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Klamath County approves committee’s revised formula for grasshopper and Mormon cricket grants
Summary
The Klamath County Board approved grant recommendations that use a committee-developed per‑acre formula and a 75% reimbursement rate to distribute limited pest-mitigation funds after debate over eligibility for expensive equipment such as bug vacuums.
Commissioner Minty and the Klamath County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the grasshopper and Mormon cricket funding recommendations put forward by a county committee on Feb. 17.
A committee representative told the board the 2026 USDA outlook for grasshopper and Mormon cricket remains a concern and that state funding for the program is currently zero. He said the committee faced a recent, high-cost reimbursement request "for equipment" — "almost $200,000 in reimbursement for equipment for a, an organic farm operation" — and spent two meetings developing a fair approach to handle such requests going forward.
The committee settled on an approach that largely preserves a 75% reimbursement rate for documented invoices, consistent with statewide practice. For applicants who self-treated or purchased equipment, the committee developed a formula to calculate an "allowable per-acre" cost based on products used, bulk purchase price and acres treated; reimbursement is 75% of that calculated allowable rate. The committee also recommended two flat equipment rates (one for bug vacuums, one for sprayers) to simplify administration.
The representative said the applicant pool this year was smaller than last year, which he attributed to an effective treatment effort last season and a wet winter, and that the county will likely carry nearly $50,000 into the next fiscal cycle if the state does not provide funding. He also said the committee confirmed that, contrary to last year, the county may now pay prior-season recipients out of this year's funds if documentation is provided.
Commissioner Minty expressed support for the committee's equity-focused approach, saying, "I like the equity." The board approved the committee's recommended allocations by voice vote.
The committee recorded a conflict-management step: some vendors of bug-vacuum equipment participated in discussions to explain costs but recused themselves from decisions affecting their own applications, the representative said.
What happens next: staff will supply commissioners with the committee's spreadsheet and calculation summary by email or print so they can review the detailed per‑applicant calculations. The committee’s approach establishes an administrative framework for allocating limited local funds in case state support remains unavailable.
Sources: Verbatim statements and motions recorded in the Klamath County Board of Commissioners administrative meeting transcript, Feb. 17, 2026.
