Upwind Report

Glyphosate use in Benson County, North Dakota

Estimated farm glyphosate use in Benson County, North Dakota was 538 pounds per square mile of county land in 2019, higher than 97% of US counties.

Map of Benson County, North Dakota 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 land538lbTop 3% in the US
US
90th of 3,060
North Dakota
1st of 53
Per square mile of cropland605lb

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

Since 2000

Up from 25 in 2000 to 538 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
20002525
20013136
20022525
20038187
2004107107
2005132132
2006117117
20078787
20088792
2009158158
2010178178
2011238243
2012249249
2013177177
2014127127
2015243248
2016314314
2017259259
2018446446
2019538538
See Benson 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 Benson County, North Dakota 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.