Dorchester County Farmers Await Results of Pesticide Investigation

A father-and-son farming team in Cambridge, Maryland has been waiting eight months for results of a pesticide complaint investigation. The Maryland Department of Agriculture says sample testing typically takes four to six months, with delays caused by out-of-state lab processing.

CAMBRIDGE, Md. — As spring planting season approaches, Dorchester County farmer Rusty Eberspacher and his son Todd are preparing to begin herbicide applications, but an unresolved pesticide investigation from 2024 continues to weigh on their minds.

The farming duo has been waiting eight months for the Maryland Department of Agriculture to complete its investigation into complaints filed by a neighboring resident who claimed their chemical applications damaged garden plants.

The initial complaint was submitted in late May, according to Rusty, after they applied a grass herbicide commonly used in vegetable farming to one of their fields. The neighbor alleged the spray harmed plants in their garden.

“The chemistry takes two weeks, but he called the next day,” Rusty explained.

A second complaint followed later in the growing season when Todd applied a combination of insecticide and liquid fertilizer. Rusty noted that tensions with the neighbor had escalated previously, including a social media dispute in August 2023.

“The comment was we killed his garden,” Rusty said.

Following the complaints, a Maryland Department of Agriculture Pesticide Regulation Section inspector conducted a site visit and collected swab samples from the neighbor’s home and property. While MDA confirmed the ongoing investigation, officials declined to provide additional details due to its active status.

Despite putting personal conflicts aside, Rusty expressed frustration with the lengthy delay in receiving results, particularly since he believes no violations occurred.

“I don’t think it’s reasonable to be waiting months and not have an answer,” he stated. “If we’ve done something wrong, we want to know about it.”

Kelly Love, pesticide program inspector manager, acknowledged that the standard timeframe for sample analysis ranges from four to six months, though some cases process faster while others take longer.

“It frustrates a lot of people,” Love admitted regarding the extended waiting periods.

Rob Hofstetter, who manages the Pesticide Regulation Program, explained that samples must be sent to an out-of-state laboratory because Maryland currently lacks the necessary testing equipment. The external lab follows strict quality control procedures, which contributes to delays.

“Even when we did them in house, they took a while,” Hofstetter noted.

He shared the applicators’ frustration with the prolonged process.

“It’s frustrating for me as well because I don’t have a good reason why it’s late,” Hofstetter said. “I’m at the mercy of the chemist who’s working with the samples.”

The pesticide regulation department handles approximately 35 to 40 investigations each year, a significant decrease from the 180-200 annual cases Hofstetter remembered from his early career decades ago.

While some complaints can be resolved through phone conversations, department policy requires responding to every complaint received, including those from repeat complainants.

“We have a number of complaints where we don’t find anything but we’re there every single time,” he explained. “We have to respond, we can’t just blow it off.”

Once laboratory results are returned, Hofstetter said the investigation undergoes an internal review process before both parties receive the findings.

“Once we have it, our goal is to get it off our desk in 24 hours,” he said.

Rusty Eberspacher indicated that if the investigation concludes with no violation found, he would view any future complaints from the same neighbor as harassment.

“It doesn’t make us look good as farmers,” Rusty said. “The first thing you hear is what you tend to believe.”