After the announcement of quagga mussels detected in the Snake River last year and again this September, a coalition of major agricultural commodity organizations voiced their support for the Idaho State Department of Ag’s aggressive treatment plan. The risk to agriculture warrants swift action, they say.
- Quagga mussels were first detected in the Snake River near Twin Falls in September 2023. Within a week ISDA had put in place a plan to treat the river to eradicate the mussels.
- Constant sampling of water bodies in the state has led to the detection, this year, of more larval veligers of the mussel, indicating the presence of adults.
- Given the acute threat a widespread infestation of quagga mussels could have on agriculture in the region, ISDA is responding with an aggressive plan to once again treat the Snake River early this October.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Overnight temperatures are dropping, and for most farmers the harvest has been in high gear for weeks.