Drought Severity Map
According to the Weather Channel, Drought triggers grasshopper boom. ... "Their numbers swelled by the drought, grasshoppers and Mormon crickets are ravaging crops and pastures across the West in what could be the biggest such infestation since World War II."They're even eating the paint off some of the houses," said Nebraska farmer Robert Larsen, who raises alfalfa, corn, soybeans and cattle on 1,600 acres where thousands upon thousands grasshoppers jump out of the way as he walks by in what looks like the parting of the sea." The winter was unusually mild, as evidenced by the strange winter long flooding in the corn belt (flooding continuing right through the coldest month of the year, January, and then on into the spring). This allowed the locust eggs to survive, and the drought has reduced the number of predators such as birds and rodents, allowing the grasshoppers to thrive.In Nebraska grasshoppers have reached up to one hundred per square foot, as compared to two or three in a typical year, and up to 200 per square foot invaded Colorado, reaching numbers up to one million per square acre. The outbreaks have been reported in most states west of the Mississippi. It's been called the worst infestation ever, with even farmers in their 60s and 70s claiming to have never seen anything like it. Worse yet the grasshoppers are still in their juvenile stage, and apparently once they become winged adults towards the end of July they become voracious eaters. The infestation is not limited to the western states but has also become a plague in the Canadian West, where farmers are also battling drought, and now an invasion of grasshoppers.
In the meantime, a warm, dry June has caused the severe drought to spread in the West. Over half of the United States is suffering from drought, with almost one third of the nation suffering from severe or extreme drought. The severe drought has spread rapidly since earlier this spring and seems to have engulfed almost all the mountain forests and is moving eastward on the plains.
The extent of the severe drought on May 11, 2002, for comparison purposes
The drought monitor graphic for July 5th, 2002
Alberta in Western Canada also unveiled a drought relief package. ... "It's clear, (the agriculture ministers) says, the existing farm insurance packages are not enough as farmers face drought and now an unprecedented invasion of grasshoppers.We're estimating that a good 70 per cent to 75 per cent of our province is in a record dry state.Over half of our municipalities have declared drought disaster areas or are on drought alert." Apparently groundwater has been impacted with wells being drilled twice as deep as was the case previously before hitting water. Cattle are being sold off at low prices, and grasshoppers are also damaging the pastures and devouring whatever crops managed to grow earlier in the year.
Meanwhile the bad weather has caused a futures rally as corn and soy bean futures have begun to climb as it is reported that drought is hitting the harvest in the critical pollination period, making it likely that the harvest will be impacted this year. Wheat futures also rallied on the bad news of of declining spring wheat ratings. Oats futures also began rising, however because of the large sell off of livestock, and the resulting lower prices coming for beef products and pork, both beef and pork futures declined on the news.
Corn, soybean, and other crops are not only ruined in the east, but are also being impacted in the central corn belt states, such as Michigan, where apparently some residents are balking at recent discussions of water conservation measures, demanding proof that the drought has really caused a shortage in the state, which previously had spared the effects of drought (seeming to have led to some skeptism and disbelief, according to some reports I have heard). Pasture lands are also ruined causing large sell offs of livestock herds in both the Canadian and American west, which means temporary lower beef prices, followed by rising prices later. After being ravaged by drought, now the pastures are being devoured by locusts, and now their is talk of infestations of blister beetles, which burn the throats and stomachs of animals who eat them while trying to graze. Apparently the impact on the size of the herds would take years to replace, assuming that the drought ended and pastures regenerated.
As would be expected the fire situation is also worse than in a typical year, with 50 large fires currently burning, and the total acres burned well ahead of double the ten year average. Just recently clouds have begun to move into these areas, bringing dry thunderstorms and lightening, which can only make the fire situation even more dangerous than it already is...
Other stories about the plague of Locusts, from links that others have posted on the Indymedia sites...
Alaska hit with a plague of Locusts ... from the Anchorage daily news. "Grasshoppers dining on fields in Matanuska Valley ... "I told my wife, 'I got to go out to the back shed and cut that grass.' The next day she looked out and said, 'You don't have to cut the grass. It's bare ground.'" Grasshoppers had eaten it down to the dirt, Tracy said. They also ate all the strawberries, half the lettuce and about two-thirds of the squash from his garden."
Pestilence is upon us, the grasshopper from the Rocky Mountain News. "There has been drought, fire, lightning and thunderstorms with the threat of flooding in Colorado this year.So what other forms of pestilence can befall us?Well, locusts for one."
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