{"id":313,"date":"2026-05-05T09:58:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/?p=313"},"modified":"2026-05-05T10:04:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T17:04:55","slug":"how-opca-is-making-sense-of-californias-pesticide-use-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2026\/05\/05\/how-opca-is-making-sense-of-californias-pesticide-use-trends\/","title":{"rendered":"How OPCA Is Making Sense of California\u2019s Pesticide Use Trends"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California leads the nation in&nbsp;data transparency through&nbsp;the&nbsp;collection&nbsp;and sharing&nbsp;of pesticide use data,&nbsp;providing&nbsp;stakeholders, state agencies, and the public with valuable insights into&nbsp;pest management throughout the state.&nbsp;The Pesticide Use Reporting (PUR) Database&nbsp;maintained&nbsp;by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)&nbsp;serves as a resource for&nbsp;the public to&nbsp;track and understand how pesticide use has changed in California over the past decades.&nbsp;Every year, DPR releases their&nbsp;Pesticide Use&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdpr.ca.gov\/pesticide-use-in-california\/pesticide-use-reporting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Annual Report<\/a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;highlight&nbsp;short-term and long-term pesticide use trends by commodity and categories of interest (e.g. biopesticides, carcinogens, toxic air contaminants)&nbsp;to inform actions to mitigate potential impacts to human health and the environment&nbsp;and to inform&nbsp;California\u2019s transition to safer, more sustainable pest management.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California\u2019s agricultural landscape&nbsp;is&nbsp;constantly&nbsp;evolving in response to&nbsp;the development of&nbsp;new&nbsp;technologies, novel pest&nbsp;threats,&nbsp;and the changing climate.&nbsp;Furthermore,&nbsp;the diversity of California\u2019s specialty crops means&nbsp;different types&nbsp;of&nbsp;growers&nbsp;must use different pest management strategies to adapt to new conditions.&nbsp;To&nbsp;better understand what&nbsp;specific&nbsp;factors are driving changes in&nbsp;important categories of&nbsp;pesticide use,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars\/opca\/docs\/CDFA_Annual_PUR_Pesticide_Category_Analysis_2022-2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CDFA\u2019s Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis&nbsp;(OPCA)&nbsp;has published a&nbsp;report<\/a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;how individual crops and&nbsp;pesticide active ingredients&nbsp;contributed to changes in&nbsp;the use of&nbsp;pesticide&nbsp;categories&nbsp;of interest&nbsp;between 2022 and 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In many cases,&nbsp;the&nbsp;use of specific pesticide&nbsp;active&nbsp;ingredients&nbsp;increased&nbsp;in one crop while&nbsp;it&nbsp;decreased&nbsp;in another,&nbsp;highlighting&nbsp;the complexity behind total annual changes in pesticide use categories.&nbsp;For example, DPR\u2019s Annual Report&nbsp;shows&nbsp;that the total pounds&nbsp;applied&nbsp;of&nbsp;pesticides classified as&nbsp;carcinogens&nbsp;decreased&nbsp;by 6% from 2022-2024,&nbsp;but&nbsp;the acres that received&nbsp;treatments of pesticides classified as carcinogens&nbsp;actually increased&nbsp;by 6% in the same period.&nbsp;OPCA\u2019s report&nbsp;breaks down&nbsp;the specific uses of&nbsp;each&nbsp;pesticide&nbsp;in the&nbsp;carcinogen&nbsp;category&nbsp;to&nbsp;show&nbsp;that&nbsp;glyphosate use&nbsp;increased&nbsp;in&nbsp;almond, pistachio, and corn&nbsp;and drove up the number of acres treated,&nbsp;while&nbsp;fumigant use fell&nbsp;in&nbsp;carrots,&nbsp;grapes,&nbsp;and almonds, driving down pounds applied.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Changes in Use of Pesticides Classified as Carcinogens&nbsp;by crop&nbsp;from 2022-2023.&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2250\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/carcinogen_figure.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-321\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/carcinogen_figure.png 2250w, https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/carcinogen_figure-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/carcinogen_figure-1024x614.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/carcinogen_figure-768x461.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/carcinogen_figure-1536x922.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/carcinogen_figure-2048x1229.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2250px) 100vw, 2250px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The OPCA report also shows that many changes in annual pesticide use are driven more by how&nbsp;many acres of a crop are grown that year rather than any changes in management practices by growers.&nbsp;While the use of the herbicide&nbsp;thiobencarb&nbsp;doubled&nbsp;in rice production&nbsp;between 2022 and 2023, California grew&nbsp;twice as many acres of rice in 2023&nbsp;compared to 2022.&nbsp;This highlights the importance&nbsp;of&nbsp;looking at&nbsp;how individual crop systems&nbsp;change&nbsp;and how specific pesticide products are used&nbsp;in order to&nbsp;accurately interpret how pesticide use data reflects in-field conditions and to evaluate how state policies and programs are effectuating changes in pest management practices.&nbsp;The full report&nbsp;contains&nbsp;many actionable insights into pesticide use across categories&nbsp;and throughout the state.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>California leads the nation in&nbsp;data transparency through&nbsp;the&nbsp;collection&nbsp;and sharing&nbsp;of pesticide use data,&nbsp;providing&nbsp;stakeholders, state agencies, and the public with valuable insights into&nbsp;pest management throughout the state.&nbsp;The Pesticide Use Reporting (PUR) Database&nbsp;maintained&nbsp;by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)&nbsp;serves as a resource for&nbsp;the public to&nbsp;track and understand how pesticide use has changed in California over the past decades.&nbsp;Every &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2026\/05\/05\/how-opca-is-making-sense-of-californias-pesticide-use-trends\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How OPCA Is Making Sense of California\u2019s Pesticide Use Trends<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[9],"class_list":["post-313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-informational","tag-opca","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DBK_Yuba_River-2695.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":70,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/03\/28\/what-is-the-office-of-pesticide-consultation-and-analysis\/","url_meta":{"origin":313,"position":0},"title":"What is the Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis?","author":"Sureena Johl","date":"March 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The California Department of Food and Agriculture\u2019s (CDFA\u2019s) Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis (OPCA) was formed in 1992 following the formation of CalEPA\u2019s Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). Prior to this time CDFA was responsible for pesticide regulation in the state. OPCA's primary role is to provide DPR with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Informational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Informational","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/category\/informational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Meet-Our-Team-OPCA.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Meet-Our-Team-OPCA.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Meet-Our-Team-OPCA.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Meet-Our-Team-OPCA.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Meet-Our-Team-OPCA.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Meet-Our-Team-OPCA.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":150,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/07\/28\/cdfa-looks-to-get-ahead-of-invasive-agricultural-pests\/","url_meta":{"origin":313,"position":1},"title":"CDFA Looks to Get Ahead of Invasive Agricultural Pests","author":"Sureena Johl","date":"July 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"California leads the nation in specialty crop production, growing more than 400 different crops across its diverse agricultural landscape. With such variety comes a complex web of pest management challenges that demand innovative, research-driven solutions. The OARS Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis is continuously working to support pest management\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Informational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Informational","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/category\/informational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tuta-absoluta-herbivory-test-on-commercial-tomatoes-vs-wild-South-American-tomato-species.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tuta-absoluta-herbivory-test-on-commercial-tomatoes-vs-wild-South-American-tomato-species.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tuta-absoluta-herbivory-test-on-commercial-tomatoes-vs-wild-South-American-tomato-species.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tuta-absoluta-herbivory-test-on-commercial-tomatoes-vs-wild-South-American-tomato-species.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":193,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/08\/05\/a-note-from-our-director-august-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":313,"position":2},"title":"A Note from Our Director | August 2025","author":"Sureena Johl","date":"August 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Stakeholders,\u00a0 I hope you enjoy this newsletter showcasing the accomplishments of our grantees and partners and giving you a peek at how we lead our programs to serve producers while contributing to the state\u2019s sustainability goals. Additionally, I want to take this opportunity to summarize the funding status of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Informational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Informational","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/category\/informational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"August 2025 OARS Director Report","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Blog-image-3-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Blog-image-3-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Blog-image-3-2.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Blog-image-3-2.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Blog-image-3-2.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":297,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2026\/05\/05\/an-alternative-to-dacthal\/","url_meta":{"origin":313,"position":3},"title":"An Alternative to\u00a0Dacthal\u00a0","author":"Sureena Johl","date":"May 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Author: Kari Arnold, PhD, Western Region IR-4 Associate Director, Environmental Toxicology Dept., UC Davis\u00a0 On\u00a0October 22, 2024,\u00a0EPA\u00a0prohibited the use of\u00a0all products\u00a0containing\u00a0the herbicide\u00a0dimethyl\u00a0tetrachloroterephthalate\u00a0(Dacthal\u00a0or DCPA) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Although the reason for the cancellation was based in\u00a0science, the decision left many vegetable growers in California\u00a0at a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Informational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Informational","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/category\/informational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An Alternative to\u00a0Dacthal\u00a0","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Dactal.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Dactal.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Dactal.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Dactal.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":212,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/09\/17\/celebrating-biodiversity-through-our-progress-to-30x30\/","url_meta":{"origin":313,"position":4},"title":"Celebrating Biodiversity through our Progress to 30&#215;30\u00a0","author":"Sureena Johl","date":"September 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"California is one of 36 global biodiversity hotspots \u2013 areas with exceptional concentrations of plant and animal species found nowhere else on the planet. At the same time, many California species are at risk of extinction due to threats from habitat loss and climate change. In October 2020, Governor Newsom\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Event Recap&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Event Recap","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/category\/event-recap\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"30x30 Signage outlining data","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20250814_092629-cropped-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20250814_092629-cropped-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20250814_092629-cropped-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20250814_092629-cropped-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20250814_092629-cropped-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20250814_092629-cropped-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":171,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/07\/28\/investing-in-impact-how-the-oars-team-helps-deliver-climate-solutions-on-california-dairy-and-livestock-farms\/","url_meta":{"origin":313,"position":5},"title":"Investing in Impact: How the OARS Team Helps Deliver Climate Solutions on California Dairy and Livestock Farms\u00a0","author":"Sureena Johl","date":"July 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The CDFA Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS) is dedicated to supporting California's dairy and livestock farmers in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As proof of that, the CDFA\u2019s Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) and Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP) awarded nearly $25 million\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Informational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Informational","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/category\/informational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A technical assistance provider and rancher are reviewing data at a dairy farm","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_289583412_Preview-e1753726652620.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_289583412_Preview-e1753726652620.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_289583412_Preview-e1753726652620.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_289583412_Preview-e1753726652620.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":322,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313\/revisions\/322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}