Agriculture

Published: 2020
By Mary Rumph

And what a year it has been… Drought, grasshoppers and the coronavirus defined life in Powder River County in 2020. The drought came first in early spring and continues; the grasshoppers arrived in late June and left (after laying eggs) in mid-August; COVID-19 hit locally in early fall and continues. Oh, we can’t forget range fires…fifty thousand acres were burned, further reducing valuable forage for livestock. It was a tough, tough summer. Seventy-five percent of the ranchers sold calves or lambs 4-6 weeks early with calves weighing 100 pounds less than normal. Breeding stock was culled at a much higher rate than usual to prevent purchasing hay for the winter. How many different types of grasshopper controls are there? Chickens, turkeys, insecticides, and nosema bait were just a few of the controls used to keep the grasshoppers from eating everything. Rumph organized grasshopper control programs featuring Gary Adams, from USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), who provided information about the pest and components of a widespread control program for summer of 2021. Twenty-six landowners attended the two programs. Several additional producers have expressed interest. Extension will follow up with landowner agreement forms and assist interested landowners in organizing community efforts for future grasshopper control. Forage tested for nitrate Fifty-eight nitrate tests were conducted for thirty-four producers. Five percent contained nitrate at levels requiring limited feeding. This knowledge will help ranchers plan for winter feeding rations and prevent nitrate poisoning in livestock.