Beyond Pesticides Minnesota: Neighbors for Pesticide-Free Communities

10/02/2026

The Campaign for Cleaner Seed is a diverse movement of parents, anglers, gardeners, beekeepers, farmers, birders, and other community members in Minnesota seeking to rein in widespread, harmful contamination of Minnesota’s environment with neurotoxic neonic pesticides, or “neonics.”

Neonics are all over Minnesota—including 80% of surface water samples statewide and 95% of pregnant women’s bodies. They are decimating pollinators, contributing to declines in aquatic life and birds, and presenting significant risks to children’s health. And the leading sources of contamination are unnecessary. But while Minnesota’s leaders have been talking about this issue for more than a decade, they have failed to take meaningful action.

Join us for a Webinar at noon CT on October 8th to learn more about neonics, the campaign’s efforts, and next steps as we prepare for the upcoming 2027 legislative session.

Supporting common-sense solutions to pesticide contamination in Minnesota

09/17/2026

"Late summer is the peak of human interaction with social wasps, often a painful time of year for those like Nelson who end up swollen or in the emergency room.

"But it’s a last gasp for the wasps. They’ve been active since the spring, and they’ve spent the summer raising larvae and next year’s queens. By now, their food is thin, so some are searching for carbohydrates on restaurant patios or on the rims of b**r glasses. Most won’t survive the winter."

Hornets and wasps have caused a summer of bother in Minnesota and elsewhere. But some Minnesotans are celebrating them.

09/05/2026

Before reaching for the spray bottle, consider what's already working in your garden. Dragonflies are quietly managing mosquitoes. Ladybugs are feeding on aphids. Spiders are catching flies. Nature's already built the system—it just needs space to operate.

A healthy garden isn't sterile. It's alive and balanced, full of creatures doing their part in an ecosystem that's been perfecting itself for centuries. When we step back and observe instead of react, we realize we're not fighting nature. We're part of it.

Spray less. Watch more. Let the garden remind you that sometimes the best solutions are the ones that were already there.

08/25/2026

"... a yearlong investigation reveals how California forests are already being managed to grow more timber using a controversial herbicide being sprayed at record levels by timber companies and the U.S. Forest Service."

An investigation by the Center for Investigative Reporting has revealed that glyphosate is being sprayed in California forests at record levels by timber companies and the U.S. Forest Service. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, kills vegetation that competes with young trees. The weedkill...

07/04/2026

"The controversial approvals come just days after the Supreme Court sided with Bayer and the Trump administration in limiting Americans’ ability to sue pesticide companies for harms linked to pesticides.

The approvals include two new PFAS pesticides never before used in the United States. Diflufenican and epyrifenacil can now both be used on corn and soybeans, the two most widely grown U.S. crops. Epyrifenacil has also been approved on wheat. A previously EPA-approved “forever chemical” pesticide called bifenthrin also got approval for use on additional foods, including coffee, kiwifruit, peas, kale and broccoli."

Two new “forever chemical” pesticides are among multiple dangerous pesticides approved today by the Trump Environmental Protection Agency for use on food crops, including corn, wheat, kiwi, oats, peas and coffee. The controversial approvals come just days after the Supreme Court sided with Bayer...

07/02/2026

"A 2000 study that concluded the well-known herbicide glyphosate was safe, widely cited since then, has just been officially disavowed by the journal that published it. The scientists are suspected of having signed a text actually prepared by Monsanto."
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2025/12/03/influential-study-on-glyphosate-safety-retracted-25-years-after-publication_6748114_114.html #

A 2000 study that concluded the well-known herbicide glyphosate was safe, widely cited since then, has just been officially disavowed by the journal that published it. The scientists are suspected of having signed a text actually prepared by Monsanto.

06/16/2026

"Existing regulations have proven inadequate to protect pollinators, water quality, birds, fish, aquatic ecosystems, and wildlife. For years, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has relied on voluntary guidance and inadequate federal regulation to regulate use of pesticide-treated seeds even while documenting their widespread harms to Minnesota’s environment and wildlife. This inadequate regulation violates Minnesotans' right to the protection, preservation, and enhancement of air, water, land, and other natural resources. The MDA has jurisdiction to properly regulate and must take action as soon as possible."

This is an important opportunity to make comments to the State of Minnesota regarding neonicotinoid pesticides. Pesticide use is the driving force behind pollinator decline. Please add your name to our group comment asking the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to protect our state from neonicotino...

06/04/2026

"The findings raise concerns about how common weedkillers may affect beneficial insects and highlight the need for stronger protections for pollinators. According to the researchers, future efforts should focus on smarter regulation, better application strategies, and additional study of these chemicals."

New research suggests a widely used herbicide may have subtle but significant effects on honeybees.

06/02/2026

"...research has shown that neonics pose profound health risks for pollinators, ecosystems, and likely also people. The pesticides persist in the environment long after application and can travel via wind or waterways, contaminating ecosystems and communities miles away from where they were originally used. Overall, the amount of land treated with insecticide has continued to increase.:

Neonics are contaminating ecosystems and communities.

05/25/2026

"Yet despite decades of campaigns, paraquat – a synthetic chemical also known as paraquat dichloride and marketed most commonly as Gramoxone – is still sprayed on millions of acres of farmland every year in the U.S., and its use continues to grow. About 35% of large commercial farms in the U.S. now use paraquat to kill weeds and dry up crops for harvest, often soybean, corn and cotton."

WAYNESBORO, Miss. — Wayne County, Mississippi, in a quiet southeast corner of the state, is home to about 20,000 people surrounded by forest and farmland. But Wayne distinguishes itself in two ways: it is home to a Sipcam Agro plant that processes the toxic herbicide paraquat. Within the U.S., the...