Funding Supports Local Projects to Protect Agriculture and Plants from Pests and Diseases

Funding Supports Local Projects to Protect Agriculture and Plants from Pests and Diseases

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating $3.39 million to Washington State from Section 10007 of the 2014 Farm Bill as part of its effort to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation, and to safeguard the nursery production system. Overall, USDA is providing nearly $70 million in funding this year that will support 494 projects across the country.

“We are pleased to partner with Washington to provide critical Farm Bill funds that will put innovative ideas into action and help us overcome our shared invasive pest and disease challenges,” said USDA Under Secretary Greg Ibach. “Washington is a critical partner in protecting U.S. agriculture. These projects will enable Washington to protect its own resources, and, in doing so, contribute to USDA’s mission of keeping our nation’s agriculture economy healthy and strong.”

These funds will support projects covering a range of plant health and pest mitigation activities, including the following:

  • $1.2 million to support National Clean Plant Network foundation plant stocks for fruit trees, grapes, and hops;
  • $465,000 to survey for harmful invasive mollusks, European cherry fruit fly, and harmful pests of hardwood, softwood, grape, berry, and orchard commodities;
  • $277,000 to survey for Asian defoliator moths;
  • $275,000 to support Asian gypsy moth response efforts;
  • $247,000 to assess the virus status of certified apple rootstock;
  • $231,000 to develop or enhance plant pest trapping systems, identification technologies for root-knot nematodes, and support for the Western States Lepidoptera Identification Center;
  • $209,000 to assess the plant health risk of exotic psyllids and improve survey trapping systems for invasive plant pests;
  • $208,000 to manage and mitigate harmful plant pests such as vineyard snails, Phytophthora species, and Megastigmus larvae, while also preparing for potential urban forest pest introductions and for training on conducting tree canopy pest surveys;
  • $78,000 to improve the State’s plant pest first detector network and support the use of digital microscopes to engage the public in invasive plant pest education;
  • $70,000 to support Native American tribal efforts to address harmful invasive plant pest species in the Northwest;
  • $69,550 to build capacity and awareness of invasive species in the Columbia River Gorge and beyond; and
  • $87,000 for the development of molecular tools for the detection of gall forming nematodes in the family Anguinidae.

USDA has funded 1,849 projects with approximately $247 million in Section 10007 funding since the 2014 Farm Bill was enacted.  Collectively, these projects continue to bolster our country’s safeguarding system while allowing USDA and its partners to quickly detect and rapidly respond to invasive pests and diseases. You can view the FY 2018 spending plans on the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov/farmbill.

APHIS created the Hungry Pests public outreach program to empower Americans with the knowledge they need to leave these “hungry pests” behind. Visit www.aphis.usda.gov/pestsdiseases/hungrypests to learn more about invasive plant pests and diseases impacting your area and how you can help.

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