APHIS grasshopper suppression program materializes

Planes in the Air: When asked the first of June what I thought the chances were of the APHIS grasshopper treatment program happening, my response was "10%." On Tuesday, June 22nd, I heard the first plane flying west of Biddle. The next day, I saw a plane returning to the airport at Broadus which I followed in to take a closer look. In speaking with Taelor Anderson and Hannah Lewis, our local Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine (APHIS) representatives, I learned that nearly 24,000 acres had been sprayed the first day, with wind shutting the pilots down in the afternoon; and a lack of fuel preventing an evening application.

The fuel was delivered by 11 pm, and Colton Timmons, with Crop Dusters, LLC, was up until 1:30 am off-loading the fuel and fueling planes, which took to the air by 4:45 am. One of the three planes had returned to the airport after spraying its first load by 7:30 am. On the second day, temperatures were predicted to be in the high 90's, which can create too much turbulence for safe flying.

I had hoped the planes would have started spraying a week earlier, but according to the grasshopper scouts, it wasn't until recently that numbers reached the economic threshold for treatment. In some areas, densities were still low, delaying action. Hannah assured me that any treatment applied now will be effective until mid-July. Like many ranchers, I have found grasshopper numbers spotty with some areas heavily infested and others, just a few.

It is gratifying to see the planes flying after ten months of preparation. My hope was that a suppression program would not be needed. Weather conditions, I had hoped, would prevail in favor of ranchers. The place I wanted to avoid was not having any answers when producers called in mid-June with a devastating number of grasshoppers and no help in suppressing the population. It has been a roller coaster ride with so many moving parts; including funding (or potential lack of), grasshopper populations, treatment blocks, contractors and above all else, drought.

One producer said, "we can't do anything about the drought, but we can do something about the grasshoppers." Another said, "I'm treating for next year, hoping to disrupt the cycle." A third said, "I'm just trying to make it through the summer...it was a hard choice on whether to spend the money on treating grasshoppers or to save it for purchasing hay...if I can find any!"

Boots on the Ground: I have gained a huge appreciation for the Montana APHIS team. Taelor O. Anderson has become a household name in the past few weeks. She is unflappable. Ranchers calling in to sign up for the program while planes are in the air; ranchers choosing not to participate (sometimes in the middle of a blocked-up area) the day before the planes are in the air. She responds with understanding and calm and makes the necessary adjustments.

"It is a difficult decision for cooperators to make," said Anderson. "I get that. There are so many variables that go into that decision, and the variables are constantly changing," she added.

When asked how she and Hannah endured, they responded, "with humor". When the planes are grounded, they take a break from the heat, not the job. Their work continues in the backroom of the Extension Office where at least, for a few hours of the day, they can cool off in an air- conditioned space.

Behind the Scenes: The biggest hurdle I've helped ranchers overcome has been completing the paperwork to acquire the electronic maps needed to 'build a block'. Through a convoluted effort involving the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Geographic Information System (GIS) specialists for both FSA and APHIS, shapefiles have been created to define areas of treatment. Taelor then follows up with each producer to make sure the shapefile maps represent the area for treatment. Mindy Schaad, (GIS specialist) based in Cheyenne, Wyoming, receives, demystifies, and electronically shares the maps with Taelor, going over in excruciating detail exclusions and inclusions. In addition to the treatment programs in Powder River and Carter counties, the APHIS crew is planning blocks for treatment in Big Horn and Phillips County.

Behind the scenes and working on a much larger scale is Gary Adams, Director of the Montana APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ), and other directors across the US to provide information to stakeholders of every kind. I was surprised to learn of opposition to the grasshopper suppression program by the Xerces Society in general, but certainly on public lands. I gained a much greater appreciation for the political climate Adams was navigating; however, always advocating for agriculture and focused on the need to protect vegetation as requested by landowners. Sticky business, to say the least.

How long will it take? That question is much like asking how long it will take to hay in a normal year...it depends...on the weather, equipment, personnel, fuel availability, etc.! On a positive note the APHIS crew is sticking around until the job is done...however long it takes.