Grasshoppers devastating Colorado farmers’ crops and pastures in Yuma County

YUMA, Colo. (KDVR) — Grasshoppers are swarming parts of Eastern Colorado, causing big problems for those farming and ranching.

In Yuma County, between crops and cattle, fourth-generation farmer and rancher David Blach stares at his damaged pastures in disbelief.

“I have been farming and ranching since the early ’80s,” Blach said. “Right now, we’re going through a situation here that I’ve never seen in my lifetime with this many grasshoppers.”

FOX31 saw how grasshoppers are eating through his corn crops and destroying the grass his cattle rely on for grazing.

“This right here is over the last week or 10 days, they have been eating this whole row off,” Blach said. “If they clip the grass to the ground, the cows will soon be getting hungry and either supplemental feeding will have to happen or they probably have to go to town to market, and that’s not what we want to do because that’s how we do make a living.”

Entomology experts say prevention is key and attacking the issue once grasshoppers become fully grown is increasingly more difficult and costly.

“You can have an infestation of, say, 50 grasshoppers per square yard and that could have resulted from just 50 eggs being placed in that square yard, and they have very high survival rate the next spring,” said Scott Schell, University of Wyoming Extension entomology specialist. “In some cases, like if farmers have crop insurance, they’re insured against hail. But often crop insurance doesn’t cover grasshopper damage.”

Blach and other farmers are trying to treat the infestations head-on, but the problem persists.

“Some places we’ve already sprayed three and four times this summer and we haven’t even made it to the 1st of July yet,” Blach said. “It’s just devastating. It really does turn your gut. It’s hard to sleep at night, if you will. We want this to be here for our grandkids and our great-grandkids. So currently we have a big challenge here.”

According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture, Colorado does not have an active program to monitor and support grasshopper or Mormon cricket infestations. Officials say the USDA’s Plant Protection and Quarantine team conducts a survey and, depending on available resources, provides support.

Colorado State University’s Extension also has detailed information on grasshopper control for small acreages and gardens, available here .

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