Upwind Report

Glyphosate use in Merced County, California

Reported farm glyphosate use in Merced County, California was 346 pounds per square mile of county land in 2019, higher than 86% of US counties.

Map of Merced 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 land346lbTop 14% in the US
US
422nd of 3,060
California
4th of 56
Per square mile of cropland640lb

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 Merced County against the US county median, with the source, to post or send.

Since 2000

Up from 124 in 2000 to 346 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
2000124124
2001172172
2002121121
2003130130
2004154154
2005167167
2006170170
2007168168
2008174174
2009153153
2010218218
2011285285
2012301301
2013325325
2014347347
2015347347
2016369369
2017371371
2018340340
2019346346
See Merced 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 Merced 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.