Dangerous pests eating OK corn crops, causing financial loss to local farmers

MCLOUD, Okla. (KFOR) — For the first ever, the Corn Leafhopper now calls Oklahoma home.

Jacob Nowakowski says he noticed something was off with his crops in June.

His farm is a typical hot spot every summer.

“It’s just this terrible, terrible situation we have,” says Nowakowski.

The insect causes what’s called Corn Stunt Disease.

“It’s infected and puts an infection in the plant, making it sick so it won’t put out the energy. It’s fighting itself and it’s not putting any energy into the crop,” Nowakowski said.

Dr. Ashleigh Faris is an Entomologist at Oklahoma State University who says the insects are coming from Latin America.

“There’s actually a few different reasons as to why it could finally be reaching Oklahoma, the first being that of the wind aided travel,” Dr. Faris said. “There could be other reasons, too. We might possibly attribute it to some of these warming temperatures.”

Nowakowski says he had to start his harvest earlier than normal, but stunt disease still caused them financial loss.

“If we didn’t know it was out there and it was worse, it could have got the whole corn crop and made it, you know, be a catastrophe really,” Nowakowski said.

Dr. Faris says she and her team are looking at possible chemical control options which may be available to farmers in the future.

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