Glyphosate. It's in the Rain!!!
WHAT'S REAL, WHAT'S RECYCLED, AND THE PART THAT ACTUALLY KEEPS US UP AT NIGHT.
If you're on social media at all, you'll know there's a stat making the rounds about how glyphosate is showing up in rainfall: "Glyphosate is now found in over half of rainfall samples and 80% of children's urine." We love a stat that gets people fired up about food. We also have a rule around here: if we're going to be loud, we'd better get the facts straight. Here's the real story about glyphosate in the rain.
the rumor, fact checked
That "over half" number is real. It's just from a 2019 study of rain collected near farm fields in Argentina, not a new finding. Still worth caring about, though. Nobody's rain should come with a side of weed killer, wherever it falls.
The "80%" part holds up better: CDC testing found glyphosate in about 4 out of 5 Americans in its latest national testing. The good news buried in that data? Average levels dropped 38% between 2013 and 2018.
So, like many viral posts with scary stats, the information was massaged and zombied together to tell a scarier story. BUT glyphosate in rain is real, and the science has been piling up for fifteen years:
2011: Glyphosate turned up in 60 to 100% of samples from air and rain collected in farm country in Mississippi and Iowa.
2014: A USGS review of samples from 38 states found glyphosate and AMPA "frequently" in soils, streams, ditches, and precipitation.
2018: A second Argentine study found herbicides, glyphosate included, in more than 80% of rain samples from the Pampas (fertile low grasslands).
2025: The newest one. Researchers at the University at Albany tested 229 water samples collected across New York State in 2023 and 2024 and reported that glyphosate and AMPA were "frequently found in rainwater."
so should you be scared of a rainstorm?
No. And we're not going to pretend otherwise.
The amounts in rain are tiny, tens of thousands of times below the EPA's limit for drinking water. And in that New York study, glyphosate was rarely found in tap water.
Rain is the canary in the coal mine, not the emergency. It's proof that glyphosate doesn't stay where it's sprayed. The real, urgent problem starts before it ever gets into the rain.
the real problem with glyphosate: drift
When glyphosate gets sprayed, some of it drifts sideways onto the farm next door. In fact, drift is the main way it escapes the field. Here's why that matters:
• It kills plants. Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide, so it doesn't check for an organic certificate before it lands.
• Organic farmers pay for it. They're the ones required to keep buffer zones between their crops and a neighbor's spray. If too much drifts in anyway, their crop can't be sold as organic.
• More is on the way. In February 2026, a federal executive order called for more glyphosate production. More made means more sprayed.
the good news (there is good news!): organic works
Organic farmers are holding the line, even with all that drift. In Europe, where glyphosate is still legal, it shows up in more than half of farm soils but in fewer than 1% of organic food samples. Choosing organic makes a real difference. Choosing Regenerative Organic Certified® takes it even further.
And the regenerative movement is growing. There are already nearly 20 million acres under regenerative organic management, across 46 countries.
Drift and rain only carry what we spray. That means this problem has a pretty clear off switch: spray less of it.
That's where farming choices, and grocery carts, come in. USDA Certified Organic prohibits synthetic herbicides. No Roundup. No glyphosate.
Regenerative Organic Certified® starts at organic and raises the bar from there, with standards for living soil, animal welfare, and fair treatment of the people who grow our food.
Every acre farmed that way is one less source of drift.
This is bigger than one farm or one brand. The fix is fewer sprayed acres everywhere, and that’s where you come in: what you put in your grocery cart is what moves the needle (and the whole haystack).
Choose organic. Look for ROC. Pass on the story. And, as always, eat like an advocate.
THE RECEIPTS
We like to nerd out on the data. Feel free to join us:
WHERE THE VIRAL STAT CAME FROM
Researchers in Argentina found glyphosate and its breakdown product, AMPA, in 52% of rainwater samples collected near agricultural fields. The study was published in 2019.
CDC testing found glyphosate in the urine of 81% of Americans tested in 2013 to 2014, 70% in 2015 to 2016, and 82% in 2017 to 2018. Testing covered ages 6 and up, plus children ages 3 to 5 in the two later rounds. Average levels dropped 38% from 2013 to 2018.
The CDC notes that finding glyphosate in urine shows exposure, and does not by itself mean it causes disease.
FIFTEEN YEARS OF GLYPHOSATE IN RAIN
2011: The U.S. Geological Survey published the first study of glyphosate in air and rain. It turned up in 60 to 100% of samples collected in farm country in Mississippi and Iowa.
2014: A USGS review of samples from 38 states found glyphosate and AMPA "frequently" in soils, streams, ditches, and precipitation.
2018: A second Argentine study found herbicides, glyphosate included, in more than 80% of rain samples from the Pampas (fertile low grasslands).
2025: Researchers at the University at Albany tested 229 water samples collected across New York State in 2023 and 2024 and reported that glyphosate and AMPA were "frequently found in rainwater."
HOW MUCH GLYPHOSATE IS IN THE RAIN (AND YOUR TAP)
The New York study measured an average of about 9.6 nanograms of glyphosate per liter of rain, roughly 10 parts per trillion.
The EPA's legal limit for glyphosate in drinking water is 700 parts per billion, tens of thousands of times higher.
In the same study, glyphosate was rarely found in drinking water. The CDC points to diet as a factor in how people come into contact with it.
Glyphosate Drift, by the numbers
In the 2019 Argentina study, spray drift carried about 7% of the applied glyphosate off the field, more than runoff did. Most of the rest stayed in the field's soil, and the researchers named drift as the main way glyphosate contaminated the surrounding area.
A 2026 study in the Netherlands found elevated glyphosate in the air above treated soil for about six weeks after spraying.
A scientific review published in August 2026 found that tractor sprayers typically deposit 1 to 10% of the applied dose 10 meters downwind, and aerial spraying leaves measurable deposits several hundred meters away.
Researchers have found glyphosate drift reduces flowering in clover and other plants that beneficial insects and pollinators depend on.
When the Environmental Working Group tested oat products in 2018, 5 of 16 organic samples had glyphosate at low levels. EWG pointed to drift from nearby conventional fields or cross-contamination during processing.
In an Ohio State survey of specialty crop and dry bean growers in the North Central states, 66% reported confirmed or suspected herbicide drift between 2016 and 2020, and 12 to 16% estimated losses of $10,000 or more a year. That survey covered drift from all herbicides, not just glyphosate.
What glyphosate drift costs organic farmers
Under USDA organic rules, it's the organic farmer's job to maintain buffer zones big enough to keep a neighbor's spray out, and to report it when drift happens.
If residues come in above 5% of the EPA's tolerance, that crop can't be sold as organic.
That puts the organic premium at risk, which runs 20 to 30% above conventional prices. The farmer doing the spraying carries far less of that risk.
Organic is holding the line
Glyphosate and AMPA turn up in more than 50% of Europe's agricultural soils, but only 0.67% of organic food samples tested in Europe had glyphosate residues.
Glyphosate is approved in the EU through December 15, 2033. Spraying it on crops right before harvest to dry them out isn't allowed there, and some countries, including Germany, ban or tightly restrict it in home gardens and public spaces.
The Regenerative Organic Alliance reported nearly 20 million acres under regenerative organic management across 46 countries as of September 2025.
What the science is still working out
USGS scientists wrote in 2014 that the ecosystem effects of chronic, low-level exposure to pesticide mixtures are uncertain.
The World Health Organization's cancer agency classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" in 2015.
The EPA concluded it's "not likely" to be, and is updating that review, with completion expected in early 2027.
A 2025 study from Italy's Ramazzini Institute found tumors in rats at doses starting at the EU's acceptable daily intake. Bayer, which makes Roundup, disputes it.
Where glyphosate use is headed
Glyphosate is already the most widely used herbicide in the country.
In February 2026, a federal executive order directed the USDA to boost domestic glyphosate production.
SOURCES
Lupi, L., et al. (2019). Glyphosate runoff and its occurrence in rainwater and subsurface soil in the nearby area of agricultural fields in Argentina. Chemosphere, 225, 906 to 914. doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.03.090
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Diet Is a Factor in Contact with Glyphosate. cdc.gov
Chang, F., Simcik, M., and Capel, P. (2011). Occurrence and fate of the herbicide glyphosate and its degradate aminomethylphosphonic acid in the atmosphere. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. pubs.usgs.gov
Battaglin, W., et al. (2014). Glyphosate and its degradation product AMPA occur frequently and widely in U.S. soils, surface water, groundwater, and precipitation. Journal of the American Water Resources Association. usgs.gov
Alonso, L., et al. (2018). Glyphosate and atrazine in rainfall and soils in agroproductive areas of the pampas region in Argentina. Science of the Total Environment. sciencedirect.com
Li, Z., and Kannan, K. (2025). Occurrence and distribution of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid in surface water, drinking water, wastewater and other water types from New York State, USA. Water Research, 286, 124232. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40684482
Goossens, D., et al. (2026). Atmospheric dynamics of glyphosate and AMPA in agricultural areas. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. link.springer.com
Albaseer, S., et al. (2026). Atmospheric pesticide drift and the integrity of organic supply chains: Pathways, risks, and regulatory gaps. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, 23, 101263. sciencedirect.com
National Pesticide Information Center. Glyphosate General Fact Sheet. npic.orst.edu
The Organic Center. Spray drift of glyphosate reduces flowering of non-crop plants. organic-center.org
Environmental Working Group (2018). Breakfast With a Dose of Roundup? ewg.org
USDA National Organic Program. Buffer Zones. ams.usda.gov
USDA National Organic Program (2024). Instruction 2613: Responding to Results from Pesticide Residue Testing. ams.usda.gov
Ohio State University (2022). Herbicide Drift Survey Results. cfaes.ohio-state.edu
Benzing, A., et al. (2025). Pesticides in soils as a source of residues in food after two years conversion to organic farming. Environmental Research. sciencedirect.com
International Agency for Research on Cancer (2015). Q&A on Glyphosate. iarc.who.int
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Glyphosate. epa.gov
U.S. EPA. National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. epa.gov
U.S. EPA (September 22, 2026). EPA and HHS Announce New Scientific Partnership to Strengthen Glyphosate Review. epa.gov
Environmental Health News (June 2025). New study links common weed killer glyphosate to several cancers. ehn.org
Civil Eats (February 19, 2026). Trump Directs USDA to Boost Production of Glyphosate. civileats.com
Rodale Institute. Wait, Organic Farmers Use Pesticides? rodaleinstitute.org
Regenerative Organic Alliance (September 18, 2025). Growth press release. regenorganic.org
Ospina, M., et al. (2024). Temporal Trends of Exposure to the Herbicide Glyphosate in the United States (2013 to 2018): Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Chemosphere, 364, 142966. stacks.cdc.gov
European Commission. Status of glyphosate in the EU. food.ec.europa.eu
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