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2010-03-Siwan-News

 

Jun 1, 2010 Something is Killing Vegetation in the Delta South

 

Memphis Channel 3 (wreg.com) had this by Shaun Chaiyabhat on Mystery Crop Damage Threatens Hundreds Of Acres:  “A mystery is unfolding across MidSouth farms.  Something is killing crops, trees, even weeds and nobody can explain why.  Farmers are scratching their heads and some are worried their crops may be lost to the mysterious plague.  It's happening along a large swath of land near the Shelby and Tipton county border along Herring Hill Road and elsewhere near the Mississippi River bottoms.  Tiny dots appear to have burned onto leaves of all types of plants, and they appear different depending on the plant.  On corn stalks, the dots seem to turn white in the center.  On other plants, a white dust speckles the leaves and then destroys the green life underneath.  ‘We found it all in the herbs, in the flowers, in the plum tree, in the weeds,’ said organic farmer Toni Holt. ‘It's apparently in everything.’  Holt grows organic produce that she sells at area farmers' markets.

 “As she and other farmers inspect the new growth covered in the perplexing plague, they fear their entire crop may be lost.  Less than ten miles from Holt's crops, the damage could possibly hit hundreds of acres of corn at Wilder Farms.  It appears to have hit everything in its path.  There does not seem to be anything in common with the affected plants.  The Holts raise organic crops, so they don't spray pesticides on any of their fruits and vegetables.  The first thought among some was a new parasite or insect caused the damage, but Wilder farms sprays pesticides and the damage there is exactly the same.  Farmers first noticed the damaging dots over the weekend.  Then Holt came home to find baby birds dead in their nests.  ‘There are two dead birds hanging out of two different bird houses, so we're concerned about that. We don't know if it's related, but it's alarming," said Holt. ‘We've got horses, we're concerned about the horses on the grass. We've got chickens. We sell our eggs at the market.’  Farmers we spoke with are convinced something in the air caused this damage.  They're asking the USDA and other experts to look into the problem, and so are we.”

 

Comment:  This is not the only report I have seen about dying vegetation along the Delta South.  There have several reports of dying trees, grass, etc.  

 

Jun 2, 2010 A Big Grasshopper Plague Threatens the US West this Year,  

 

Tehrantimes.com had this on West poised for worst grasshopper outbreak in 30 years:  “A dramatic rise in the number of grasshoppers was found during a survey of the western states conducted last year, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). And while that may seem bad enough on its own, it's really the grasshoppers' kids that are the threat.  If last summer's adults were successful during mating season, then the worst grasshopper infestation in 30 years could strike ranches and agricultural land in the Great Plains states between late July and early August, said Roeland Elliston of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Fort Collins, Colo., who worked on the survey. 

 

“Ecologist David Branson who was not involved with the study but specializes in grasshopper management with the USDA in Sidney, Mont., agreed.  Pacific Northwest states such as Washington are also facing their worst grasshopper infestation in 30 years, said entomologist Richard Zach of Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., who was not involved in the survey.  The USDA survey included the number of adult grasshoppers from late spring to early fall in 2009. Based on those numbers, and favorable reproductive conditions such as the mild winter this year, researchers identified areas at risk of a grasshopper infestation, including states in the Great Plains and the Pacific Northwest. 

 

“Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska - states with typically high numbers of grasshoppers due to the large expanses of open range land there - are already seeing more than eight grasshoppers per square yard. That's like walking through a field and having eight grasshoppers fly in your face with every step, Zach said.  The problem is spreading to Pacific Northwest states not used to dealing with grasshopper outbreaks. In Washington, 451,000 acres of land had a grasshopper density higher than eight grasshoppers per square yard in 2009, up from 67,000 acres in 2006, Zach said. Across the 17 western states, adult grasshoppers blanketed 115 million acres at densities between eight and 15 grasshoppers per square yard, according to the USDA report.  The potential economic impact is uncertain, but federal agencies and researchers are advising farmers and ranchers to keep a watchful eye on grasshopper numbers and be ready to spray their land with pesticides if an outbreak hits. 

 

“The most troublesome species across the western states are the clear-winged grasshopper and the migratory grasshopper. These species could team up with another plant pest, the Mormon Cricket, to ravage natural grasses and plants. The Mormon Cricket is actually not a cricket at all, but is a close relative known as a shield-backed katydid.  Smaller grasshopper infestations have hit in recent years. Swarms of grasshoppers devastated over 7,000 acres of grassland in southeastern Oregon's high desert last summer. However, they normally strike open rangeland, which is not as valuable as farmland.  ‘They eat anything that's green. If they're hungry enough they'll even chew into the shoots,’ Zach told LiveScience, referring to the two troublesome species.  Most ranchers won't spray pesticides until grasshopper numbers reach 15 per square yard, because it isn't cost-effective on their sprawling ranches, Elliston said. 

 

“When grasshoppers run out of food, they will fly away and can get caught in wind currents and journey between 30 to 50 miles (48 to 81 kilometers) in search of food. Mormon Crickets cannot fly, but they can march across rangeland.  ‘If you have major outbreaks, as the rangeland dries up you'll get them moving into adjacent crop fields, which is also a major problem,’ Branson said.  The general public shouldn't worry about the outbreak, Zach said. People may notice a few more grasshoppers in their gardens, but unless their house is on the edge of rangeland, where grasshoppers prefer to feast, the outbreak won't be a serious problem for them.”

 

Comment:  if this thing develops, it could mean a huge crop loss this year. 

 

Jun 11, 2010 A Locust Plague Could be in the Making in Australia

 

Bloomberg of had a report by Wendy Pugh on Worst Locust Plague in Two Decades Threatens Australian Harvest which said that the worst locust plague in more than two decades was threatening to strike Australia, the world’s fourth-largest wheat exporter, after rainfall boosted egg-laying by the insects in major crop growing regions.  The story said that widespread egg-laying across south- eastern Australia has set the scene for the biggest hatching for at least 25 years.  Locusts are expected to hatch from August to October in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia states.  They are said to be of the same order of insects as grasshoppers.  

The report added that “Problems during planting had alerted authorities and farmers to the potential size of the spring hatching and increased the chance that damage would be contained, Rabobank Sydney-based agricultural commodities analyst Wayne Gordon said.  ‘The potential for that problem in the springtime has been recognized and we are fairly confident the authorities will get that under control as they have done in the past,’ he said by phone.”  Australian wheat forecasts for about 20 to 22 million tons, depending largely on the weather.

 Comment:  As done heretofore, the Australians hope to contain the outbreak this year by heavy spraying of pesticides.  Will it work this year as in the past?  Could this be the making of Amos 4:10?