Grasshoppers, Flea Beetles Causing Concern For Farmers

Farmers are continuing to deal with grasshoppers.

 

John Gavloski is an entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture & Resource Development.

 

"What is happening this time of year is some of their preferred food that they feed on, they like things that are lush and green, things like your cereal crops, a lot of your roadside vegetation, when that's being harvested or cut or just maturing, it gets them moving and they will move into things such as canola, soybeans, things that they will feed on but often not the preferred choice and with those crops we often caution people, just watch for potential edge effects. Sometimes, it's not something that you need to spray for, other times you might want to be doing the edges if they're moving in from other crops."

 

Gavloski notes some farmers are also seeing high levels of flea beetles in canola.

 

"They're coming out now as fall adults. They will feed for a while before they go into their overwintering site...Right now it's mainly crucifer flea beetle that we're seeing a lot of and they're quite abundant in some fields."

 

Video: Spring Planting Prep Just Got Serious… We NEED This!

Getting closer to planting season means one thing… it’s time to get EVERYTHING ready.

Today didn’t go exactly as planned—we thought we’d be hauling potatoes again, but instead we spent the day digging equipment out of the cellar, hooking up the grain drill, and getting tractors ready to roll. With wheat planting just around the corner, every piece of equipment matters.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a normal day without a few problems… dead batteries, hydraulic issues, and a truck tire that absolutely refused to cooperate. We tried everything—jump packs, bead bazooka, ratchet straps… and eventually had to bring out the “big guns” just to get things moving again.

But that’s farm life—adapt, fix, and keep moving forward.

We’re getting close to go-time. Wheat seed is coming soon, and planting season is right around the corner