Upwind Report

Glyphosate use in Union County, South Dakota

Estimated farm glyphosate use in Union County, South Dakota was 573 to 578 pounds per square mile of county land in 2019, higher than 98% of US counties.

Map of Union County, South 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 land573 to 578lbTop 2% in the US
US
59th of 3,060
South Dakota
1st of 66
Per square mile of cropland600 to 605lb

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.

Share image

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

Since 2000

Up from 169 in 2000 to 578 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
2000169169
2001142147
2002240240
2003284284
2004300300
2005344344
2006421421
2007399399
2008470476
2009465465
2010481481
2011574574
2012568568
2013649654
2014534534
2015670670
2016839839
2017524524
2018540540
2019573578
See Union 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 Union County, South 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.