Upwind Report

Glyphosate use in Howard County, Iowa

Estimated farm glyphosate use in Howard County, Iowa was 440 pounds per square mile of county land in 2019, higher than 92% of US counties.

Map of Howard County, Iowa and nearby counties, coloring each county's cropland by estimated farm glyphosate use per square mile of county land in the 2019 high estimate. Darker colors mean more use.

2019 numbers

Per square mile of county land440lbTop 8% in the US
US
232nd of 3,060
Iowa
34th of 99
Per square mile of cropland451lb

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

Since 2000

Up from 166 in 2000 to 440 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
2000166166
2001182182
2002227227
2003232232
2004205205
2005227227
2006266266
2007356356
2008345345
2009406406
2010490490
2011495495
2012523523
2013439439
2014473473
2015484484
2016506506
2017562562
2018490495
2019440440
See Howard 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.

USGS makes a low and a high estimate, which fill in use that farms didn't report in different ways.

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 Howard County, Iowa 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.