Released April 3, 2001. Hay producers intend to harvest seven percent more acres in 2001 than in the previous crop year. Producers reported they expect to harvest 63.771 million acres, the second highest since 1966. They expect to harvest 3.917 million acres more than the drought-reduced acres of 2000 when fields were abandoned due to poor growing conditions. Hay will move into third place among major U.S. crops behind corn and soybeans and ahead of wheat.
Armyworms are the larval form of a moth that feed on lawns, wheat and improved pastures.
Sansone said armyworms derived their name by consuming most available foliage in an area and then migrating as a group in search of more foliage. Producers are concerned about how the infestation might affect this year's wheat crop. If there is not any wheat around, they are feeding on grain sorghum fields, hay fields and corn fields. Sansone said the high cost of insecticide is a large economic concern for producers. We don't know how much right now.