Upwind Report

Glyphosate use in Kern County, California

Reported farm glyphosate use in Kern County, California was 147 pounds per square mile of county land in 2019, higher than 67% of US counties.

Map of Kern County, California and nearby counties, coloring each county's cropland by estimated farm glyphosate use per square mile of county land in 2019 reported use. Darker colors mean more use.

2019 numbers

Per square mile of county land147lbTop 33% in the US
US
997th of 3,060
California
11th of 56
Per square mile of cropland594lb

Ranks are by use per square mile of county land, on the 2019 high estimate, among US counties with a value. Counties with the same value share a rank.

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A picture of Kern County against the US county median, with the source, to post or send.

Since 2000

Up from 53 in 2000 to 147 in 2019. Pounds per square mile of county land, high estimate.

Every year's numbers
Glyphosate per square mile of county land by year, in pounds
YearLowHigh
20005353
20014545
20024949
20035757
20046464
20058181
20069393
2007101101
2008109109
20099595
2010128128
2011151151
2012160160
2013156156
2014155155
2015159159
2016139139
2017145145
2018147147
2019147147
See Kern County on the map

About these numbers

The main number is the county's estimated farm glyphosate use for the year divided by all of its land, water left out. A county with a little farmland can use a lot per square mile of cropland and still have far less in total than a county with more farmland, so the whole-county number is the one the map colors, ranks and compares.

These are county estimates, not records. They don't show which fields were sprayed or how much any one field got.

California's numbers are the state's own reported use, which USGS uses in place of an estimate, so the low and high numbers are the same.

Per square mile of cropland is the same total spread evenly over the county's cropland only, so it's higher than the whole-county number wherever only part of Kern County, California is farmland.

Numbers are in pounds per square mile. The source gives kilograms per square kilometer, and 1 kg per km² is about 5.7 pounds per square mile.

Source: Hengl & Brungard from USGS county estimates, 2000–2019 (CC BY 4.0). Land area: US Census Bureau, 2020.

This page shows estimated farm use only. It says nothing about health and is not medical advice.