A USDA scientist found that a commonly used pesticides was a soil killer. The USDA’s response? Very little. Dr. Michael Shannon, a program director at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), compared it to the unfortunate but unavoidable side-effects of a drug.
USDA scientist Dr. Robert Kremer has spent fifteen years researching Monsanto's herbicide glyphosate, also known as RoundUp. It is the most commonly used pesticide in the world. Dr. Kremer found that glyphosate causes damage to beneficial soil microbes and interferes with plant nutrient.
According to Grist:
“Meanwhile, the response from the USDA to Dr. Kremer’s work has been, shall we say, subdued ... much to Dr. Kremer’s chagrin, the ARS refused to publicize his work on glyphosate.”