Grasshoppers Continued from Page 3 unknowns” this season. “We don’t know how many billions of eggs are here from last fall, but we have gotten some water into Tule Lake sump 1-A (in the refuge),” he said. “A lot of the eggs are just on the fringe in the sagebrush around the agricultural fields, and those haven’t been sprayed.”
Last December, Modoc and Siskiyou counties requested a disaster decla- ration from USDA due to grasshopper damage incurred last summer. Modoc County Farm Bureau President Sean Curtis, who works as a planner for Modoc County, said, “In the rest of the states that have grasshopper issues, there’s a program that shares the cost of treatment. California gave it up years ago, and we have not been able to get it back.” Curtis added, “The wildlife refuge is the source where the eggs are laid. This requires environmental analysis before treatment can be done on federal ground.” To get treatment approved, he said officials must conduct a survey as part of their environmental analysis. “We’ve had both Forest Service scien- tists and Cooperative Extension scientists collecting lots of data, but APHIS hasn’t accepted it because they have to do it themselves,” Curtis said. “We’d like to get the cost-share program back, so when pro- ducers do treat, they get some help from the agencies.” Across the border in Oregon, state agri- culture officials have earmarked funds to help battle the infestation and previously reimbursed farmers for the cost of treat- ments. Grasshopper activity has been re- ported in many California counties and 17 Western states. (Kathy Coatney is a reporter in Bend, Oregon. She may be contacted at kacoatney@gmail.com.)
Due to the potential for serious crop damage this year, Snell said, it is import- ant for growers to apply crop protection materials between late May and early June. “Our first suggestion is always to start monitoring early,” she said. “Start counting and looking for small grasshoppers now.” To control grasshoppers and prevent them from laying more eggs, Snell said, farmers should treat grasshoppers ear- ly with insecticides and bait pellets. For questions about treatment options, she suggested farmers contact their local farm advisor or pest control advisor. Without widespread treatments, the grasshopper infestations are expected to continue. Farm advisors and others have request- ed grasshopper treatments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, which oper- ates a suppression program in many states and conducts treatments on federal lands. USDA APHIS often provides a cost-share for treatment of private lands adjacent to federal lands.
Grasshoppers swarm over a Klamath Basin farm field in 2023. Farmers and regional irrigation districts are requesting state and federal assistance in addressing the insect invasion this season.
Those affected have been in commu- nication with the agency since late 2021 regarding the need for grasshopper treat- ments in affected California counties. “We’ve been trying to get help from federal USDA APHIS and even CDFA (California Department of Food and Agriculture) for years, but so far, nothing,” Snell said. Early this month, a coalition of Klamath
Project irrigation districts requested state and federal assistance in addressing the anticipated grasshopper outbreak. “In 2023, grasshoppers like we’ve never seen before hatched from the dry Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge and caused tremendous damage to growers’ crops throughout the region to the tune of tens of millions of dollars and counting,” the letter stated.
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