ARLINGTON, Ore. (AP) — Farmers in Oregon already battling extreme drought and low water supplies are fighting against future grasshopper and Mormon cricket infestations. Severe outbreaks in recent years, fueled by drier, warmer conditions, wreaked havoc. This season, a new suppression program funded by Oregon lawmakers may help. It’s just one part of a larger effort by state and federal authorities in the U.S. West to deal with an explosion of grasshoppers and Mormon crickets that’s impacting farmers and ranchers from Montana to Nevada. But some environmental groups are opposing the programs, which rely on the aerial spraying of pesticides across large swaths of land.
‘Biblical’ insect swarms spur Oregon push to fight pests
