ryerson
Yeah, just tell them what I'm talking about, what we're saying, what's going on in the back scenes. Because by then, I knew all the lawyers pretty well, so probably she was trying to get information. I mean, I don't know. But what was super creepy is that the journalist called me late at night to say, no, that person is connected with Monsanto. I'm like, what? She never came back. And so that means she was listening to the phone call.
Alex Clark
How was she listening to the phone call?
Kelly Ryerson
Oh, they tap. They tap all of your communications. Like the people that work in this world have had computers crash. Like Vandana Shiva's had all kinds of weird things happen. Zen Honeycutt's had weird things happen. Like they come after you. It is the darkest of the industry industries in terms of what they do. They even like have a secretive ops unit that they go after the people that are trying to criticize them. They have a whole plan that's called let nothing go. So people like me or anyone that goes online and criticizes, they have people ready to go there and defame you or write an article about how crazy you are through the front groups. I mean it is a well orchestrated.
Alex Clark
What do you mean the front groups?
Kelly Ryerson
So they have a number of front groups that agricultural, chemical companies fund to make sure that they can write articles about people like me or whoever it is. And probably, I mean they're probably a million about RFK Jr. Right. And so they set up these really smart sounding front groups. So things like the Cornell alliance for Science, which is actually funded by Bill Gates, there's the genetic literacy, there is GMO answers. There are all these groups that are paid for by industry. So that when you and anyone listening right now, you're like, I think Kelly's crazy when she's talking about that. I'm going to go see if GMOs and glyphosate are a problem. You input that those front groups come up on searches as the first ones as well as critiques about the insanity of the crazy ladies that are saying that this is poisoning us.
Alex Clark
Should that be legal in the United States? I mean, does that fall under free speech protection? What's the line there?
Kelly Ryerson
It is falling under free speech. They get away with a lot of free speech too. Because California wanted to label glyphosate as a cancer causing agent. This ended up in the California Supreme Court for a long time, like for years. Eventually California lost and Bayer won. And Bayer didn't have to label the bottle for it causing cancer. They won on the basis that it goes against their freedom of speech to. Because they disagree. They disagree that it causes cancer.
Alex Clark
But don't we have science or evidence that would just make this not a matter of opinion?
Kelly Ryerson
There is no question that this is connected to to cancer. There's no question. In fact, one of my friends is a toxicologist at UC Berkeley, and she was called in by the EPA to come in and give her professional opinion as to whether or not this causes cancer. She looks at all the research. She works with these other two women that are outstanding scientists at University of Washington. They see that, oh, wow, there's definitely a significant connection between non Hodgkin's lymphoma and glyphosate exposure. They hand that over on the EPA's committee to the EPA. They. The EPA asked them to come, they give their opinion, and the EPA turns around and says there's no evidence of any harm to humans from exposure to glyphosate. Just straight up lying. So that toxicologist left and she published the research herself. She's like, this is terrible, Alex. Like, I genuinely don't know what it's going to take to stop this corrupt behavior because it's, as I say, like, it's getting too late even to stop it. And it's happening from administration to administration and it's never ending.
Alex Clark
So for somebody who's a skeptic and they're like, like, yeah, I kind of lean towards that. Like, you don't know that it's necessarily the glyphosate that is causing this and all of that. Like, what is your, like, short spiel to kind of convince somebody that they're wrong that glyphosate is one of the most evil, dangerous chemicals that we allow in the United States?
Kelly Ryerson
It's interesting because glyphosate, in comparison to other pesticides, is actually less toxic. Can you believe it's just the most used? So we're mostly exposed to it. But when glyphosate came on the market, the farmers were psyched because they're like, this is a lot less toxic. But there are other things that are considerably more toxic. For example, diquat is something that now has been put into the Roundup formula. So when and everyone here, I want to highly recommend you do not buy any of the Roundup products when you go to Home Depot. What happened is Bayer wanted to stop these lawsuits, and so they took glyphosate out of the formulation recently, just this year of Roundup, because there's such a huge body of evidence that shows glyphosate is a problem, that they know they're going to keep on losing lawsuits because there's too much science against. Diquat is the replacement chemical. It's 40 times more toxic. They put it into the roundup bottle. But they're not likely gonna be sued anytime soon because there's not enough research on it to hold up in court. So instead they're going and they're gonna poison us that much more. So I would say, indeed, I'm not someone that thinks it all is due to glyphosate. I think it's a huge problem. I think it's this combination of all the toxins that we're completely surrounded by all of the time. It's the fungicides, insecticides, it's these other herbicides are terrible. It's atrazine, it's the plastics. It's a lot of different things. Glyphosate is the most used and it needs to be dramatically decreased. And actually there's a plan to do so. This would be the biggest way that we can take care of it. And this is something I've been suggesting repeatedly to the administration. I think this is the time for this. Okay, this is it. Glyphosate is used as a pre harvest drying agent. This means that when a crop is ready to be harvested, sometimes the farmer goes out, they're like, oh gosh, part of the field is wet still, I can't really harvest this other part is dry. I can harvest there. It's easy for them to just do a passive roundup on top of the grain and do a one time pass. They go in and they harvest it and they send it off to the mill. That is easy for them to do. This has only been happening since 2005. This practice accounts for at least 90% of our dietary exposure to glyphosate. Just that harvest aid rounding up at the end of the crop growing season. It's not even for weed killing at that point, it's just as a harvest aid. So if you can get rid of that practice, which is what Europe recently did, you are going to dramatically decrease our exposure. Now what's happening is there are a lot of consumers, so this shows our power. Shouting like we don't want glyphosate. We don't want glyphosate. So now they've substituted paraquat in for that pre harvest aid. And that is connected to all kinds of problems. Most, most predominantly Parkinson's. We also have a huge Parkinson's growing epidemic in this country. So they're swapping that out because the mills don't test for for it. So what we need is a full halt on all synthetic chemicals for use as harvest aids.
Alex Clark
What should they be using Instead then.
Kelly Ryerson
So what they need, and this is what they did before 2005 when this started, they can go in and they cut it. It's called swathing. They just go out, they cut it, they let it dry on the field. The other alternative, which I know some people in the administration are talking about with enthusiasm and they talked to some farmers on my team recently, so I was really excited is to be supplying mechanical dryers. So you cut it and if it's still damp, you can pop them in a dryer and it's dries. You don't need to put the chemical on it and it's not cost prohibitive to do that. So it's just about being less lazy, frankly, and, and the consumer standing up for not wanting that.
Alex Clark
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Kelly Ryerson
This is such an irony, Alex, because what Big Ag still says all the time is in order to feed the world and feed our growing population, we need these chemicals. You guys are fools if you think like, we don't need these chemicals because we're gonna, how are we gonna feed the world? And I'm looking and I'm like, we're so below the replacement rate in this country. I'm not worried about this exploding population. That's crazy. That's not our problem. Our problem is we can't have babies anymore. I think that the percentage is something like 13% of couples. It's either 13 to of couples can no longer conceive in the amount of time that would be common in the past. And so I know that there's so much debate around say IVF and abortion. And in fact the Southern Baptist Convention meets each year and they talk about what the issues are. They're gonna be really core to what their political beliefs, what they're gonna push for. And it was interesting cause there was just a blowout argument over IVF last year. I personally understand both sides. I was appalled that no one zero people asked, why can't people get pregnant anymore?
Alex Clark
Right?
Kelly Ryerson
Why aren't we asking that? Because I can tell you why we can't get pregnant anymore. And it's just a really inconvenient answer. These chemicals, including atrazine and glyphosate, are directly connected to endocrine disruption. There is so much research that shows that these are impacting our hormones. Everything from testosterone to estrogen, to preventing implantation of the embryo in the side of the uterus, to impacting and attacking the ovaries and the follicles. I mean, this is killing and shutting down our ability to reproduce in this country by completely confusing our hormones. A few years ago, I was curious. I hadn't seen a study. I wanted to know if glyphosate was present in semen because we have this huge drop off of semen counts. And my gosh, I wonder if that's part of it. No one knew if it crosses the blood testes barrier. I called my friends and they're like, you owe me. And they had their. Their guys send these, these semen samples into the lab. They all came back positive for glyphosate. This was not in a farming community. This is just from dietary exposure.
Alex Clark
And, and what people don't understand is, okay, so these chemicals are saturating our ultra processed food. Yes. And 70% of Americans, all of the. The food they eat is coming from ultr processed food. So that is why you're seeing this dramatic, crazy increase in infertility.
Kelly Ryerson
Completely. It's all connected. It's all of that. This is nothing new with this administration. This is more of the same. Okay, So I went to the EPA last September to present in front of the office of pesticide Programs. They make the determination on what the rules are gonna be. I've forever been talking about, oh, women's fertility. Women's fertility. I'm like, I'm going to the guys now because people will pay attention. So I put a picture of boxers, okay, like, up on my slides, and I listed all the things that this is doing to sperm. Cause it kills sperm and it slows motility, it's decreasing testosterone, it's impacting the prostate, and just did this long list of things. And I'm like, how are you guys not calling this an endocrine disruptor? Well, the reason why they're not is because 27 of the 32 studies that they base their decision on are private, provided by industry. I asked for those studies so I could see them. Nope, they're proprietary to the company. I don't get to see why they're saying that it's not an endocrine Disruptor, meaning we have total corruption and fraud underneath it.
Alex Clark
Can we sue for them to release?
Kelly Ryerson
We potentially could sue for them to release. But then. And it's like, how do you find those lawyers that are funded to do it? And actually, I'm heartbroken because I actually did get a fantastic legal team that was rearing up to sue over the glyphosate contamination in semen and infertility. And they even were, like, finding some plaintiffs and everything. And now it's like a big thing put on pause because it looks like this immunity shield will likely go through, and then they can't sue.
Alex Clark
See, this is like, to critical think anchors, okay? I'm sitting here thinking, all right, we are giving a bone to these pesticide companies, and then we're knowing that these are causing infertility problems. And then you have President Trump, who is saying, hey, let's just go ahead and cover IVF for all these couples. And nobody is asking the question, why do so many people need IVF in the first place? That's my big thing. I know that's my friend Illy Balai, that, you know, live healthily. That is her big thing. When it comes to speaking out about ivf. She's like, I'm angry. And her and I have different reasons why we're against ivf. Her primary thing is like, why are you doing this? And you're not looking into what is causing the problem in the first place. And these women are coming to you, and no one is looking at root cause, and they're just saying, we need 30 grand to be able to go and start this process. So many women really being duped and, like, nobody's wanting to look further into this. I think that is a huge crime against humanity.
Kelly Ryerson
It is absolutely disgusting. And I've had a lot of people say, well, you should go and tell the fertility specialist that this might be a thing. Of course they're not going to. They stand to make so much money from this infertility. One thing that I really think about a lot, too, is just the. The religious base that I think it's time to rise here, because this is going against God's divine creation. What we're talking about right now, this is shutting down life. This is killing things that God put here, including our ability to reproduce and having children. And it's unfortunate that our economy and our agricultural economy is built on these chemicals. But if we don't have an uprising specifically right now from the Republican base, it's just never gonna stop.
Alex Clark
You can't Be pro life and pro big chemical.
Kelly Ryerson
You can't.
Alex Clark
Is organic worth buying anymore? Now that appeal has been approved to be used.
Kelly Ryerson
Oh, my gosh. Get him, Kelly. You know, I had an argument with Mark Hyman about this.
Alex Clark
Oh, what's Mark saying?
Kelly Ryerson
It got to be a little bit of a battle because last year I noticed that they were putting appeal on organic food. So it's not new. It's been used just in quiet. And I was like, that's terrible. So some people were DMing me and saying, oh, you know, I'm having allergic reaction when I have appeal on these things. That's weird. It looks like appeal. Appeal is behind Mark Hyman's one of his podcasts. Like, I think one podcast they sponsor or something. So I was like, why are you. You know, and he. He got the CEO on the phone and they did like an Instagram Live and they said that it's fine and it's perfectly healthy. Healthy what?
Alex Clark
Mark.
Kelly Ryerson
Mark. I'm in it.
Alex Clark
I'm going to ask him about this if I ever get to interview him. He's one of my dream interviews.
Kelly Ryerson
Yeah, totally. You need to ask him because I'm so confused because people are having very bad reactions. And I mean, in my opinion, it is not. And no one wants it on organic. That's not what we pay for.
Alex Clark
Right. So you've got a couple grocery stores in the United States, I think Trader Joe's.
Kelly Ryerson
Yeah.
Alex Clark
Natural Grocers.
Kelly Ryerson
I think Sprouts is out.
Alex Clark
Yeah.
Kelly Ryerson
Maybe Whole Foods loves it.
Alex Clark
Whole Foods loves it. So you've got different grocery stores that are committing to, like, hey, our organic produce is not going to have a peel. And then other ones.
Kelly Ryerson
Ones you.
Alex Clark
You can pretty much guarantee it's going to be on your. Your produce. So what are you doing? Are you just trying to shop at the. At certain grocery stores that are committed to not using it or what?
Kelly Ryerson
So that's what I'm doing. And yeah, just. I'm sure you talk about it. I know you do on this podcast all the time. Eating organically is so critical, even when now we see that it's corrupted.
Alex Clark
That's what people think. People are worried that buying organic now is totally worthless. You're spending money just for the same chemicals. Is that true or false?
Kelly Ryerson
That is false. You still should be buying organic food. Why? Absolutely should be. Because these toxic chemicals I'm talking about 2,4D glyphosate, atrazine cannot be on there. There's this whole group of fungicides that are so awful and they're connected to this rise in resistant strains of fungal infections that you're seeing in people now where they die. It's a similar thing to the antibiotic resistance. Now it's happening fungal because of these fungicides that we're eating. So for example, I'm going to use potatoes. Potatoes. Potatoes are drenched in fungicide and they have so many different things and these anti sprout chemicals. You do not want to have a potato that is not organic.
Alex Clark
I just interviewed Dr. Bill Schindler from Modern Stone Age Kitchen and he told me something that I had never heard, which will be coming out soon, which is that potatoes are probably the most poisonous vegetable or whatever that is out there. And that he said you should never ever eat a potato with skin, skin on it. That you should always peel the skin. I had never heard this before Hitman and you. And I'm filming this in the same week. So that's just my super weird.
Kelly Ryerson
And I usually don't talk about it. This is sort of like new information in my mind.
Alex Clark
It's new information in my mind. So yesterday I made a potato. I made ribeye and a potato and I made sure I peeled off all the skin. And normally I would keep that on because I think about like, you know, in terms of apples or whatever, they're like, oh, this kid is so good for you. So I've always kept the skin on my potatoes and I was peeling all the skin off because he really freaked me out. And he also said if you ever are eating a potato chip bag and there's a green potato chip in there, he said that tells you it was like releasing the poison to protect itself.
Kelly Ryerson
That's what that is.
Alex Clark
That's the most dangerous potato chip to have is if it's green.
Kelly Ryerson
And I.
Alex Clark
And everybody's like, oh, that's just like.
Kelly Ryerson
It'S good for you. I was like, oh, natural.
Alex Clark
Yes.
Kelly Ryerson
No.
Alex Clark
So now I'm like, I have been.
Kelly Ryerson
I've been red pilled on potatoes, extra poisonous. Then with the chemicals on top of it, it all you get terrible.
Alex Clark
Okay?
Kelly Ryerson
Like you definitely don't want to be doing that. But. And then there are issues. For example, the United States doesn't hold international organic food to the same level that we do our domestic, which is totally unfair for competition for our American organic farmers. So if you can buy American organic food, that is what you should do. And if not, then I go international organic food because I still presume it'll be better. But of course there's no way to test of Course, the very best thing you can possibly do is be going to your farmer's market and talking to the farmer directly. And not everyone has that ability to do that, but, you know, if you do, then that's fantastic. Also, I live in a suburban house that isn't that big of a lot, but I have now converted my front lawn into fruits and veggies. And I love it so much and it makes me so happy. And I'm the only one on the block because it's pretty urban, but I just. It brings me a lot of joy.
Alex Clark
What does glyphosate actually do to the soil? Are we losing essential minerals before food even hits the grocery store?
Kelly Ryerson
The reason why Americans are so nutrient dependent deficient really has a lot to do with glyphosate. So glyphosate binds to minerals. It was originally developed as a metal pipe cleaner, which is so funny, and a metal boiler cleaner because of its ability to cling so tightly to minerals. Okay, so that's what was originally used for Monsanto realized, oh, wow, we can use it also as a potent herbicide, but that property still was there. So now you have a situation where the soil is all sprayed with glyphosate. It binds to the minerals and makes them bio unavailable to our crops. I feel like most of the problems in the world are because of a lack of. Of minerals. Because I just feel like if you get people the zinc and the magnesium and the manganese that is no longer in our food supply, effectively it would be a game changer because maybe our emotions could be a little more chilled out. But yeah, so that is a really, really big thing. The other thing that it does in the soil is it's killing the really critical biome that's there. It's very similar to our intestines where it plays a really important role in health. And same thing with soil health. So it is. It is a patented anti parasitic. So it does have these antibacterial properties in the body, which is. This is nuts. It is a very specific type of antibiotic where it is only killing the beneficial gut bacteria, not the pathogenic. So it allows things like E. Coli to keep going. But you know, that good Lactobacillus, forget it. That is, is like frontline target for glyphosate. And so when we're eating that all the time and you think about gut dysbiosis and how, you know, chronic illness and connecting gut to the chronic illness epidemic, this is a big part of it. In fact, the same lawyers that Sued Monsanto for cancer. They also sued Monsanto saying you have to take off the claim that this doesn't impact humans, only impacts weeds by way of the microbiome. Because they were able to prove that the microbiome that is so critical for human functioning that actually you are impacting humans by impacting the microbiome with Roundup. So that was a win in labeling.
Alex Clark
Is a tomato in a grocery store in 2025 less nutrient dense than a tomato from 1945?
Kelly Ryerson
It is so much less nutrient dense. So this is something I'm working on. I founded a new organization with tons of farmers called American Regeneration. And we are looking into exactly this nutrient density piece. Because what you see is when you heal the soil, you back off these chemical inputs. The soil is able to bring those nutrients back into the crops. And so you taste. And I mean, I have been on some crazy regenerative farms where I'm like, I don't think my whole life I've tasted like a tomato or a strawberry like that or a blueberry. Most of the strawberries and blueberries in this country, even if they're organic, they are grown hydroponically. So you're not even getting soil based berries. When you put buy things.
Alex Clark
Is it bad to buy hydroponically grown produce?
Kelly Ryerson
It's not bad in that there are chemicals or something. It's just not nutrient dense.
Alex Clark
We're hearing more and more about thyroid disease, especially when it comes to younger women. Could glyphosate exposure be one of the silent causes behind diseases like Hashimoto's and other hormonal disorders?
Kelly Ryerson
There is a body of research that is starting to connect thyroid disease with glyphosate exposure. I don't think that it is yet to the point where you can directly do cause, but you definitely are seeing correlation. In fact, there was some work that was done by Dr. Stephanie Seneff a while back where she was able to trace the rise in thyroid disease with the increase of the use of glyphosate in this country, which was pretty crazy. But correlation, not necessarily causation, but there is a lot of research backing up that connection.
Alex Clark
Alex Jones famously said, they're turning the fricking frogs gay due to altrazine. Are we seeing something similar happening in humans now due to chemicals in our food and fragrance in our food products?
Kelly Ryerson
Yeah, that was wild when Alex Jones came out and was saying that. I mean, the truth is that is what the study said.
Alex Clark
I love to be hyperbolic.
Kelly Ryerson
Yeah.
Alex Clark
So I went crazy viral this week that we're filming because I made a mention. I said, you know, your car air freshener is turning you gay. Now, your endocrine system being disrupted and, you know, increased levels of estrogen. Is that. Is that turning you gay? No, I'm being hyperbolic, but what I'm saying is it can make a man more feminine. It can affect their testosterone levels. I got your attention. Did it work? So that's kind of what I was saying, you know, So I kind of said that Alex Jones mentioned that about the frogs. What's really going on with these chemicals?
Kelly Ryerson
So, yeah, with the frog. So I know Tyrone Hayes, the scientist who did that study. I mean, it was really crazy. It was a massive feminization of his male frogs. I mean, that's just what happened in the study. And actually Syngenta, owned by Chem China now, they. They actually hired him to do the study. He found this. He told Syngenta. Syngenta said, oh, no, you're not gonna publish that, because it was at pretty low levels that this was happening. And so they went after him and they said, you know, we're gonna show you what it feels like to be gay. We're gonna go after your daughter. Like, it was horrible. Like, horrible, horrible bullying from Syngenta. Like, super scary. And anyway, but Berkeley still, like, supported him. He published the paper. And that's why we know that in this study, atrazine turned the frogs gay.
Alex Clark
Which was what was in our drinking water, right?
Kelly Ryerson
It's in our drinking. It's still in our drinking. Oh, yeah, it's in our drink. So this chemical is still not drinking water. It is not allowed elsewhere because it is so extremely endocrine disrupting. It is wild that it still is. It's particularly bad in Kansas and in Texas. So I actually attended a webinar last week with a bunch of scientists that specialize on endocrine disruption from environmental sources. So what is happening is that this is a question that is obviously on many people's mind. Could it have something to do with gender confusion? Because it's very clear in the evidence that the hormones are being impacted by these chemicals. And we see it, right? You can take a blood test and see the testosterone levels are down in guys now, because they just are. The issue is that scientists, by and large, do not want to touch this hot button topic. Why? Because I would guess they are worried to be the announcer of what they might see. Now, there is a book called Countdown by Dr. Shana Swan from Mount Sinai. She's excellent. And this describes in A lot of research, this crash infertility, okay. And like how that is about from environmental toxins impacting hormones. This study should be really, really shocking to people. Okay, this is it. She went and studied urine urinary levels of glyphosate in second trimester women. And she then she went to the babies that were born and she measured in the baby girls the distance between the vagina and the anus. In the moms in the second trimester that had the higher levels of glyphosate, that distance was longer, meaning it's a masculinization of the baby girl fetuses. And she actually went on Joe Rogan talking about this because that's what she does. She measures the changes in genitalia over time due to environmental exposures. That should be enough, by the way, that people should be seriously freaked out.
Alex Clark
I don't even know what to say. I didn't know that. That is so unbelievably shocking and disturbing. It's hard for me to find words.
Kelly Ryerson
Words these types of studies that really need to be done. Now, unfortunately, she's at the very end of her career. I think she's in her 90s now. We actually don't have a lot of toxicologists that are coming up the line because it's a very sensitive area to be studying and being public about.
Alex Clark
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Kelly Ryerson
Chemicals.
Alex Clark
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Kelly Ryerson
Absolutely not. And actually a green group came because I was having this big ant problem. Okay, like it was a big ant problem. So this isn't grass, but this is ants walking all around. And so I contacted this group that said they were super environmentally friendly. They came out, their suggestion to me was neonics. Neonics are they're like it's nicotine derived or you know, it's as safe as that. That is super toxic. That's their least toxic. That is crazy. So what I do is I am just and I think we all need to do this. I don't like it either. I really like well groomed things, but I'm having to let Go of the idea of a perfect grass. Okay? I'm just having to. And it bugs me that there are weeds in it, but that's where I'm going. Because we actually have had a cancer pocket recently from the sports fields in our hometown with kids playing soccer on fields that have been sprayed. So that is a no go. Like, you know, we just have to stop.
Alex Clark
Well, that was one of the first things. When I found out my dad had brain cancer. They were having, you know, a company come, like weekly to spray their lawn. So it would just be perfect green, no dandelions and stuff. And that was one of the first things I told my mom. I said, please cancel that service. It's just we are inundated by this. And I think that's what overwhelms people, is they feel like, well, I just don't even understand where to start. Like, it's everywhere. What am I supposed to do?
Kelly Ryerson
And so there are things you can do. So this is what I tell people, okay? So first of all, take off your shoes when you go into your house, if you don't already. You do not want to track that in where you have bare feet. And so the chemicals can come up through your. Your bare feet, you know, and through your skin. That is a big thing if, you know, if you happen to look. And I have a lot of followers that ask me this, if you happen to live in a farmland area and if you can go to the neighboring people and you ask them to let you know when they're going to spray, you can then seal up your house. You can take your kids and be out of the area, preferably for longer than a few hours, like maybe for a few days to make sure everything settles. The glyphosate and other pesticides, by and large, aren't going to leave until they're rinsed off. So if you are out in your back patio and you're spraying your cracks back there because you don't like the way that weed is growing up there. And then, you know, you wait your 30 minutes, it dries, and then you have your dog out there lying around. That is a recipe for lymphoma in dogs. And so you have to be really careful because it goes right. In fact, some of the animal studies on glyphosate are specifically on animals and going through their skin and their paws. So that I don't know if you've seen, but the numbers of dog cancer now are crazy. And a lot of that is this just surface exposure because people are reading the label. And like, I think it's fine for my dog now to be beyond that. Same with cats. Now if you have an opportunity to go buy a house on a golf course, that is a beautiful community, that is the dream, I wouldn't do it. In fact, there are people that I know who have sold their home because that drift that is constantly coming from golf courses which are just a hub of pesticide. Like some of the very worst pesticides are used on golf courses and it drifts and then it's all around your environment. So you happen to have like higher likelihood of having Parkinson's in those communities. A study just came out.
Alex Clark
Do you believe that governments or private companies are actively manipulating weather spending systems?
Kelly Ryerson
I 100% know this, and it is making me crazy. And I am so thankful that people are starting to catch on because I've noticed for the last few years, I'm like, how come I'm lying here? Because I'm someone that actually looks at the sky. How come I'm lying here and I see this new weather being installed? Like, when does that happen? I look up and I'm like, why is that contrail not disappearing? And it's crazy. Now, I was a space camp counselor, I just want to say, and I worked for NASA for, for a while, and I know what a contrail looks like. That's not what's going on. This isn't a normal contrail that they keep on trying to say. This is something else. You know, if you go back in time, like you go back 20 years ago when they were starting to like, think about geoengineering as a potential thing that maybe you could do, and there were people arguing, even like sociologists, they're like, if you aren't upfront right now with what you're planning to do, your whole plan to manipulate the weather is going to backfire. Because when people eventually realize there are going to be so many mad because you've been lying to them all these years, and it seems like it's nefarious.
Alex Clark
Cloud seeding and geoengineering. I mean, we know for a fact that they have admitted to doing that, right? That's not a conspiracy theory.
Kelly Ryerson
What's strange is that now they're saying, oh yeah, you could do it right now. The making sunsets guy, he's doing it. I mean, he's doing that. And there's a difference between the stratospheric aerosol injections and then that larger, like the sun blocking kind of technology and the making sunsets. So they're kind of two different now I think that we don't know exactly who's doing it. I'm not even sure it's the American government because this is the thing people are saying that it's happening in Russia, this is happening globally. I actually was in France last month and in the south of France, such a nice getaway for me and my husband. I saw blue sky maybe one day. The rest, I saw them installing the trails up there to block the sun. And I'm like, how come French people aren't upset? The French people are all about the environment and no, no pollution. And this is the other weird thing. So actually my. I called this out on, on Instagram too. Like, where are these traditional, largely very liberal environmental organizations? Why aren't they saying anything? Where is Greenpeace, Sierra Club, like these types of organizations that collect millions, why aren't they saying anything? That's creepy to me. It's taking people like you and me here sitting right here talking about, about it and like Instagram and Twitter to finally be like that is wrong.
Alex Clark
Do you think these chemicals that are being used in things like geoengineering could end up in soil, water in our lungs?
Kelly Ryerson
So farmers have said that they have already seen the damage that it's, it's doing. And particularly this farmer, Steve Jarvis, you definitely must need to have on. He's actually documented the impact on his orchards, his apple orchards, and has seen it make it hard for the apples to grow and for the trees to thrive.
Alex Clark
And this is because of like chemical rain coming down and then stuff.
Kelly Ryerson
Chemical rain and just the whatever it is that's sprayed up there. And a lot of it is considered actually classically. Some of the sulfur components are considered classically pollution. But now they're deliberately being put in there and they're coming down onto the soil into all of us. I mean, it's so terrible. I know a lot of like there are a lot of activists out there, they're starting to collect it and sending into labs to seeing exactly what's in it, which is going to be helpful. So this is going to be a spot to watch for sure. And I mean, then it makes me wonder exactly when it started.
Alex Clark
What are some other huge chemicals that are being used in America that aren't being used, other places that American moms really need to rise up and speak out against.
Kelly Ryerson
I'm going to just say the first one really needs to be this atrazine that's in the drinking water to go back to it. That is an herbicide. That has no business that made the frogs gay. And it's not because of that, but it just is really, really potently. And actually it's connected. There's some research that connects it to penis malformations.
Alex Clark
I was just going to say. Yeah, you know how we get everybody on board is we start telling men, your dicks are smaller totally because of what's in the drinking water.
Kelly Ryerson
So this is terrible. So the baby boys are being born now where the urine, where the urine is supposed to come out is not at the tip, it's at the side of the penis. It's a malformation of the penis that they've started to connect with atrazine exposure in the. Mom.
Alex Clark
Why do so many online fact checkers actively protect glyphosate?
Kelly Ryerson
They are protecting because of one, once again, this too big to fail agricultural system. I am glyphosate girl, and I have spent all these years focusing on glyphosate. Right. I actually don't think we can ban glyphosate and I think we can ban it for pre harvest desiccation. I don't think we can do that to the farmers who have opted to trust the EPA and the government about its safety. And I've spent. I actually worked on a documentary where I spent tons and tons of time with farmers in southern Illinois and Iowa. And I would meet with these big groups and I would say, you know, do you think that there's any chance that glyphosate causes cancer? They do not believe that that's true because they have this trust. And to the point that I remember one farmer saying, well, I mean, my family's had cancer, but it's not because of glyphosate. Wow. And so it's really going to be hard. And that's why they're freaking out. They're totally brainwashed. They're totally brainwashed. And also, even if they're not brainwashed, they don't see an option to come out of it.
Alex Clark
But there is an option. What are some natural things that farmers could do instead?
Kelly Ryerson
Okay, so this is the revolution that like dedicating my life to now because I'm so excited about it and I'm sure that your listeners have heard you talk about it, but it's regenerative agriculture.
Alex Clark
She just got so excited.
Kelly Ryerson
This is the most hopeful thing because if farmers stop using all these chemicals and they focus on soil health and they start growing other things and they're rotating crops and everything, they become more profitable. And so they are no longer having to work jobs off of the farm to just like make ends meet. And suddenly, you know, they're not having to spend as much money on the chemicals, but their crops are still growing to the same level and, and everything just, you know, the ecosystem returns. It's like if you ever saw biggest little farms like that, but like you can do that kind of thing on these large, large scale farms, which thousands of acres. And it's being done, it's done now in small scale. And it's not being supported by the government. It's being supported by independent groups that are farmers, that want to help farmers. And so they are going and meeting with other farmers, farmers, they're like, hey, look, I am so profitable right now. I was able to do this. I was a chemical farmer for 40 years. Now I'm not. And I'm free from these government subsidies. How amazing is that? Because farmers love that freedom. They don't like the chemical company, they don't like being dependent on them. They just are. And the subsidy system, the government keeps them like that.
Alex Clark
My audience loves homework. So what are your favorite books or documentaries on Big Ag, Big Chemical?
Kelly Ryerson
My very favorite documentary is Common Ground, which is now streaming on Amazon. And I was in it and so were so many of my friends. You'll probably see a lot of familiar faces and some farmers that are just like, I think the true American heroes. The book that I always send people to right away is Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown. I'm sure some of your listeners right now are kind of panicked about the fact that, you know, you feel like you can't get away from these toxic chemicals and they're invisible and everything, those two pieces will make you feel like, like you can. And I perpetually, if I'm going to keep on doing this activism work, I actually need that reminder because it's just otherwise too depressing. There is this exit, there is this road of hope. And so everyone needs to feel like that. I think also this moment of hope is so strong because of what we've put together with this MAHA coalition and this new focus on health. And I think even with this pesticide liability shield that frankly has kept me up, not sleeping for two weeks, we can do this. We can do this because we have each other now and we've heard what we want. And so if we can all just take this time to push back and tell the, you know, you don't need to call them and say we need to ban all chemicals. That's not what we're talking About. We're talking about keeping chemical companies accountable, and we can do that.
Alex Clark
What are some practical tips for how to navigate the grocery store knowing all of this that you talked about?
Kelly Ryerson
Okay. So truthfully, like, when I first got into this, it was hard for me to eat because then you start, like, I don't. I don't remember what that term is, but, like, it's not anorexia. It's just, like, kind of fear to eat because you think poisons everything.
Alex Clark
Oh, like orthorexia or something.
Kelly Ryerson
Yeah, orthorexia. That was an issue a little bit. I mean, not too extreme, but I'm like, God, you know, I wasn't eating dairy for a while, but now I'm eating dairy. I love my Alexander's milk. If it's sold near you.
Alex Clark
I love Alexander Farms. I'm gonna go tour their farm, I think, this fall.
Kelly Ryerson
Are you really? Oh, I'm so cheered.
Alex Clark
Courtney Swan and I are going.
Kelly Ryerson
Oh, my gosh. I want to come with you guys. I totally want to go to.
Alex Clark
They listen to the show, so Alexander Farm, we need Kelly to come.
Kelly Ryerson
Stephanie, who works there, she also, like, teaches young kids to be with, like, the young calves. And so, like, it's this really sweet thing with the cows. So that. I mean, that's my favorite product. Right? Like, that stuff.
Alex Clark
Yeah, they. They have yogurt and they have milk.
Kelly Ryerson
Obviously, and it's a two, so it's, like, sitting well with me, which is fantastic. It's less inflammatory. I'm big on just doing the organic smoothies. I'm really big on eating. I eat steak probably five times a week. I'm eating less chicken just because. Unless, like, I get it from a source where I really try trust where it's from. I am very fortunate to live near regenerative ranch, the Market Gard Farm, that is in half, and Bay, California. I'm giving a shout out because I love them so much, and they have such good meat. And also, Donagha, who runs that farm, is this badass woman that's just, like, so lovely. I love what she's doing. So I like to buy my meat there. So I am very meat. I'm very fruit, I am very vegetable, and it's pretty boring. And then with the Alexander milk, if.
Alex Clark
You could offer one remedy to heal a sick culture, physically, emotionally, or spiritually.
Kelly Ryerson
What would it be? We need to make taking magnesium mandatory. We have to get there because the road rage, just the Twitter insanity, the anger. I don't even think it's because of political separation. I think it's because people aren't. Well, I think that their minerals.
Alex Clark
Do you think this is a magnesium deficiency?
Kelly Ryerson
I think it's a magnesium deficiency.
Alex Clark
This is juicy.
Kelly Ryerson
I think this is a magnesium deficiency because it's such a mood modulator. And this is the other thing, like I was telling you, I was put on all those drugs. Having to taper off of antidepressants and benzo diazamines is a nightmare. So the thing that allowed me to do so was taking magnesium because actually, it kept me at such a stable level. There are a lot of books that are written now about how really you don't find someone unless they're supplementing that isn't magnesium deficient. And so if you think, like, could you take the most enraged people and put them all in a magnesium bath and then have us all come out a week later, do that every day, what would happen? Would we all be more chill? I think so.
Alex Clark
Where can people follow you on social media?
Kelly Ryerson
You can find me at Glyphosate Girl. There is no one else that goes by that name.
Alex Clark
Yeah, you'll find her.
Kelly Ryerson
You'll find a glyphosate girl. And in terms of fighting back for this liability shield, you can sign up with me if you go to stop poison.org and you can sign up with me and I will send you updates for both state and federal things that you can do to push back, including scripts and phone numbers to call if you want to have more background on glyphosate in general. I established my own front group called Glyphosate Facts, because that's what the industry does, is they do the GMO answers like it sounds very official. So I put up Glyphosate Facts where you can go and you can look up this research and you can see the backstory if you want more information, and I have information in my articles about this liability shield.
Alex Clark
Kelly, you are such a freaking rockstar. Thanks for coming on Culture Apothecary.
Kelly Ryerson
Thank you for having me.
Alex Clark
I don't want anyone to ever think that just because I love President Trump, you know, 99% of the time that. That I'm against calling out things in this administration that I'm not okay with and that I'm not a fan of, and I think that's super important. And I want you to know that I'm never going to not say something if I disagree with it. I love Kelly. She's become such a fun new friend of mine this year, and I hope that you'll follow her on social media. She's just so, so smart and she is always on the cusp with all breaking news. When it comes to Big Ag and Big Chemical, we're on a mission to heal a sick culture. Every single Monday and Thursday night, 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern. Wherever you get your podcast or the real Alex Clark YouTube channel, which also has vlogs and all kinds of extra content, don't forget to join the Kervitus Facebook group. You're going to meet like minded friends who agree with you on all sorts of these subjects, from politics to non toxic living. And of course you can find the show on Instagram at Culture Apothecary or me at Real Alex Clark. I'm Alex Hi, I'm Alex Clark and this is Culture Apothecary.
Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark: Detailed Summary of "Why Our Food Is Full of Pesticides—Is The GOP Betraying MAHA?" | @glyphosategirl
Release Date: August 1, 2025
In this pivotal episode of Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark, host Alex Clark delves deep into the concerning issue of pervasive pesticide use in American agriculture and the political maneuvers that threaten public health. Joined by guest Kelly Ryerson, also known as Glyphosate Girl, a renowned public health advocate and investigative writer, the conversation unpacks the intricate ties between legislation, agricultural practices, and their profound impacts on society.
Alex Clark kicks off the discussion with palpable frustration:
"[00:00] I am frickin pissed. Did President Trump just hand legal immunity to pesticide companies?"
Kelly Ryerson confirms the gravity of the situation:
"[02:24] Effectively, that is what we're seeing happening right now in Congress. Not so much President Trump, but the Republicans in Congress are working very hard right now to give immunity to chemical manufacturers..."
The episode highlights how Republican members of Congress are pushing to grant legal immunity to chemical companies, preventing individuals from suing these corporations for health damages caused by their pesticides. This move mirrors previous actions taken with vaccine companies, stripping accountability and incentivizing irresponsible behavior among chemical manufacturers.
The MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement, which Kelly represents, faces a significant setback as these legislative changes threaten the foundational goals of promoting public health and holding harmful industries accountable.
Kelly Ryerson emphasizes the betrayal felt by the MAHA community:
"[03:13] It feels like we're being sold out to Bayer and Syngenta."
She elaborates on the global influence of these corporations, noting Bayer's German roots and Syngenta's ties to Chem China, underscoring the international dimensions of this issue.
A central theme of the episode is the adverse health effects linked to pesticides like glyphosate and atrazine. Kelly shares alarming statistics and personal anecdotes to illustrate the severity of the problem:
Infertility Declines: Kelly points out a 13% decline in fertility rates among American couples, attributing it to endocrine disruptors in pesticides.
"[42:18] Fertility is declining in America. 1% every single year..."
Chronic Diseases: Associations between pesticide exposure and diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's, endocrine disorders, and even gender disruptions are discussed extensively.
Soil and Nutrient Depletion: Glyphosate not only affects human health but also binds to essential minerals in the soil, rendering them unavailable to crops, leading to nutrient-deficient produce.
"[49:46] The reason why Americans are so nutrient dependent deficient really has a lot to do with glyphosate..."
Kelly Ryerson shares her personal struggle with health issues, which led her to uncover the pervasive presence of glyphosate in everyday foods. Her transformation from a health coach to Glyphosate Girl underscores the real-life implications of pesticide exposure.
"[26:12] What do you think Secretary Kennedy thinks of all this? He holds things really tight... He's going to make sure that no evidence gets to the surface that might change regulation."
Addressing the immediate threat of the pesticide liability shield, Kelly offers actionable steps for listeners to combat this legislative agenda:
Direct Activism: Contacting Republican congress members to oppose the immunity shields.
"[07:04] ...call Republican congresspeople and senators to tell them they will not support language that gives pesticide companies immunity."
Support Regenerative Agriculture: Promoting sustainable farming practices that reduce dependency on harmful chemicals.
"[68:01] This is the revolution that like dedicating my life to now because I'm so excited about it and I'm sure that your listeners have heard you talk about it, but it's regenerative agriculture."
Educational Resources: Engaging with documentaries like "Common Ground" and books such as "Dirt to Soil" by Gabe Brown to stay informed and inspired.
The episode sheds light on the strategies employed by chemical companies to manipulate public perception, including the use of front groups and disinformation campaigns to protect their interests.
"[31:05] So they have a number of front groups that agricultural, chemical companies fund to make sure that they can write articles about people like me..."
Kelly advocates for critical thinking and verified information sources to navigate the murky waters of corporate-driven misinformation.
A significant portion of the discussion focuses on regenerative agriculture as a sustainable alternative to chemical-dependent farming. Kelly highlights success stories where farmers have transitioned away from harmful pesticides, resulting in healthier soil, more nutritious crops, and increased profitability.
"[67:50] ...regenerative agriculture. This is the most hopeful thing because if farmers stop using all these chemicals and they focus on soil health and they start growing other things and they're rotating crops and everything, they become more profitable."
As the episode draws to a close, Alex Clark and Kelly Ryerson reiterate the urgency of addressing pesticide use and the political challenges posed by recent legislative changes. They emphasize the power of collective action and informed activism in combating these threats to public health and environmental sustainability.
"[73:43] ...we can do this because we have each other now and we've heard what we want. And so if we can all just take this time to push back and tell the, you know, you don't need to call them and say we need to ban all chemicals. That's not what we're talking About. We're talking about keeping chemical companies accountable, and we can do that."
Listeners are encouraged to join the fight by staying informed, supporting sustainable practices, and actively opposing policies that undermine public health.
Political Betrayal: The GOP's push to grant legal immunity to pesticide companies undermines public health initiatives like MAHA.
Health Crisis: Pesticides such as glyphosate and atrazine are linked to declining fertility rates, chronic diseases, and nutrient-deficient foods.
Activism is Crucial: Directing efforts towards legislative change and supporting regenerative agriculture can mitigate the adverse effects of pesticide use.
Beware of Disinformation: Recognizing and challenging corporate-driven misinformation is essential for informed public discourse.
Sustainable Solutions: Embracing regenerative farming practices offers a viable path toward a healthier, more sustainable agricultural system.
Alex Clark on GOP's Actions:
"[00:00] I am frickin pissed. Did President Trump just hand legal immunity to pesticide companies?"
Kelly Ryerson on Legislative Shield:
"[02:24] Effectively, that is what we're seeing happening right now in Congress..."
Alex on Feeling Sold Out:
"[03:13] It feels like we're being sold out to Bayer and Syngenta."
Kelly on Fertility Decline:
"[42:18] Fertility is declining in America. 1% every single year."
Kelly on Regenerative Agriculture:
"[67:50] ...regenerative agriculture. This is the most hopeful thing..."
Final Call to Action:
"[73:43] ...we can do this because we have each other now..."
This episode serves as a clarion call to listeners, urging them to recognize the deep-seated issues within the agricultural and political landscapes and to take proactive steps toward fostering a healthier, more accountable society.