We need more agricultural practices oversight

If you’re a regular follower of Smile Politely, perhaps you already know about herbicide drift, as we briefly discussed it a year ago in an editorial about lawn care and Prairie Rivers Network discussed it in an Instagram story takeover with SP around the same time. In short: herbicide drift occurs when herbicides sprayed on crops like corn or soybeans, or on residential yards, are carried by the wind to other trees and plants that are not the intended target. The herbicides cause damage to those flora, sometimes causing them to die. 

Prairie Rivers Network just published a years-long study looking at the effects of herbicide drift, which was amplified in an August 4th Chicago Tribune article entitled “Illinois trees and plants suffering widespread damage from renewed use of decades-old weedkillers on farms, studies show.” We won’t regurgitate both the report and the article here — you should read them — but we will offer the TL;DR: these herbicides are known carcinogens, they are causing significant damage to the environment, and their use is on the rise. 

Taking out the potential for harm to humans and the environment, herbicide drift is damaging to small business (like the Kankakee flower farm discussed in the Chicago Tribune article, and Urbana’s Bluestem Hall Nature School) and small farms, for example, Urbana’s Sola Gratia. 

Last week, Sola Gratia shared the following on Instagram and in their monthly newsletter:

A few weeks ago, we discovered symptoms of herbicide damage on several of our crops. We do not use herbicides…never have, never will. Our farm goes to painstaking lengths to remove the plants that compete with our crops (aka weeds) by hand and mechanical means. This takes considerably more planning, time, and paid labor (our largest expense on the farm) but we do this to protect those who consume the food we produce, our workers, our neighbors and our local food/water/airshed. Imagine how we must feel now bearing the burden of significant crop damage from neighbors without the same regard.

…

And while this damage is likely due to crop dusting over nearby agricultural fields (just saw another plane fly over this morning!), what many folks don’t realize is that 2,4-D and Dicamba are active ingredients in herbicides used by many lawn and turf (“weed and feed”) care companies that serve homeowners in our community. When these herbicides are applied on hot days, the active ingredients can volatilize, drift for several days, and affect plants and trees miles away. Even when asked, many grass/turf managers and applicators of these solutions are not aware that their solutions contain these compounds and that volatilization (different than drift to adjacent plants/lots) is possible.

None of us on the Editorial Board are scientists, and can’t offer any real nuance with regard to the science or understanding the data. Our intention is not to instill fear and anxiety, but we know that you, our readers, are engaged and eager to know about what’s going on and how you might be able to add your voice to the calls for change. What might seem like not-a-big-deal in your daily life can have a massive, decades-long effect on all of our lives. 

What can we do about this, and why should we care? We reached out to Robert Hirschfeld, Director of Water Policy at Prairie Rivers Network, to help us with some answers. 

SP: How does drift happen?

Hirshfeld: Herbicides have been used at unprecedented levels in recent years, leading to widespread tree damage. In the hours and days after some herbicides are sprayed, they can vaporize, turning into a gas and then move off the field. 

Much of the damage is happening at the landscape level. Volatility is likely to play a role in a phenomenon called “atmospheric loading.” This occurs when many farmers are spraying herbicides during the same timeframe, and the chemicals then volatilize (think evaporate), move in the atmosphere and fall out on large areas of land causing wide scale injury. 

The pesticides can travel for long distances in the air, land on other crops, harm plants and trees in rural and urban areas where people live and even drift into protected natural areas.

Tree damage from herbicides has escalated in recent years. Damage can also occur when herbicides are applied on a windy day and then get carried away in that wind where they land where they shouldn’t be.

For decades, glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, has been the most commonly sprayed herbicide. The amount of glyphosate sprayed in crops increased 40-fold between 1992 and 2016. Over the past 25 years, the number of weeds resistant to glyphosate has increased from zero to more than 45, according to the International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds. 

In response, farmers have been increasingly spraying other herbicides to kill these pesky “superweeds” before the growing season. The two most prominent have been dicamba and 2,4-D.

But farmers couldn’t make widespread applications of these herbicides during the growing season because they would kill crops like soybeans and cotton.In order to combat this problem, agribusiness companies like Bayer, formerly Monsanto, and Corteva, formerly DowDuPont, have released new crops genetically engineered to withstand being sprayed by these herbicides.

These herbicides are much more volatile than glyphosate and much more likely to move off target.

SP: What can readers do to encourage change in this sphere?

Hirshfeld: Readers can take several actions to encourage positive change in agricultural and water management practices:

1. Build political power and advocate for change. Many elected officials lack a deep understanding of these issues and may view the current agricultural landscape as inherently positive without considering the full costs. Educate and lobby local representatives about the environmental and health impacts of current practices.
2. Support local, sustainable farmers. As consumers, we have power through our purchasing choices. Buying from local farmers who use sustainable practices can help create demand for alternative agricultural methods.
3. Push for local policy changes. Advocate for city ordinances and park district policies that limit or ban pesticide use in public spaces. These small-scale changes can have significant local impacts and serve as models for broader reform.
4. Get involved and make noise. Join or form local environmental groups, attend town halls and city council meetings, and voice your concerns. Persistence and visibility are key to driving change. You can sign our petition on pesticide drift, or to ban CCS in the Mahomet Aquifer.
5. The University of Illinois has responsibility and opportunity to change agriculture for the public good. The U of I receives significant funding from industrial agriculture, including some of the worst water and climate polluters, and it has helped promote and perpetuate unsustainable farming practices, often overlooking environmental concerns. The University is an institution that students and local residents could apply pressure to, demanding change. For example, successful campaigns forced the University to address air pollution from Abbott Power Plant and improve Boneyard Creek. We need to do the same for the University’s approach to agriculture.

SP: Eco-anxiety is real. Do you have any pointers for managing that stress?

Hirshfeld: Being part of a community that shares concerns about the environment can help reduce feelings of isolation and provide a supportive space to express fears and anxieties. Luckily the Champaign-Urbana community offers many opportunities to connect with folks on environmental issues including, Prairie Rivers Network, Champaign County Master Gardeners, East Central Illinois Master Naturalists, Sola Gratia Farm, Champaign County Climate Coalition – C4), Faith in Place, Sierra Club Prairie Group, and The Land Connection.

Community and environmental organizations also provide a platform for collective action that can be empowering. Advocacy and collective action, as outlined in question above, can channel anxiety into positive action and reduce feelings of helplessness.

We have an incredible team of people assembled at Prairie Rivers Network right now. Being part of that team, working on these issues, as difficult as they are, provides a sense of community and purpose. There’s no magic formula to achieve social change, so we get to experiment and be creative. I encourage everyone to bring their personal talents and interests to the mission. And, often, that’s fun. Truly. You should join us!

The Editorial Board is Jessica Hammie, Julie McClure, Patrick Singer, and Mara Thacker.