Area farmers harried by hoppers

A summer of rain has mostly been met with welcome arms across eastern New Mexico. But the moisture has also brought unwelcome pests.

Carlos Paiz, who owns Bonita Vista Farms in Portales, said it has been several years since he has seen grasshoppers as bad as they are this year.

“They are out of control this year,” he said. “I had two circles of alfalfa, and they ate one completely.”

Paiz said he has sprayed the bugs, but hasn’t really seen much of a change.

“I can spray my 20 acres, but if there are 100 around me that are not tended to, the grasshoppers just move over to mine, so that makes them hard to control,” he said.

Rick Ledbetter, owner of Z-7 Farms in Portales, said the hoppers are hearty.

“You can get rid of them today, and a new crop will show up again pretty quick,” he said.

Ledbetter said the grasshoppers have mostly been working on his peppers, “but we are also seeing a little damage in the cotton,” he said. “We’re not seeing enough damage yet to spray, but there’s no doubt they’re getting to the cotton and corn.”

Manuel Varela, professor of biology at Eastern New Mexico University, said grasshoppers are getting into his garden that includes green beans, radishes and tomatoes.

Robert Elliott, professor of aviation science at ENMU, said he feels like he has never seen the rain or the grasshoppers as plentiful as this year in the area.

“Any time I would walk into my yard, there would be so many of them jumping all over me,” he said.

Elliott said the grasshoppers were destroying his peach trees.

“They would eat the peaches right down to the seed,” he said.

Staff Writer Rae Arnett contributed to this report.