Archive for the 'State/Local' Category
08
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 8, 2026) Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessed pesticide and PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) contamination in ten agricultural streams in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys (Central Valley) in 2024, detecting 60 pesticides, synergists, and associated transformation products, including 12 fluorinated pesticides (Dithiopyr, Trifluralin, Fluridone, Oxyfluorfen, Penoxsulam, Flubendiamide, Bifenthrin, Flonicam, Indoxacarb, Cyhalothrin, Fluopyram, and Penthiopyrad) that meet the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) definition of qualifying as PFAS. It is alarming to learn that “the OECD fluorinated pesticides were generally detected more frequently and at higher concentrations” relative to the 48 other compounds. Relatedly, research finds products containing three of the detected pesticides (Methoxyfenozide, Imidacloprid, and Piperonyl Butoxide) associated with various PFAS, and according to the authors, there are a handful of active ingredients, such as the insecticide Methoxyfenozide and the fungicide Azoxystrobin, detected in 100 percent of collected samples. Their entire findings were published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters in March 2026. This research is critical to our understanding of the pervasiveness and ubiquity of multi-chemical pollution that impacts one of the most productive agricultural regions in the country. The regions encompassing these two valleys make up just one percent of total U.S. farmland, […]
Posted in Agriculture, California, contamination, Drift, Organic Foods Production Act OFPA, PFAS, Uncategorized, Water | No Comments »
27
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 27, 2026) In a study of birth outcomes in Arizona, published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, researchers find that preconception and prenatal exposure to certain carbamates, organophosphates, and pyrethroids increases the risk of lower Apgar scores, a metric used to assess neonatal health at one minute and ď¬ve minutes after birth. The results reveal that exposure to “several pesticide active ingredients at any point during preconception and/or pregnancy were associated with increased odds of low Apgar scores: the carbamates carbaryl and formetanate hydrochloride; the organophosphates diazinon and tribufos; and the pyrethroid cypermethrin.” This multi-institutional study, led by the University of Arizona with researchers from Harvard Chan School of Public Health and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, provides novel insights, as it incorporates pesticide exposure over a 15-year period both before conception and throughout pregnancy. “To analyze associations of preconception and prenatal exposures to carbamate, organophosphate, and pyrethroid pesticide classes and 25 individual active ingredients with newborn Apgar scores to evaluate the relationship between these exposures and neonatal health,” the authors explain. They continue: “We used pesticide use registry and birth certificate data from 2006 to 2020, linked as part of the Arizona […]
Posted in Agriculture, Arizona, Autism, behavioral and cognitive effects, Brain Effects, Carbamates, Carbaryl, Children, cypermethrin, Developmental Disorders, Diazinon, organophosphate, Pesticide Drift, pyrethroids, Women's Health | No Comments »
06
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 6, 2026) The Farm Bill—the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, H.R. 7567—reported out of the Agriculture Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday strips environmental and public health protections from pesticides, reversing over 90 years of environmental laws adopted by Congress to protect farmers, consumers, and the environment that stretch back to the first Farm Bill in 1933. The Committee rejected the Protect Our Health Amendment, sponsored by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), which would have ensured that the final bill maintain three core safeguards in current law: (i) Judicial review of chemical manufacturers†failure to warn about pesticide hazards; (ii) Democratic right of local governments in coordination with states to protect residents from pesticide use; and, (iii) Local site-specific action to ensure protection—the safety of air, water, and land from pesticides under numerous environmental statutes. All Republicans and one Democrat (Rep. Adam Gray, D-CA) on the Committee blocked the Pingree amendment. The Agriculture Committee bill adversely affects a wide range of social and conservation issues, including the protection of family farms, food security, environmental and public health, local and state authority, and judicial review, according to a cross-section of groups representing these interests. […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), Announcements, Clean Water Act, Congress, Corporations, Disease/Health Effects, Endangered Species Act (ESA), Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Events, Failure to Warn, Farm Bill, Farmworkers, Federal Insecticide, Fertilizer, Fungicide, Label Claims, Litigation, National Environmental Policy Act, Organic Foods Production Act OFPA, Pesticide Regulation, Preemption, State/Local, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
27
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 27, 2026) Researchers at Prairie View A&M University in Texas published in the journal Sustainability a study of organic agricultural systems from 1960 to 2021, concluding that “the outlook for U.S. organic fruit and vegetables is encouraging, supported by expanding consumer demand, government support, and improved conditions for international trade.” While delivering upbeat findings, including health benefits, the study identifies tremendous obstacles to entry into organic farming, including the limited support for alternative pest management and pest control systems in the United States in recent modern history, compared to the assistance provided for highly subsidized, petrochemical-dependent agricultural practices. Public health and environmental advocates continue to advocate for a wholesale transition to organic pest management, including calls for U.S. Representatives and Senators to cosponsor the Opportunities in Organic Act! Study Methodology, Background, and Findings The authors of this literature review arrived at the following conclusions on research trends for human health and environmental impacts of organic systems (for further analysis, the numbers below list citations from their report): “[O]rganic food has been documented to have higher antioxidant capacity, acidity, and phosphorus as well as lower levels of cadmium, pesticides, and other chemicals (18–22). Additionally, organic practices increase the […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, State/Local, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
25
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 25, 2026) Residues of the weed killer glyphosate, which has been classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, have been routinely found in food products, and a recent state survey in Florida confirmed previous findings. The findings are well within the legal standards for allowable residues. So, why is the Trump administration, in invoking the Defense Production Act of 1950 by Executive Order and its immunity-from-lawsuits provision for glyphosate manufacturers, concerned about glyphosate residues in food and other nondietary exposure? Could it have something to do with the over $10 billion in jury verdicts and settlements on glyphosate exposure against the manufacturer Bayer/Monsanto, with tens of thousands of cases pending, and the robust independent, peer-reviewed scientific findings that link glyphosate to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and a host of other adverse health effects? Nothing in the President’s executive order appears to meet the intent of the statute and its stated purpose to protect “the ability of the domestic industrial base to supply materials and services for the national defense and to prepare for and respond to military conflicts, natural or man-caused disasters, or acts of terrorism within the United States . . .” Without […]
Posted in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Florida, Glyphosate, Pesticide Residues, U.S. Supreme Court, Uncategorized | No Comments »
12
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 12, 2026) Editor’s Note. This is a piece about improving risk assessments and a proposal that could offer a more realistic characterization of the harm associated with the complexities of pesticide exposure. Beyond Pesticides notes that risk assessment methodology, unless it is considered in the context of a rigorous alternatives assessment, begins with the mostly false assumption that petrochemical pesticides are needed (or are essential) to achieve cost-effective pest management, agricultural productivity and profitability, and quality of life, when, in fact, this is not the case. Therefore, improved risk calculations—as the article being reviewed here proposes—while important to characterizing the harm and the unknown adverse effects associated with pesticide use, still impose some level of harm deemed by the government to be acceptable. Even worse, the adverse effects of exposure cannot be fully characterized because of uncertainties or a lack of data on harmful endpoints, as is the case currently with endocrine-disrupting pesticides not fully evaluated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), or other regulatory bodies. These pesticides are known to induce cancer, reproductive harm, infertility, biodiversity decline, and other life-threatening, often multigenerational, effects. The authors do recognize the serious […]
Posted in California, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pesticide Drift, Pesticide Mixtures, Pesticide Regulation, Pesticide Residues, Uncategorized | No Comments »
27
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 27, 2026) A three-part study published in Molecular Neurodegeneration draws a connection between Parkinson’s disease (PD) and the organophosphate chlorpyrifos. “Since chlorpyrifos (CPF) exposure has been implicated as a risk factor for PD, we investigated its association to incident PD and if this association is biologically plausible using human, rodent, and zebrafish (ZF) studies,” the researchers state. Together, the three experiments “strongly implicate exposure to CPF as a risk factor for developing PD,” as the authors find that exposure, even at very low concentrations, causes selective toxicity to dopaminergic neurons that are critical for functions of movement, cognition, emotion, and more. The results reveal that in humans, long-term residential exposure is associated with more than a 2.5-fold increased risk of developing PD, while exposure in mice causes “motor impairment, dopaminergic neuron loss, microglial activation, and an increase in pathological α-synuclein (α-syn) [proteins primarily found in the brain].” The researchers continue, “Using ZF, we found that CPF-induced dopaminergic neuron loss was at least partially due to autophagy dysfunction and synuclein accumulation, as knocking down LC3 [a protein chain] recapitulated the dopaminergic neuron loss.” These three studies highlight the association of CPF with increased risks for developing PD, as […]
Posted in Agriculture, Aquatic Organisms, behavioral and cognitive effects, Brain Effects, California, Chlorpyrifos, fish, Insecticides, organophosphate, Parkinson's | No Comments »
09
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 9, 2026) Beyond Pesticides is partnering with the City of Dubuque Parks and Recreation Department to adopt organic land management practices at two city parks, Jackson Park and Washington Park, with funding for technical support from Natural Grocers. The initiative aims to enhance soil health, reduce water usage, and create safer public spaces, while also addressing climate change and biodiversity issues. Click here to read a joint press release. Beyond Pesticides, through the Parks for a Sustainable Future nationwide program, collaborates with communities across the country to transition parks, playing fields, and public spaces to organic land management by providing in-depth training to assist community land managers in transitioning two public demonstration sites and the knowledge necessary to eventually transition all public areas in a locality to these safer practices. These demonstration sites serve as models for how sustainable land management is possible without synthetic, petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, showcasing the benefits of organic practices while addressing potential challenges in a manageable and cost-effective way. “We are excited to be working with the City of Dubuque on organic land management practices that protect community health and the environment, including bees, butterflies, and birds, and support efforts to mitigate climate change and biodiversity decline,” […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Announcements, Iowa, Lawns/Landscapes, Parks, Parks for a Sustainable Future, Uncategorized | No Comments »
05
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 5, 2026) There is no better time than the beginning of a new year to reflect on what can be done as individuals and collectively to have a meaningful effect on individual health, the health of families and communities, and the legacy of a sustainable world. For Beyond Pesticides, the start of the new year is an opportunity to take steps that prioritize health and the health of the planet. In this context, Beyond Pesticides, in collaboration with people and organizations nationwide is: Asking Mayors, in the new year, to adopt a policy and program for organic management of their community’s parks and public spaces. [In the event that a specific local mayor is not in the system, readers are invited to email this personal message—see below.] The year 2025 has been filled with discouraging news for planetary health. With the publication of the latest assessments by the United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), there are greater insights documented on the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food, and health, and particularly, ecosystem services—the ways in which humans depend on nature. In its assessment of the underlying causes of biodiversity loss, the IPBES states, “The unprecedented challenges posed by global environmental change call for an urgent shift in […]
Posted in Children, Parks, Parks for a Sustainable Future, State/Local, Take Action, Uncategorized | No Comments »
09
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 9, 2025) In the Journal of Environmental Quality, researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report that a 4-year organically managed corn-soybean-oat system reduces nitrogen (N) loads by 50 percent with corn and soybean yields “equivalent to or higher than conventional [chemical-intensive] in most years.” The findings from a 7-year study comparing nitrate loss in organic and chemical-intensive management found that organically managed perennial pasture reduced nitrogen loads significantly. The study, which focused on nitrate pollution in agriculture that harms biodiversity, threatens waterways, drinking water, and public health, and releases nitrous oxide (an extremely potent greenhouse gas), was conducted at USDA’s National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment. Organic and regenerative organic farmers and businesses posit that if commodity crops can be grown in organically managed systems with competitive yields, then this supports their argument for alternative systems not only feasible but economically sustainable and responsible. Background and Methodology The researchers note that, in the eastern and U.S. Midwest, “subsurface tile drainage” (the practice of manually draining fields below the surface soil to assist fields that are otherwise challenging to drain due to wet areas/highly compacted soils) has exacerbated nitrogen and nutrient runoff, ultimately leading to diminished soil health. […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Iowa, Nitrates, soil health, State/Local, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Water | No Comments »
03
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 3, 2025) Childhood cancers are on the rise globally; in the U.S. cancer is the second most common cause of death in children between one and 14 years old, and the fourth most common in adolescents. A recent study of Nebraska pesticide use and pediatric cancer incidence by researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences found positive associations between pesticides and overall cancer, brain and central nervous system cancers, and leukemia among children (defined as under age 20). The study’s lead author, Jabeen Taiba, PhD, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, will discuss the study results on December 4, 2025, at the second session of Beyond Pesticides’ 42nd National Pesticide Forum, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health – Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature. The first session recordings and materials are available here. The authors’ emphasis on evaluating mixtures, and their innovative technical methods for doing so, highlight the direction environmental health research and regulation must take. Studying pesticides singly is an inadequate approach, according to the authors, because pesticides are not applied individually anymore, but very often in mixtures of herbicides, insecticides, and […]
Posted in Agriculture, California, Cancer, Children, Dicamba, Farmworkers, Glyphosate, Paraquat, Pesticide Mixtures, quizalofop, tefluthrin, triasulfuron, Uncategorized | No Comments »
12
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 12, 2025) A ballot initiative to repeal a local ordinance in Maine that bans most uses of lawn chemicals was rejected by the voters last week by a 10-point margin. The voters of Falmouth, Maine, 55% to 45%, upheld an updated ordinance that was passed by the town council in February 2025 to protect the community’s health and the coastal environment from petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, sending a strong message that ecological land management in conformance with organic standards is the responsible path, given pesticide-related health threats, biodiversity decline, and the climate crisis. The ordinance being challenged by the ballot initiative updated a 2020 rule with more stringent criteria and restrictions and the goal of ensuring a holistic approach to land management. Maine has become the bellwether nationwide for communities seeking to eliminate the use of petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers on public and private property, including parks, playing fields, open spaces, and yards. When applied, pesticides move off the target site through drift, volatilization, runoff, and leaching, creating community-wide poisoning and contamination. However, unlike Maine and five other states, most state laws preempt local jurisdictions from restricting pesticides. These states have adopted preemption language at the behest […]
Posted in Invasive Species, Maine, Nematodes, neonicotinoids, Preemption, Reflection, soil health, State/Local, Uncategorized, Water | No Comments »
05
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 5, 2025) Environmental and public health advocates, farmers, and business leaders are raising a glass to the expansion of organic hop production, which aims to boost the viability and growth of organic-certified beer products in the UK. A 2024 report by UK-based Organic Research Centre, in partnership with farmers, follows three years of field trials to assess the suitability of various hop varieties in organically managed systems. At a time when organic hops production in the UK has dropped significantly due to varieties that are vulnerable to downy mildew and hop powdery mildew, the report offers a blueprint for additional on-farm, applied research in the United States, including from groups such as the Organic Farming Research Foundation’s (OFRF) Farmer-Led Trials Program. The report cites promising results for new hop varieties. The continuous use of pesticides not only contributes to biodiversity collapse, public health deterioration, and the climate crisis, but also to the ability to enjoy a beer without fear of exposure to toxic chemicals, including evidence of glyphosate residues found in popular beer and wine brands. (See Daily News here and here.) Background and Methodology The authors of this report reflect on their years-long field trials and […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Chemicals, Glyphosate, soil health, State/Local, Uncategorized | No Comments »
15
Oct
(Beyond Pesticides, October 15, 2025) The latest Scientific Investigations Report for 2025 from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), entitled “National Water Quality Program: Multidecadal Change in Pesticide Concentrations Relative to Human Health Benchmarks in the Nation’s Groundwater,” finds moderate concentrations of five pesticides, with the highest percentages in agricultural wells, and concentrations of the carcinogenic soil fumigant DBCP (1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane), which also causes infertility, that are greater than the maximum containment level, despite being banned over 45 years ago. These results highlight the persistence of pesticides used in agriculture and the elevated risks of pesticide contamination in agricultural areas. This report monitors concentrations of pesticides in well networks across the U.S. in decadal intervals, with this last one incorporating data ranging from 1993-2023. Additionally, DBCP in one well network in the San Joaquin-Tulare River Basin in California continues to be assessed due to previous levels exceeding the human health benchmark (HHB) established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The limitations of the study are disclosed in the text of the report. As the authors state: “Only pesticides with an HHB were included in the multidecadal pesticide change analysis… The total number of pesticides included in this study is less than […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alachlor, Atrazine, California, contamination, DBCP, deethylatrazine, Drinking Water, Groundwater, Pesticide Mixtures, Prometon, simazine, synergistic effects, U.S. Geological Survey, Water | 1 Comment »
10
Oct
(Beyond Pesticides, October 10-13, 2025) On Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Monday, October 13), Beyond Pesticides acknowledges that we recognize that the land we are situated on is the ancestral lands of the Ncothtank (Anacostan), and neighboring Piscataway and Pamunkey peoples, who have served as stewards for the region’s land, water, and air for generations. In reverence for the sovereignty and leadership of First Nations, and with respect for the wisdom of Indigenous peoples globally, environmental and public health advocates continue to advocate for the elimination of petrochemical-based pesticides and fertilizers, and the advancement of organic regenerative criteria that align with ecologically-based food and land management systems. This year, Indigenous Peoples’ Day falls on the petrochemical fertilizer industry-supported Global Fertilizer Day, which promotes synthetic fertilizers, rather than recognizing the value of agroecology—the shared understanding of the inextricable link that binds agricultural and ecological systems. Reflection of Turbulent U.S. Position on Indigenous Sovereignty The federal holiday on October 13, traditionally known as Columbus Day, has for many been reoriented to recognize that the “discovery” of the Americas was, in fact, an invasion of the Western hemisphere by European colonists who expropriated unceded land and devastated Indigenous cultures, self-governance, and ways of life. In […]
Posted in Congress, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Holidays, Indigenous People, Pesticide Drift, soil health, State/Local, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Uncategorized | No Comments »
09
Oct
(Beyond Pesticides, October 9, 2025) The 42nd National Forum Series, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature—scheduled to begin on October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30pm (Eastern time, US), will focus on aligning land management with nature in response to current chemical-intensive practices that pose a threat to health (see Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database), biodiversity, and climate. The virtual Forum is free to all participants. ➡️ Register here. The Call to the Forum, states: We are all affected by how land is managed, food is grown, and nature is protected. Different experiences and perspectives may bring us to care about health and the environment and the devastating adverse effects of pesticides and toxic substances. However, ensuring a livable future requires us to cultivate a collective concern about daily decisions on the management of our personal and community spaces, the practices used to grow the food we buy, and the care that we as a society give to complex and fragile interrelationships that sustain the natural world on which we depend.  The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature challenges participants—as concerned families, community residents, purchasers of products, advocates for policy, decision makers, and workers—to think […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Announcements, Bats, Beneficials, Biodiversity, Birds, Climate, Ecosystem Services, Events, Parks, Pollinators, State/Local, synergistic effects, Uncategorized | No Comments »
08
Oct
(Beyond Pesticides, October 8, 2025) A study, Pesticides detected in two urban areas have implications for local butterfly conservation, published in partnership with researchers at Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, University of Binghamton (New York), and University of Nevada, reports widespread pesticide residues in the host plants of butterflies located in green spaces in the cities of Sacramento, California, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Just 22 of the hundreds of collected samples had no detectable residues, with all other samples containing some combination of 47 compounds of the 94 tested pesticides in the plant tissue. Of the 47 compounds, 4 are neonicotinoid insecticides linked to adverse effects for bee and pollinator populations based on previous peer-reviewed research. The fungicide azoxystrobin and the insecticide chlorantraniliprole were detected at lethal/sublethal concentrations, according to the report authors. “Residential landscapes have high conservation potential for butterflies and other invertebrates,” says Aaron Anderson, co-lead author of the report and pesticide program specialist at Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. He continues: “But, these findings show how pervasive pesticide contamination can be in towns and cities, and underscore that protecting wildlife in these areas includes addressing pesticides.” The report’s results underscore the pervasiveness of pesticide drift and dispel the myth […]
Posted in Beneficials, Biodiversity, California, Environmental Justice, New Mexico, Pollinators, State/Local, Uncategorized | No Comments »
02
Oct
(Beyond Pesticides, October 2, 2025) This year marks an advancement of various state-level neonicotinoid laws and regulations, including in Maine, Vermont, and Connecticut—emphasizing surging public support for pesticide reforms. The Maine legislature passed, and Governor Janet Mills (D-ME) signed into law on July 22, 2025, LD 1323, which commissions the Board of Pesticide Control to study the impacts of neonicotinoids and neonicotinoid-treated seeds, which advocates hope will help advance future legislation to prohibit the use, distribution, and sale of neonicotinoid insecticide products. Meanwhile, after years of grassroots advocacy, the Connecticut legislature advanced, and Governor Ned Lamont (D-CT) signed SB 9 into law, which will partially restrict the nonagricultural use of neonicotinoids on turfgrass, starting in 2027. There was a more comprehensive effort that failed to move forward (HB 6916), which would have gone further by restricting or prohibiting the use of neonicotinoids on trees, shrubs, and treated seeds (see here for Beyond Pesticides comments). Maine and Connecticut join eleven other states (California, Nevada, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, and Vermont) in taking steps to restrict or prohibit the use of neonicotinoids. (See Daily News here.) Whether it is a campaign to ban glyphosate, paraquat, chlorpyrifos, atrazine, or any […]
Posted in Connecticut, Maine, neonicotinoids, Seeds, soil health, State/Local, Uncategorized, Vermont | No Comments »
29
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 29, 2025) With the theme “Our Home Outdoors,” the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) launched National Public Lands Day this past Saturday—defining this year’s event as follows: “Our public lands are more than just places to visit—they are woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. From the trails we hike to the parks where we gather with family and friends, these spaces are our collective backyard, our shared front porch, our natural playground.” At the same time, people are asking their local governments whether they are using petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers on their parks and playing fields that are known to threaten the health of children, pets, wildlife, and the environment. Beyond Pesticides led a nationwide action to “Tell your local officials to make your parks organic.” For those engaging with their local elected officials and parks departments, Beyond Pesticides, through its Parks for a Sustainable Future program, offers technical support to transition parks to organic land management through analysis of soil health, development of a plan to improve soil biology to cycle nutrients for healthy plants, training of staff to implement the organic plan, and ongoing consultation for plan adjustments when necessary. Organic systems focus […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Children, Holidays, Lawns/Landscapes, Minnesota, Missouri, Parks, Parks for a Sustainable Future, State/Local, Take Action, Uncategorized | No Comments »
26
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 26, 2025) National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 27—first established in 1994 and held on the fourth Saturday of September—is organized by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) in partnership with the U.S. National Park Service and participating federal agencies. Events are planned at neighborhood, state, and national parks nationwide, and entrance to National Parks will be free for the day. Coinciding with National Organic Month, this year’s theme, ”Our Home Outdoors,” is explained by NEEF as: “Our public lands are more than just places to visit—they are woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. From the trails we hike to the parks where we gather with family and friends, these spaces are our collective backyard, our shared front porch, our natural playground.” Beyond Pesticides began its work on organic land management in national parks nearly a decade ago at National Historic Sites in Arkansas, Kansas, and Iowa. The program, now the Parks for a Sustainable Future program, partners with local communities in pursuit of a future where (1) public lands, from parks to playing fields, are managed without toxic pesticides, (2) children and pets are safe to run around on the grass, and (3) […]
Posted in Announcements, Ecosystem Services, Environmental Justice, Events, Holidays, Parks, Parks for a Sustainable Future, State/Local, Take Action, Uncategorized | No Comments »
09
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 9, 2025) SprayDays California, the pesticide notification and mapping tool run by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), was updated in late August after public backlash (including from farmworkers), which identified inadequate notice of pesticide use to those who work in or live in proximity to agricultural fields. According to a DPR press release from August 28, these changes include attempts to bring down barriers for users so that, in the words of DPR Director Karen Morrison, the department can “provide Californians with access to information and services.” While public health advocates view notification as a step that may allow people to leave a treatment area or take shelter to reduce exposure, groups continue to express concerns about a focus on notification to the exclusion of addressing the root causes of exposure—chemical-intensive agriculture, despite the viability of organic compatible practices and products. The groups criticize the continuous registration of pesticide active ingredients and product formulations without considering widely available practices and nonchemical and nature-based alternatives to pest management. These include regenerative organic principles and practices that draw inspiration from Indigenous land management and agroecological systems that have thrived in coexistence with nature. Recent Updates There are […]
Posted in 1, 3-dichloropropene, 1-3D, Alternatives/Organics, California, Driscoll’s, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farmworkers, Pesticide Drift, State/Local, Uncategorized | No Comments »
04
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 4, 2025) A review of agricultural neonicotinoid insecticide regulations, published in Pest Management Science, evaluates the varied approaches being taken for bans and exemption-based restrictions in the European Union (EU), Canada, and the United States (U.S.). Despite an ever-growing and overwhelming body of science linking neonicotinoids (neonics) to adverse effects on pollinators and other nontarget species, the regulations fall short in protecting the environment and wildlife. The review, with the history and current status of neonics, lends further support for a full transition to organic agriculture and land management that removes neonicotinoid exposure routes and subsequent health threats. With the application of this widely used class of neurotoxic system insecticides increasing, so too has the concern over the long-term chronic effects on pollinators and other species from exposure. This concern, backed by scientific literature, has “led to increased governmental regulations since the mid-2010s, particularly in agricultural settings,” state the authors from Iowa State University and Washington State University. They continue, “These regulations have varied in terms of approach, geography, and timeline, starting with a ban implemented by the European Union (EU) and evolving into exemption-based regulations across two Canadian provinces and five U.S. states as of this […]
Posted in acetamiprid, Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Beneficials, Biodiversity, California, Canada, Clothianidin, dinotefuron, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), European Union, Illinois, Imidacloprid, Minnesota, neonicotinoids, New York, Pollinators, Quebec, Rhode Island, thiacloprid, Thiamethoxam, Vermont | No Comments »
29
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 29 – September 1, 2025) It is recognized, especially on Labor Day, that the adverse effects of pesticides, with the preponderance of science accumulating every day, put workers (those who handle pesticides and are exposed through inhalation and skin absorption) at elevated risk above rates in the general population. The harm to workers is exacerbated by additional and cumulative exposure to pesticides that occurs through daily life—residues in food, water, and landscapes. Beyond Pesticides is reaching out to its network and urging people and organizations to: On Labor Day, ask your Mayor to lead a transition to practices and product procurement that protect workers with criteria that meet organic standards in landscaping and food purchasing. With the dismantling of federal government programs charged with establishing protections and ramping up deregulation of the chemical, agribusiness, and allied industries, safety strategies for workers who are the backbone of society fall to local governments and people whose decisions should not result in hazardous worker exposure to toxic pesticides. Municipality and school district purchasing of food grown with toxic chemicals results in poisoning of farmworkers, their children, and their communities. Purchasing and applying toxic lawn care products or contract services results in […]
Posted in Agriculture, Announcements, Children, Children/Schools, Farmworkers, Holidays, Lawns/Landscapes, Occupational Health, Parks, Parks for a Sustainable Future, State/Local, Take Action, Uncategorized | No Comments »