This informal report by the Division of Entomology & Plant Pathology is a commentary on insects, diseases, and curiosities division staff encounter on a week-to-week basis. Comments and questions about this report are welcome and can be sent to your respective Inspector.

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Angela Rust (Nursery Inspector & Compliance Officer) - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I’ve included a photo of oleander scale on jostaberry. These are armored scales, see this link for a management guide on scale insects.

I also had a nursery with a small outbreak of white-marked tussock moth (Orgyia leucostigma) caterpillars feeding on some crabapple trees. Early instar caterpillars will skeletonize leaves and as they grow larger they will consume whole sections of them. This moth overwinters in the egg stage and eggs are laid in a mass near cocoons. Outbreaks don’t usually require treatment on deciduous trees. However, since damage occurs quickly, outbreaks on conifers can cause extensive damage and warrant control.

Jared Spokowsky (Nursery Inspetor & Compliance Officer) - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A couple of interesting things to note this week. I happened upon a pair of polyphemus moths mating which is always a treat to see. I also happened upon a fairly heavy patch of a type of midrib leaf gall on shingle oaks.

As I have been reporting, I’m seeing more of the ever-present herbicide damage including oaks, redbud, Kentucky coffee trees, and river birch (only river birch is pictured below to save space). I had several comments and questions about herbicide damage from last week so I would point everyone to this document by Ohio State University explaining the issue.

I also only just spotted my first monarch two weeks ago and last week I found my first monarch caterpillar on some of my swamp milkweed. This past winter was the second lowest overwintering count for monarchs in Mexico. I harp on habitat a lot and many folks I talk with have a hard time wrapping their head around pollinator habitat planting and management. It just so happens that there is a pollinator habitat management workshop coming up on Sept. 24 from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. in Danville. You can sign up for the workshop at this link.  

Recognized for their families’ longstanding commitment to agriculture, 103 Indiana farm families were presented the Hoosier Homestead Award at the Indiana State Fair from Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Don Lamb.

“The Hoosier Homestead ceremony at the Indiana State Fair is a prestigious event for all involved,” said Lt. Gov. Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “It is a true honor to celebrate these families for their work and commitment to bettering Indiana agriculture.”

To be named a Hoosier Homestead, farms must be owned by the same family for more than 100 consecutive years, and consist of 20 acres or more, or produce more than $1,000 in agricultural products per year.

Based on the age of the farm, families are eligible for three different distinctions of the Hoosier Homestead Award. They can receive the Centennial Award for 100 years, Sesquicentennial Award for 150 years or Bicentennial Award for 200 years of ownership.

“Keeping a farm operational for 100 years or more is something these families can take great pride in,” Lamb said. “Each of the awarded family farms continues to adapt and evolve through each new generation on the farm to ensure their success.”

Since the program's inception in 1976, nearly 6,200 families have received the award. Often, a Hoosier Homestead farm is easily recognized because most recipients proudly display their awarded sign on their property.

During the ceremonies, six Indiana farms received the Bicentennial Award for 200 years of continuous ownership: the Thornburg-Caldwell-Slack family from Fayette County, the Hodges family from Morgan County, the Bridges-Royer family from Putnam County, the Dale & Donna Hartwell and Ricky W. Hartwell family from Rush County, the Bass-Rhodes family from Shelby County and the James W. Holmes, Jeffrey W. Holmes, Jason M. Davidson family from Tippecanoe County.

The following list includes the August 2024 Hoosier Homestead Award recipients.

For more information about the Hoosier Homestead Award program, please visit isda.in.gov. Photos from the ceremony are available here.

 Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) announced today that Indiana food banks will receive a combined total of $2 million to support their efforts in feeding Hoosiers in need.

“Food insecure Hoosiers are some of our most vulnerable and I appreciate the general assembly’s support of these individuals and families,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “This funding will go a long way in supporting 11 food banks that provide the necessary nutrition to food pantries and soup kitchens across our state.” 

According to Feeding Indiana’s Hungry (FIH), more than 950,000 Hoosiers, including 1 in 5 children, experienced food insecurity in 2022, the most recent data available. This new data represents a 30% increase in food insecurity over 2021.

“As we have said for nearly four years, our member food banks continue to serve record numbers of Hoosier families. Too many of our neighbors continue to face difficult choices between paying bills and buying groceries. For any Hoosier to be unsure from where their next meal will come is unacceptable,” said Emily Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry. “We’re grateful for the support of the Indiana General Assembly, Lt. Gov. Crouch and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture for providing additional and much needed support to our members to help them serve our Hoosier neighbors and our communities.”

Indiana food pantries and soup kitchens are a subsect of food banks. There are 11 food banks which supply pantries and soup kitchens across the state. Each food bank received part of the $2 million in funding, which supplies community food pantries, kitchens, churches and more. This funding will allow food pantries, soup kitchens and other food distribution centers to receive additional food products from the food bank that serves their location.

ISDA Director Don Lamb is proud to help assist our food banks and pantries that feed Hoosiers.

“Indiana farmers are skilled at growing an abundance of safe, reliable food and food banks and pantries have the necessary resources and skills to distribute large amounts of food to help community members in need,” said Lamb. “We are so thankful for the work food banks, pantries, soup kitchens and others do for their communities in helping food insecure Hoosiers.”

The funding was provided by the Indiana General Assembly, as part of its biennial budget. The distribution amounts were determined using The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TFAP) fair share percentages for Indiana, which captures poverty and unemployment levels in each county.

Carmen Cumberland, Executive Director and CEO of Community Harvest Food Bank in Fort Wayne, is excited to be able to support more families. 

“Community Harvest Food Bank is humbled and thrilled to receive this bountiful grant of $197,800 from the General Assembly and Indiana State Department of Agriculture. This funding comes when our friends and neighbors struggle to afford rent, car payments and basic needs. Inflation’s impact on daily living has left some families choosing between keeping their car or their house, let alone, figuring out how to get food on their tables. These are people with jobs, families, support networks, and resources who the cost of living has simply outpaced," said Cumberland. "Last week, our Saturday Helping Hands distribution reached a record high of 1,622 families seeking food assistance. Food insecurity is not going anywhere soon, and that’s why these funds are greatly significant in lifting those we love and care about in our community.”

The following list includes the food banks are receiving funding for fiscal year 2025:

• Community Harvest Food Bank – $197,800
• Dare to Care Food Bank – $75,200
• Food Bank of Northern Indiana – $233,600
• Food Bank of Northwest Indiana – $198,800
• Food Finders Food Bank, Inc. – $195,800
• FreeStore Foodbank– $16,000
• Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc. – $693,200
• Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Inc. – $80,000
• Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central IN, Inc. – $155,200
• Terre Haute Catholic Charities Foodbank, Inc. – $89,200
• Tri-State Food Bank, Inc. – $119,200

Visit isda.in.gov to learn more about the Indiana State Department of Agriculture Department. Visit feedingindianashungry.org to learn more about Feeding Indiana’s Hungry.