From The Daily News – June 15, 2012
Farmers whose crops suffer damage from the onslaught of armyworms marching across the state will be able to file weather-related disaster reports for the damage, Rep. Kathy Hochul, D-Amherst, said Thursday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Services Agency is qualifying the damage as weather-related because the armyworms have arrived earlier than expected and in an unprecedented number due to the unseasonable warm weather this spring.
“This is an important step toward the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets declaring the armyworms infestation a disaster, allowing farmers whose crops have been devastated access to low-interest emergency loans to help in the recovery,” Hochul said in a news release. “I urge farmers that have been affected by armyworms to contact their local Farm Services Agency and report their loss immediately.”
Armyworms, a small black and brown caterpillar, got their name because they can move in a mass, marching in lines from one destroyed field to their next feeding ground. They have been found in New York in small grains, corn, mixed stands of alfalfa, turf grass, grass and hay fields, but have also been known to also infest various vegetables, fruits, legumes, and weeds, including beans, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, onions and peas. Once the armyworms have exhausted a food supply, they migrate as an “army” to new host plants nearby.
Often armyworms are not detected until they have caused significant damage — which can happen in less than 24 hours. Armyworms prefer to feed at night, eating leaves and occasionally stems that cause severe damage to seeding stands.
Farmers should report their losses to their county Farm Services Administration to begin documenting the extent of the damage. If the FSA can document a countywide loss of 30 percent or greater for a single crop, they can then submit their data to NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets for a potential disaster declaration — allowing access to low-interest emergency loans.
New York’s last significant armyworm infestation was in 2008 and prior to that 2001. By some accounts, this year’s infestation is worse. The moth overwinters in the South and in some years, flies up to New York laying eggs that hatch into worm-like caterpillars. It is a migratory pest and the unusual spring weather may be partly responsible for this infestation.
In their early stages, armyworm larvae appear smooth, cylindrical in shape and are pale green to brownish. Mature larvae are smooth and marked with two orange, white-bordered strips on each side. True armyworm ranges in size from 1/8 inch to 1.5 inches long. When the worms become adults, they pupate into moths like caterpillars and seek grassy fields to lay their eggs. It takes about a week for the eggs to hatch and three weeks for the worms to grow into adults.
The armyworms have been on a feeding frenzy for about two weeks, and another wave could appear next month, said Keith Waldron, a coordinator for the state’s Integrated Pest Management program.
Help to combat armyworms
The U.S.D.A Farm Service Agency has offices in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties.
GENESEE: Batavia Service Center, 29 Liberty St., Batavia; (585) 343-9167.
ORLEANS: Albion Service Center, 446 West Ave., Albion; (585) 589-5320.
WYOMING: Warsaw Service Center, 31 Duncan St., Warsaw; (585) 786-3118.
Information is also available from your local Cornell Cooperative Extension.
GENESEE: 420 East Main St., Batavia; (585) 343-3040; http://cce.cornell.edu/genesee .
ORLEANS: 12690 Route 31, Albion; (585) 798-4265; http://cce.cornell.edu/orleans .
WYOMING: 401 North Main St., Warsaw; (585) 786-2251; http://cce.cornell.edu/wyoming .
