Sugarcane aphids are spreading with a vengeance, and Texas farmers are trying to get a grip on these pests with minimum damage to their crops.

Texas sorghum farmers 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.

In 2015, 310,000 acres of sorghum were planted in the region with an estimated economic value of $92.3 million.

Their findings indicated farmers suffered $21.87 million in losses for 2014 and $17.53 million in 2015, averaging a total of $19.53 million, according to AgriLife Today.

“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.

The study is supported by the Texas Sorghum Producers Association.

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

The average loss per acre was $62, according to the research.

Farmers who implemented different recommendations for controlling the sugarcane aphid had an average loss of $48 per acre, according to AgriLife Today.

“I think the losses will be very similar to what we saw here in the Valley,” Zapata said in a report from AgriLife Today. “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 methods were to try to control it. We had some success, but it continues to be a major threat to our Texas sorghum industry.”

Zapata noted that even though he anticipates the final statewide study to reveal similar economic losses, they hope that through the economic assessments they can demonstrate how the losses not only affect Texas sorghum farmers, but show how that lost income affects economics in rural communities.

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

Results should be compiled by May.