We are working to track and analyze the use of glyphosate and other pesticides and herbicides here in   Napa County  in order to report this information to you. California has a   Department of Pesticide Regulation  and each county’s agricultural commissioner’s office, such as Napa’s  is required to report their area usage on a monthly basis.

We reached out to the   Napa County Agricultural Commissioner’soffice to obtain those reported statistics on glyphosate usage. According to the data, 8,060 gallons in 2017 and 7,620 gallons in 2018 of glyphosate products were used on agricultural land (primarily vineyards) in Napa county. The exact percent of acreage that has been doused is harder to determine because of the reporting structure. However, we are working to get that information. You deserve to know these numbers. 

And all of us deserve better protection for the cumulative and broad use of these regulated chemicals. Though vineyard owners may complain loudly that they are “the most regulated”, tracked and inspected industry in the state, that is actually not that case when it comes to oversight regarding pesticide and herbicide use. A recent series of   incisive investigations conducted by UCLA  and USC finds that all the California county agricultural commissioners are falling short on their mandated jobs regarding “issuing permits for pesticide use without considering safer alternatives, and without evaluating the health implications of “cumulative exposure,” which occurs when growers apply two or more pesticides to the same or adjacent fields.”  Read the latest report   here.

In the meantime, watch this space for more details and data as we collect information to share with you.