Texas sorghum producers are urged to take part in a survey that will help Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economists compile data on the economic losses caused by sugarcane aphids statewide.

The study is supported by the Texas Sorghum Producers Association.

“The purpose of this research is to estimate the economic impact of the sugarcane aphid outbreak on Texas’ sorghum industry and the economy,” said Dr. Samuel Zapata, AgriLife Extension economist in Weslaco.

Producer participation is voluntary and anonymous. The survey is available at http://bit.ly/scasurvey.

A statewide assessment will build on work done by Zapata and fellow AgriLife Extension economists who have conducted economic assessment studies in sorghum grown in the Rio Grande Valley.

In 2015, farmers in the region planted 310,000 acres of sorghum with an estimated economic value of $92.3 million. Findings indicated farmers incurred $21.87 million in losses for 2014 and $17.53 million in 2015 for an average of $19.53 million.

SIGNIFICANT LOSSES

The average loss per acre was $62, according to the research. For farmers who implemented various recommendations for controlling the sugarcane aphid once infested in Rio Grande Valley, that was estimated at $48 an acre.

The Rio Grande Valley study was recently presented as part of poster abstracts at the Texas Plant Protection Association Conference in Bryan.

Related:Here’s how to manage sugarcane aphids economically

Zapata anticipates the final statewide study to reveal similar economic losses.

“I think the losses will be very similar to what we saw here in the Valley,” he said. “When the sugarcane aphid first came to the area in 2014, no one knew how to control it. It took that first year to explore what the best [control] methods were. We had some success, but it continues to be a major threat to our Texas sorghum industry. We hope through these economic assessments we can demonstrate how the losses not only affect Texas sorghum producers, but show economic losses with regards to jobs and how that lost income affects economics in rural communities.”

Results should be compiled by May, Zapata said.

For more information about the survey or further questions, contact Zapata at 956-968-5581 or [email protected] .