Grasshoppers can cause considerable damage to crops. (CBC File)

Drier than normal weather has unleashed grasshopper infestations in several areas of Saskatchewan, leading to significant crop damage, the provincial Agriculture Ministry says in its latest update.

The report, released Thursday and current to Aug. 3, notes that insects, especially grasshoppers but also wheat midges and pea aphids, are causing the majority of crop damage provincewide.

"Sometimes when you are walking you can barely get through the grass because the grasshoppers are so thick jumping up at you," Nisse Nostbakken, who farms in the Aneroid area of the province, about 280 kilometres west of Regina, told CBC News.

The grasshoppers have taken advantage of the unusually dry weather, said Grant McLean, a spokesman for the Agriculture Ministry.

"They've had four or five years of very dry conditions, which is ideal for reproduction," McLean explained. He added that a long fall, in 2008, set the stage for this summer. "They had a long open fall and were able to lay lots of eggs."

McLean said that, while the insects are causing some damage, especially in southern parts of the province, this is not the worst year ever for grasshoppers.

The crop report notes that farmers have been busy with haying activities and preparing for harvest.

The report says heat and rain are what most growers are looking for, to help mature their crops.