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California pesticide use high, covers vast acreage
Pesticide warning signs in a California field that is ready for planting. (Photo:Tom Grundy, via Shutterstock)FairWarning: Farmers in California, the nation’s top agricultural state, are applying near-record levels of pesticides despite the rising popularity of organic produce and concerns about the health of farmworkers and rural schoolchildren. The latest figures, released in April by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and covering 2016, show that 209 million pounds of pesticide active ingredients were used in agriculture.