Grasshopper Damage

The Lincoln Journal Star each Sunday has a feature, This Week in Nebraska History. Recently it included this nugget from 1939, "Farm Security Administration officials reported . . . they expected grasshoppers and drought conditions would prompt several counties to seek an 'emergency' rating." Like 1939, droughts in Nebraska still occur and still make the news. Not so much with grasshoppers. While grasshopper infestations occur, they don't' often make the news. When most Nebraskans think of grasshopper infestations, it's probably of the plagues of the 1800s or early 1900s which come to mind. But according to the American Farm Bureau, grasshopper and insect infestations "remain a persistent risk to agriculture, inflicting significant damage to rangeland and crops."

An analysis by Daniel Munch, an economist with American Farm Bureau, examined the impact of grasshopper infestations on alfalfa crops in western states. Utilizing data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture on alfalfa production and total sales value by state, Munch calculated the difference in production value per county assuming a 6 percent loss in production due to grasshopper infestations. The assumption of a 6 percent loss came from estimates on the loss to alfalfa production in California. Figure 3 shows Munch's estimated state-level losses. In total, production value losses in 2023 were estimated at $318 million. Munch's estimated losses in Nebraska, $27.21 million, put it in the top five states in terms of losses. Lincoln, Custer, and Dawson Counties experienced the largest losses.

Munch believes the true impacts of grasshopper and other insect infestations are likely hundreds of millions of dollars higher. Limited data on infestations and damages make identifying the total economic impact difficult. As such, he argues continued coordinated efforts among the federal and state governments and private landowners are essential to safeguarding the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers.

FIGURE 3. ESTIMATED PRODUCTION LOSS VALUE OF ALFALFA, 2023 ($ MILLIONS)

Source: Daniel Munch, Grasshoppers Eating Into Western Farmers' and Ranchers' Bottom Lines, Market Intel, American Farm Bureau Federation, July 9, 2024.