The Dakotan:
This is Ag Issues with Neil Roberts.
Neil Roberts:
Welcome to another edition of Ag Issues. Our guest today is industry crop protection specialist T.J. Prochaska from the North Central Research Center and T.J.. Let's get an outlook on grasshoppers today. First, a look back I guess at 2021.
TJ Prochaska:
Right to 2021 was kind of a mindblowing year and it came to grasshoppers on a normal given year. You'd expect grasshopper emergence to really be the second half of April into the month of May last year is anything but normal. 70 degree weather already in March really triggered some of those populations. About a month early I know phone calls both to my office and the extension entomology office were pretty extensive.
TJ Prochaska:
A year ago a lot of the rangeland grasshoppers caught many growers off guard a few weeks early. However, it's many of the crop species that emerge into the month of May that are really the trigger points for 2021.
Neil Roberts:
All right. Good stuff, T.J. And we'll take a look ahead to 2022 when we come back.
The Dakotan:
You're listening to Ag Issues with Neil Roberts on the Dakotan Network.
Neil Roberts:
Talking Grasshoppers with T.J. Prochaska today on Ag Issues. And T.J., what's the outlook for 2022.
TJ Prochaska:
The outlook for grasshoppers for 2022 is a little bit of a question mark really it's weather dependent. I do think we'll have an increase of grasshopper populations compared to the normal but it'll stop may be reduced from what we saw a year ago. A lot of that is really probably based on the current conditions we've seen as we approach the 1st of April one.
TJ Prochaska:
We haven't been as warm as we were a year ago. We've been a little bit cooler. And really until temps get into the mid-fifties, we probably won't see a lot of grasshopper movement to we're a little bit wetter per se. Of course, we're not out of the drought by any means to the imagination, but some of the standing water in that movement really is hindering some of that grasshopper movement throughout the area.
Neil Roberts:
Good stuff, as always, T.J., thanks. And that concludes this edition. If you miss one, check us on the website, agissues.com. Until next time, I'm Neil Roberts.
