By Mindy Ward
Farm Progress
Reports of the fall armyworm date back to the 1700s. At that time, U.S. newspapers were reporting widespread outbreaks as these pests aptly lived up to their namesake — marching across fields by the hundreds of thousands, devouring plants and leaving devastation in their wake.
In 2021, the pest once again showed its might, reaching the largest population in 30 years and stretching across the U.S. from the Southeast and Northeast into the Midwest.