The army worm invasion may not stop at farms.

Army worms swept into Jefferson County just over two weeks ago, and have struck fields at more than three dozen local farms.

The worms - one to two inches in length - eat grasses, parts of corn and hay. They can turn green fields brown in short order. (See our story from earlier this week here.)

And Friday, an expert on farms from Cornell Cooperative Extenson warned 'some homeowners and golf courses may be impacted as well,' according to a statement issued by county agriculture coordinator Jay Matteson.

The statement quotes comments from Mike Hunter, an agronomist with Cooperative Extension.

Hunter notes the invasion is more severe than expected and army worms can now be found across Jefferson County.

'Crop damage is expected to expand into the hundreds of thousands of dollars range,' according to the statement.

Hunter also notes the spray used to treat army worms is in short supply.

Hunter wll appear on the 'Home Grown Show' on WTNY radio at 6:30 a.m. Saturday to discuss the outbreak in detail.

The full statement from Matteson follows.

Tune in to The Home Grown Show Saturday June 16, 2012 from 6am to 7am on AM 790 WTNY as we interview Mike Hunter, Agronomist from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County about the Army Worm invasion in Jefferson County. Mike will join us at 6:30am in the studio to discuss the severity of the army worm invasion. The show will be available on the internet on
Monday after 7:30pm at www.790wtny.com

According to Mr. Mike Hunter, Agronomist from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, the Army worm invasion is more severe than originally expected. Army worms are now being found throughout Jefferson County and crop damage is expected to expand into the hundreds of
thousands of dollars range. It is possible some homeowners and golf courses may be impacted as well, where they are located close to hay or corn fields. Mr. Hunter indicated that he is finding Army worm larvae in all sectors of Jefferson County now. He said that he is finding very small
larvae which may be harder to treat initially above threshold levels which require treatment.

Mr. Hunter noted that he is very concerned not only for our dairy farms throughout the County but also for our beef and mulch hay producers. Hundreds of acres of land are used to produce mulch hay and the profit margins on that hay are slim enough to where spraying for army worms may
cost more than the profit margin for the hay will allow. Hunter also indicated that spray used to treat the army worms is in short supply, causing further problems in battling the insect.

If a farmer does not know how to identify army worms in their fields or needs management advice, they are encouraged to contact Mike Hunter during the weekdays at (315) 788-8450, on his cell phone at 315-778-8602 or by email at meh27@cornell.edu. The small larvae of the army worm can be hard to detect until they grow larger and start damaging crops. This is a small worm with a large appetite. Additional waves of Army worms adults may spread into Jefferson County from western New York over the next few weeks.