A mandatory pesticide usage reporting system for Maryland would establish a continuing stream of critically needed information — data that would be used by to inform state government analysis and decision-making regarding Chesapeake Bay. It will enable public health experts to easily track specific health issues of farmers, their families and the public that may be related to use of certain pesticides on farms or in a specific area.

While overall occurrence of cancer in the farming community is lower than the general public, recent research conducted primarily under the National Institutes of Health's Agricultural Health Study suggests that farmers, their families and other agricultural workers are at increased risk for a wide range of health problems due to pesticide exposure. These include: respiratory disorders (i.e., Farmer's lung; asthma), cancer (lung, bladder, colon, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma and leukemia in offspring), poor cognitive functioning, depression, autism and fertility problems.

A study released in January 2010 by a coalition of Midwest farm family groups warns that farmers "are being put on the front line" of health risks from pesticides such as atrazine, a heavily used herbicide linked to prostate and breast cancer, as well as male reproductive abnormalities and developmental defects.will make it easier for farmers and pesticide applicators to record pesticide information — especially individuals and organizations that do not have an established computer filing system. As envisioned, the system would use a web-based, standardized data storage format, freeing farmers and applicators from having to set up and maintain their own electronic or paper files.

This centralized reporting system could be electronically mapped to accept reports currently stored in other formats, meaning that farmers and custom applicators will not have to alter their current record-keeping software. This system would also minimize the need for records inspections by the Maryland Department of Agriculture because the new system will provide the required data, thus saving time for MDA and farmers associated with on-site inspections. The simplicity of this process has been shown in other similar systems to require only a few minutes of effort. This has allowed those doing the reporting to dismiss consultants who had previously been hired to prepare manual reports at costs of $1,000 to $10,000 or more annually.