⚠ UPDATE — April 23, 2026: Since this petition was first published, we have received confirmation from Dane County that the atrazine-containing formulation (Medal II ATZ) is NOT being used on this field. We are grateful for this clarification and have updated our ask accordingly. The farmer is using Medal II EC (S-metolachlor only), which carries its own documented concerns outlined below. We have left the original text intact so that signatures collected in good faith are preserved. Our core asks remain unchanged.

______________________________________________________________

Dane County owns farmland in Cross Plains, WI — and the chemicals being applied to it are putting families at risk.

Our family lives directly adjacent to this field. We have a 3-year-old and a 3-month-old. When we learned what was being sprayed — including Noventa Ultra (glufosinate-ammonium), atrazine-containing herbicides, and glyphosate-based products — we were alarmed.  The research is clear: these chemicals pose serious risks to infants and young children.

• Glufosinate is banned in the EU and 29 other countries due to links with developmental neurotoxicity. Beyond its well-documented risks to developing children, it inhibits glutamine synthetase — an enzyme critical to brain function in people of all ages — and has been linked to neurological symptoms, respiratory complications, and organ damage in adults.
• Atrazine is banned in the EU and is a known endocrine disruptor. A 2024 study that followed nearly 50,000 pesticide applicators for over two decades found atrazine exposure was correlated with early-onset prostate and lung cancer.
• A January 2025 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that rural glyphosate exposure significantly reduces birth weight and shortens gestational length.
• Both glyphosate and atrazine have now been classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans" by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) — the world's leading independent cancer authority. 

Wisconsin law (Wis. Stat. § 94.701) gives Dane County the explicit authority to regulate pesticide use on land it owns. This is public land. The county has both the power and the responsibility to act

We are asking Dane County to:

1. Restrict glufosinate-ammonium (Noventa Ultra) and atrazine-containing products (Medal II ATZ) on this county-owned land immediately, with serious consideration of also restricting glyphosate-based herbicides
2. Require at least 48 hours advance notice to adjacent residents before any pesticide application
3. Work toward transitioning this publicly owned land to organic or reduced-chemical farming practices over time
4. Make the current farm lease publicly available and hold a community meeting on this issue

We believe that publicly owned land should be managed in the public's interest, with the health and safety of the surrounding community as a priority. If you live in the Cross Plains area, have children, or simply believe that publicly owned land should be managed in the public's interest — please sign and share this petition.

______________________________________________________________

 
📋 CLARIFICATION — Medal II:

We have confirmed that the farmer is using Medal II EC, which contains S-metolachlor (not atrazine). While this is less concerning than the atrazine-containing version, S-metolachlor carries its own documented risks. It has been identified as an endocrine-disrupting compound of concern in drinking and groundwater human health risk assessments (Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Springer, 2023) and has documented potential to leach into groundwater — particularly relevant for rural Wisconsin properties with private wells. We ask that this chemical also be reviewed as part of any lease conditions Dane County considers.