The Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA) has been awarded grant to develop a pest-management program to combat corn earworm that is causing millions of dollars of damage to sweet corn production in western Colorado and could potentially damage other crops.

Counting the match amounts from cooperating organizations, the grant totals $351,670. The grant is from Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR).

Researchers Dr. Mickey Eubanks and Patrick O’Neill, led by Adrian Card, statewide produce specialist at Colorado State University Extension, are conducting on-farm trials of two new products along with different insecticides with the potential to control corn earworms below an 8 percent threshold of damage as required by produce buyers. They are also determining if the corn earworms in western Colorado are resistant to some of the newer, currently available insecticides. Results from this work will be immediately communicated to growers, allowing them to make the best decisions about how to fight this pest.

“This FFAR funding and the financial and personnel commitment of all Colorado contributing organizations is vital to quickly find a solution to the financial devastation that western Colorado growers are experiencing,” said Card, who also is a CFVGA founding board member. “Without a solution, these farms will not be able to continue raising sweet corn and may not be able to survive at all. This funding is giving us hope.”

The ongoing corn earworm outbreak has overwhelmed western Colorado growers. In 2024, growers cut production by one-third after losing 52 percent of their crops to corn earworm in 2023, a loss valued at over $2.7 million.

Additionally, corn earworms have recently mated with a closely related species, old world bollworm, causing corn earworm to develop resistance to some insecticides. Over 250 plant species host corn earworms, raising concerns about its potential to damage other crops. The improved insect control tactics in 2024 increased harvested sweet corn on average by 40 percent over 2023. Learn more at coloradoproduce.org.