Lincoln journalstar.com -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 4/16/2004
Last Visited: 4/16/2004
Rich Reiman of Eagle, Neb., knows what a plague grasshoppers can be.
Two summers ago, they swarmed his house along a golf course development, showing no regard for Reiman's position as director of division of plant industry at the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.
"They were so thick, they were eating holes through our screen doors and getting into the house," Reiman said.
He has since replaced the nylon screens on his house with munch-resistant metal mesh screens.The move has kept insects out of his house, but not out of fields, ranches and pastures stretching across the West.
Nebraska and other drought-stricken Western states have been warning of a massive grasshopper infestation since last fall.
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In Nebraska last year, ranchers, the state and federal government each covered a third of the cost of treatment of about 360,000 acres, which ran about $1.95 per acre, or a total of more than $700,000, Reiman said.
But rangeland owners probably will face higher costs as more demand for treatment, higher treatment costs and reduced state government funding for the plan converge this year, Reiman said.
"There could be as many as 2 million acres in Nebraska alone that may need to be treated this year," he said.
Most states will continue a moneysaving application method that treats alternating strips of land and is nearly as effective as blanket coverage, Reiman said.
However, the fiscally-strapped Nebraska state budget allowed only $127,000 for the treatment program this year - about half of last year's appropriation, he said.Rising fuel costs also are likely to drive up application expenses.Rangeland owners have from April 26 through May 14 to sign up for the program, Reiman said.
While some have suggested meting out treatment aid on a first-come, first-service basis, landowners likely will be asked to contribute more money per acre to participate in the program, he said.
"It's a big deal in these states," Reiman said.