Episode 8

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Published on:

23rd Jun 2023

Grasshopper Management with Agronomist Jeannie Rude

Jeannie Rude is an agronomist at PRO Co-op in Northeast Montana. She manages part of the co-op’s business to help growers make decisions, solve agronomic problems, and provide inputs. Overall, Rude works with 13 different crops on an annual basis. She is acutely aware of how much her job and the success of her cooperative hinges on the viability of the farmer customers that they serve. 

“I love what I do because of the complexity. It definitely makes it more challenging. It makes it hard to bring new people into the business because they have to learn so much and it's not something that's in a textbook… I would not do this if it was routine and if it was something that was easy to copy.” - Jeannie Rude

In 2021 Rude discovered that there was limited research on grasshoppers due to the cyclical nature of their impact. She had to make some educated guesses for her clients in order to manage the grasshopper population explosion. Rude discusses grasshopper population thresholds, life cycles, management options and what environmental factors will affect their survival most. 

“There's a hundred species of grasshoppers between you in South Idaho and me and Northeast Montana. There are five that are pests and two that are giving us trouble right now in this area, so there's 98 that don't matter. So there's a ton of grasshoppers in the environment that are harmless….There's a threshold for action and all of those other grasshoppers, they're not part of your action threshold you're looking for.” - Jeannie Rude

This Week on Growing Pulse Crops:

  • Meet Jeannie Rude, an agronomist at PRO Co-op in Northeast Montana
  • Discover the path Rude has taken to becoming the resident expert on grasshoppers for her area
  • Explore what options are available to producers to manage grasshoppers and what weather conditions affect their populations most



Growing Pulse Crops Podcast is hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.



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About the Podcast

Growing Pulse Crops
The science and business of farming field peas, chickpeas, and lentils
This show features the latest in research, agronomy, and economics of pulse crops (peas, chickpeas, lentils, etc.).

Demand for these nutrient-dense, high-protein foods continues to grow. There is also interest from farmers to include more pulses into diverse rotations for benefits like nitrogen fixation and soil health.

But the industry continues to face challenges, and we are eager to address these head on. So if you’re a pulse grower or in any way interested in these important crops, hit subscribe and stay tuned for future episodes. We’ll be back with plenty of information about challenges pulse farmers are facing throughout the U.S. and what solutions are working.

Brought to you by the Pulse Crops Working Group with support from the North Central IPM Center and USDA NIFA.

About your host

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Tim Hammerich

I share stories about agriculture, agtech, and agribusiness on podcasts and radio.