California’s Top Glyphosate Sprayers Revealed: What It Means for Your Roundup Lawsuit

You may have worked in an orchard, sprayed roadsides for a living, or lived near fields where crop dusters passed overhead. For years, you never thought twice about the weed killer in the air, on the soil, and on your clothes. Now you have a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis, and you’re wondering whether that exposure had something to do with it.

A recent Mother Jones investigation put hard numbers behind a question many Californians have been asking: who is actually spraying all this glyphosate? The answer matters — not just for your health, but for your legal rights.

This post breaks down what the investigation found, why it matters legally, the cancer link, who qualifies to sue, and the deadlines that could quietly end your case.

Key takeaways:

California’s top glyphosate sprayers include major agricultural operations and public agencies like Caltrans.
Glyphosate is linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and a federal court rejected the EPA’s “not likely to cause cancer” claim.
California gives you two years to file — but the discovery rule may extend that, and a six-month government deadline can apply.
A free consultation clarifies your rights with no financial risk.

Who’s Spraying Glyphosate in California?

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in professional-grade Roundup and the most widely used herbicide in the world. Mother Jones analyzed state pesticide records to build a searchable database of the Top 100 users in California — and some names on the list may surprise you.

The Wonderful Company Tops the List

The single largest sprayer is The Wonderful Company, the agricultural giant behind brands like Pom Wonderful, Wonderful Halos mandarins, and Wonderful Pistachios. According to the report, the company sprayed 328,000 pounds of glyphosate in 2023 — about 68% more than anyone else in the state.

That spraying covered roughly 162,000 acres across nine counties: Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Madera, Monterey, Riverside, Tulare, and Ventura. These are the orchards where almonds, pistachios, pomegranates, and tangerines are grown — and where farmworkers spend their days.

Caltrans and Roadside Spraying

Coming in at #5 on the list is Caltrans, the state transportation agency. It applies glyphosate on rights-of-way statewide — along highways in all but six counties — for weed control, fire prevention, and to keep drivers’ sightlines clear.

This detail matters enormously for your legal options. When a public agency is involved in your exposure, a much shorter legal deadline can apply. More on that below.

Landscape and Rights-of-Way Contractors

Ranked #3, Eynon Management handles landscape maintenance and rights-of-way spraying across Southern California — including Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego counties. Groundskeepers, landscapers, and maintenance crews working these areas may face heavy, repeated exposure. The people most exposed aren’t just farmers — they’re farmworkers, roadside crews, landscapers, and residents living near these high-volume application zones.

Why This Investigation Matters for Your Case

Knowing who sprays glyphosate — and where — isn’t just interesting. It can help build the exposure history at the heart of a strong claim.

The report also revealed how far glyphosate travels once it’s applied. A survey by state inspectors found glyphosate in 100% of the Central Valley waterways tested. Even when applicators take precautions, residue often lingers in the surrounding environment. That means exposure isn’t limited to the person holding the sprayer.

For anyone diagnosed with cancer after living or working near heavy-use areas, this kind of documented, large-scale spraying can help connect your illness to a real, identifiable source of exposure. Public spraying records and investigations like this one can help establish where and how you were exposed — a critical piece of any glyphosate claim.

The Cancer Link: Glyphosate and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

If you’re living with cancer after years near glyphosate, your concern is not imaginary. It fits a pattern that courts and researchers now take seriously.

Glyphosate has been at the center of massive litigation — more than $12 billion in lawsuit payments to people who say it made them sick. The most closely tied illness is non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), a cancer that attacks the body’s lymphatic system and white blood cells.

The legal ground shifted further when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the EPA’s 2020 recertification of glyphosate as safe. The court found the EPA could not claim the herbicide is “not likely to cause cancer,” pointing to studies showing that human exposure is associated with an at least somewhat increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Symptoms of NHL can include swollen lymph nodes, unexplained weight loss, persistent fatigue, night sweats, and fevers. If you spent years around glyphosate and later received an NHL diagnosis, your illness may fit a well-recognized pattern. A federal appeals court refused to accept that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer — and the strongest link points to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Who Qualifies to File a California Glyphosate Claim?

Not everyone who lives in an agricultural county has a claim. A strong case generally comes down to two pillars: a qualifying diagnosis and a documented history of meaningful exposure. You may qualify if:

You have a qualifying diagnosis — most commonly non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or a related cancer. A formal medical diagnosis is the foundation of any claim.
You had meaningful exposure — as a farmworker, orchard worker, roadside or rights-of-way crew member, landscaper, groundskeeper, or someone who lived close to heavy-use areas.
Your exposure was repeated or sustained — the more direct and long-term your contact, the stronger the connection tends to be.
Your exposure can be connected to your illness — usually through medical records combined with your work and location history.

Common Mistakes That Can Hurt a Claim

Assuming it’s “too late.” The discovery rule may keep your claim alive years after exposure.
Thinking you can’t prove exposure. Public spraying records, employment history, and product-use logs can often be reconstructed with legal help.
Ruling yourself out because you didn’t spray. Drift, residue, and living near sprayed land count too.
Waiting to gather records. Evidence is easiest to secure while it’s fresh.

If you’re unsure whether your situation qualifies, don’t count yourself out. A free case review is the fastest way to find out where you stand. The strongest cases pair an NHL diagnosis with a documented history of glyphosate exposure — whether from work or where you lived.

California’s Deadlines: Statute of Limitations, Discovery Rule, and the Six-Month Government Window

Time is one of the biggest threats to your claim, so read this section carefully.

The Two-Year Statute of Limitations

Under California’s statute of limitations, you generally have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. Miss that window, and you can lose your right to compensation entirely — no matter how strong your case would have been.

The Discovery Rule

Here’s what matters most in glyphosate cases: when that two-year clock starts. Cancer often develops years after exposure, and many people never connect their diagnosis to a chemical they encountered long ago.

That’s where California’s discovery rule comes in. Under this rule, your two-year window may not begin until you knew, or reasonably should have known, that you were injured and that glyphosate exposure was the likely cause. For many people, that’s around the time of diagnosis or when a doctor links the illness to chemical exposure.

The Six-Month Government Claims Deadline

Here’s the deadline that catches people off guard — and it’s directly relevant given who’s on that Top 100 list.

Remember Caltrans at #5, spraying glyphosate along highways in nearly every county? When a public entity may share responsibility for your exposure, a much shorter clock applies. If you were exposed while working on or living near roadsides sprayed by a state or local agency, a government entity could be involved.

Under the California Government Claims Act, you generally must file a formal written claim with that entity within six months of the date your claim arises. That’s far shorter than two years, and these claims carry strict rules about what they must contain and how they’re filed. A small mistake can sink an otherwise strong case. Don’t assume you have plenty of time. If a public agency like Caltrans may be involved, the real deadline could be just six months.

What Damages May Be Recovered

When a dangerous product causes serious illness, California law lets you seek compensation for the full scope of your losses — not just your first medical bill. Depending on your situation, recoverable damages may include:

Medical expenses, past and future — treatment, chemotherapy, medication, and specialist care
Lost wages for income missed during treatment and recovery
Lost earning capacity if your illness limits or ends your ability to work
Pain and suffering for the physical toll of the cancer and its treatment
Emotional distress, including the fear, anxiety, and depression that follow a serious diagnosis
Loss of enjoyment of life when illness takes away the activities and independence you once had

In cases involving especially reckless corporate conduct, additional damages meant to punish that behavior may occasionally apply, though those are never guaranteed. If a loved one died from complications related to glyphosate exposure, surviving family members may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim.

What to Do If You Suspect Glyphosate Caused Your Cancer

A few early steps can protect both your health and any future claim:

Keep all medical records, including your diagnosis and treatment history.
Document your exposure — where you worked or lived, the years involved, and your job duties.
Note nearby spraying — orchards, farms, or roadsides treated with glyphosate near you.
Gather employment records if your exposure was work-related.
Act on the deadlines — remember the two-year statute, the discovery rule, and the potential six-month government window.
Talk to an attorney early, so evidence is preserved before it disappears.

The biggest mistake people make is assuming a company as large as Bayer — or an agency like Caltrans — can’t be held accountable, or that too much time has passed. Neither is necessarily true.

Key Takeaways

California’s top glyphosate sprayers include The Wonderful Company and public agencies like Caltrans, per a Mother Jones investigation.
Glyphosate is linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and a federal court rejected the EPA’s claim that it’s unlikely to cause cancer.
You generally have two years to file, but the discovery rule may extend that window.
If a public entity like Caltrans is involved, a six-month government claim deadline can apply.

Talk to Walch Law Today — Free Consultation

Learning that a chemical sprayed across the fields and roads around you may have caused your cancer is devastating and unfair. You did nothing wrong — you simply worked, lived, and breathed near land treated with a product now tied to serious health risks. You shouldn’t have to take on a global chemical company or a government agency alone while you’re fighting for your health. You deserve answers, and you deserve someone in your corner.

At Walch Law, we help injured Californians investigate glyphosate exposure, identify every responsible party, build the medical and employment evidence a strong claim requires, protect every critical filing deadline — including the tight six-month government claim window — and pursue the full compensation the law allows. We handle the legal fight so you can focus on your treatment and your family.

We work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing out of pocket, and we only collect a fee if we recover compensation for you. There’s no financial risk in simply finding out where you stand.

Contact Walch Law today for a completely free, confidential consultation. Tell us about your exposure and diagnosis, and we’ll give you an honest assessment of your case and the next steps that make sense for you. Don’t wait until a deadline passes — reach out now.