THE vanguard of the biggest locust plague to hit Victoria since 1974 has emerged, with about 70 reports of hatchings across the Mallee during the past few days.

Farmers have reported young locusts emerging from their subterranean nests at Werrimull, Carwarp, Irymple, Sea Lake, Manangatang and Ultima.

Agronomist Matthew Witney, of Dodgshun Medlin, at Swan Hill, said farmers were concerned about emerging locusts and how they would control the pest.

"Everyone's got their chemicals ready," Mr Witney said.

"But monitoring of locust activity is something they need to get their heads around."

While the Department of Primary Industries' locust surveillance map shows a handfulof sightings, the DPI yesterday said there were more than 70 reported hatchings in the north west.

The DPI is asking landholders to report hatchings on its locust hotline on 1300 135 559 or through http://new.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/plague-locusts

Victorian Agriculture Minister Joe Helper said the locust hotline began a seven-day-a-week service on Monday.

The http://www.locustmap.com.au/ website developed by Mallee researcher Ben Jones has the most extensive record of egg beds, with more than 5500 nests logged across Victoria and southern NSW.

In other developments:
*The Department of Primary Industries opened incident control centres at Knoxfield and Mildura to co-ordinate surveillance and control of locusts. Four hundred specially trained staff have begun shifts at the centres.
*Dairy Australia assured international markets the locust plague would not affect the safety or supply of Australia's dairy products.
*Friends of the Earth warned that spraying organophosphate chemicals, such as fenitrothion, chlorpyrifos and fipronil, near waterways or communities could be toxic to humans.
*Premier John Brumby, who yesterday inspected locust eggs at Red Cliffs, said the losses could top $2 billion if locusts were not sprayed.

Tatura Milk Industries milk supply general manager Stuart Brown did not expect the locusts to have an impact on milk production as farmers would have harvested most of their feed before the pests were due to hatch.

But he said there were concerns about contamination from spraying and warned farmers not to spray fodder if it had already been cut because the spray would not break down.

Mr Helper said aerial and ground spraying of locusts was expected within two weeks.

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2010/09/22/236891_latest-news.html

We are now just days away from seeing this season's plague locust threat with our own eyes

VICTORIANS are in the final state of readiness for what could be the state's worst locust plague in the past 75 years.

Ideal breeding conditions for Australian plague locusts late last year and early this year have created a serious threat to agriculture across large parts of the state this spring.

With locust eggs laid across an estimated 2.4 million hectares of public and private land in Victoria, the ensuing plague could rival those of 1934 and the early 1970s in its scale and severity.

That threat is now about to unfold, with locusts beginning to hatch across large parts of northern Victoria.

As a result, farmers are preparing to spray their properties in an attempt to minimise the locust damage both on their own farms and those of others.

Victorian Premier John Brumby said now was the time for farmers to be particularly vigilant in monitoring their land for locust activity.

"Because the best time to spray is between 10 days and two weeks after hatching, it is absolutely critical that farmers are ready to act," Mr Brumby said.

"Only through a concerted effort on the part of Victorian farmers, with all other landholders, will we succeed in minimising the risk of locusts causing widespread damage to the state's agricultural sector this spring."

So serious is the threat posed by locusts this year that an estimated $2 billion in agricultural production is at risk if locusts are untreated.

The locust plague also threatens sporting events and other activities in rural and regional Victoria and could disrupt air and road travel and damage parks and private gardens.

In recognition of the severity of the locust threat, the Victorian Government announced in June a $43.5 million wide-ranging locust management strategy.

Agriculture Minister Joe Helper said the main plank in that strategy was a 100 per cent rebate to farmers to meet the costs of locust -spraying chemicals.

"We made this commitment in recognition of the fact that spraying on private land is pivotal to minimising the threat posed by locusts this spring," Mr Helper said.

"With hatchings in some parts of the state having now begun, it's critical that farmers in affected areas are vigilant and poised ready to begin spraying."

The rebate is also available to the 22 local councils which have been identified as being in the areas of greatest egg bed infestation to help them spray about 25,000ha of council-owned land.

Mr Helper said the Brumby Government had provided $850,000 in funding for local councils to combat locusts in the most affected areas of the state.

Mr Helper said it was the responsibility of individual landowners and local councils to treat locusts on their own land.

"At the same time, government agencies are undertaking large-scale locust treatment across areas of public land where locusts have laid eggs," Mr Helper said.

Victorian Plague Locust Commissioner Gordon Berg said it was important to remember that some damage from locusts was inevitable, both over spring this year and in autumn next year, when the second generation of locusts hatched.

"There will be swarms and there will be damage," Mr Berg said.

"But, with planning and perseverance, we can make a difference by reducing the damage caused by locusts this spring and in autumn next year."

Another key element in the Brumby Government's locust strategy is a $2 million multimedia campaign calling on Victorians to help fight the locust plague.

The " Locust Control Starts at Your Place" campaign began ilast month, targeting print, radio and television media across the state, but with a focus on the areas most at risk.

Mr Brumby said the campaign was vital to raise awareness about the risks posed by locusts this spring.

It also aims to educate landholders about the best time to spray and highlight the importance of reporting locust activity to the Department of Primary Industries.

"Reporting locust activity is crucial to help DPI understand where the locust activity is, so we can target our response in those areas," Mr Brumby said.

"It won't be possible to completely eliminate the locust threat, but by working together we believe we can minimise the risk posed by locusts to Victorian agriculture and rural communities."

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2010/09/22/234901_locusts-news.html

The articles are dated September 20th, September 22nd and September 22nd respectively. Interesting to see how quickly this story builds.

Excellent growing conditions have raised the prospect of the best winter crops ever harvested in NSW, valued at $2.8 billion.

But the looming threat of "biblical" numbers of locusts ravaging an area the size of Spain remains a huge headache for rural communities in three states.

NSW Primary Industries Minister Steve Whan says the "terrific" rain since the start of 2010, including the wettest August in seven years, has slashed the amount of the state in drought from 7.1 per cent in August to 4.2 per cent.

Three-quarters of the state is now enjoying "satisfactory" conditions.

Only part of the far south-east of the state, around Cooma, and an area of New England, in the north, remain in drought, a new state government map shows.

"It's certainly looking at the moment [like] the best crops in over a decade," Mr Whan told reporters in Sydney today.

"With the productivity we get off the land in these sort of situations they could be among the best crops ever."

But locusts could still dash hopes, he said.

Weather conditions during harvest time would also dictate yields.

"We're looking at the worst [locust] plague in 30 years so ... I guess it's biblical proportions when we talk about pests."

It was impossible to eliminate the locusts entirely, Mr Whan added.

But resources including surveillance aircraft and sprays are being deployed to fight them.

The NSW Farmers Association said last week it believed an area the size of Spain, spread across southern Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia, could be affected by the locusts.

Victorian Premier John Brumby said on Thursday the locusts had the potential to interfere with the Melbourne Cup.

"They are very concerned about it," Mr Whan admitted.

The current winter crop in NSW was valued at $2.8 billion, Mr Whan said.

But the locusts had the potential to bring that value down, if not tackled properly.

A one kilometre swarm of locusts could munch its way through 10 tonnes of crop a day, he said.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/water-issues/drought-over-but-here-come-the-locusts-20100917-15frv.html

PILOT Fleur Vaughan is about to go to war in the skies of country NSW against an enemy that is noisy, destructive and six trillion in number.

The former army captain turned gun agriculture pilot is preparing to take off as early as today in a desperate battle to save a $2.8 million winter crop from the worst plague of locusts in 30 years.

"It's scary how easy they are to see from the air when you consider how small they are," Ms Vaughan said yesterday.

"There are just so many of them, the density, and when you think how much they eat and the damage they cause ... I just couldn't believe it the first time I saw them."

The former aerial dispatcher, whose job was to co-ordinate "throwing stuff out of planes", joined the army aged 18 with a single mission - to earn enough money to get her pilot licence.

The 31-year-old has flown more than 2000 hours since becoming a pilot three years ago.

Ms Vaughan, from Rebel Air at Trangie, about 40km west of Dubbo, will run surveillance patrols for locusts in her Cessna 180 along with a spotter from the Livestock Health and Pest Authority (LHPA).

Another 40 planes are on standby as part of the State Government's $18.5 million war against the insects.

"Hopefully we'll win," Ms Vaughan said.

After initial fears of a shortage of the biological agent Green Guard, a Primary Industries spokesman said the Government had enough insecticide to eradicate 600,000ha of locusts - more than five times the amount used last summer.

Farmers will be eligible for free insecticide and hatchings will be sprayed by crews on land or in some cases by air.

When locusts hatch they form bands and, based on conservative estimates of about 1000 hoppers per square metre, Ms Vaughan is our first line of defence against an army of up to six trillion hungry locusts.

After the first band was discovered by a Nyngan farmer two weeks ago, warm weather has sparked an outbreak of hatchings which has farmers fearing that this year's plague will be the worst in three decades.

As of yesterday there were 62 confirmed hatchings but, as soil across much of NSW reaches optimum temperature, that number could double in days.

Hatchings have so far been limited to the Nyngan area and around Brewarrina and Bourke.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw-act/one-fleur-over-the-locust-nest/story-e6freuzi-1225928058414

Surveillance aircraft have captured images of "supersized" bands of locusts in northwestern NSW that are more than three kilometres in length.

NSW Primary Industries Minister Steve Whan has released the footage of the locusts near Walgett, taken during the first aerial surveillance mission of the plague season.

Mr Whan said there were now 102 confirmed locust reports across NSW, with aircraft on Wednesday detecting the insects in 16 locations near Walgett.

"What we've seen from the footage is supersized bands of locusts, more than three kilometres long, eating fodder and crops in northern NSW," Mr Whan told reporters at NSW Parliament on Thursday.

"This has confirmed our prediction that the northwest will be the first front in the battle against the locust plague.

"It's critical that we actually get on top of those locusts and spray them while they're banding, before they actually take off."

Mr Whan said the government would target spraying on the locust bands, saying once the pests took to the wing spraying was much less effective.

The government has devoted $18.5 million to tackling what experts have warned could be the worst plague in 30 years.

Enough insecticide has been stocked to treat half a million hectares, while more than 50 aircraft will be on standby over the spring and summer.

Spraying in the state's northwest would begin in a couple of days, Mr Whan said.

"Locusts emerge from the ground (and) it takes two-and-a-half to three weeks before they start banding together," he said.

"Once they've banded, and they get a bit bigger, they then take to the wing, and that's when you get the swarms in the air.

"(When they're banded) we actually have the opportunity of a couple of weeks to spray them on the ground."

Known egg hatchings exist at Brewarrina, Bourke, Enngonia in the northwest, Nyngan in central NSW, and Wentworth in the southwest of the state, he said.

"It is vitally important that we keep getting the reports in from farmers when we see them hatching," Mr Whan said.

"That's when we know a couple of weeks later to start the surveillance."

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/locust-bands-found-in-northwest-nsw-20100923-15oog.html

whocares.tiff

you can bet the fucking abbos are behind this