The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating more than $70 million to support 383 projects under the Plant Protection Act’s Section 7721 program to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, threat mitigation, to safeguard the nursery production system and to respond to plant pest emergencies.  

In the West, the allocations include $17.1 million for California, nearly $1.6 million for Idaho, $3.5 million in Washington state and $1.4 million for Oregon.

Universities, states, federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, nonprofits, and tribal organizations will carry out selected projects in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. 

“State governments, academic institutions, and other essential cooperators across the country use these USDA funds to protect American crops and natural resources and ensure the marketability of our agricultural products across the globe,” said Greg Ibach, Under Secretary for USDA’s Marketing and Regulatory Programs. 

The fiscal year 2021 project list includes 29 projects funded through the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN). The NCPN helps our country maintain the infrastructure necessary to ensure that pathogen-free, disease-free and pest-free certified planting materials for fruit trees, grapes, berries, citrus, hops, sweet potatoes, and roses are available to U.S. specialty crop producers. 

Since 2009, USDA has supported more than 4,400 projects and provided nearly $670 million in funding through the Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program. Collectively, these projects allow USDA and its partners to quickly detect and rapidly respond to invasive plant pests and diseases. 

In FY 2021, funded projects include, among others: 

USDA will use $14 million to rapidly respond to invasive pest emergencies should a pest of high economic consequence be found in the United States. In the past, USDA has used these funds to rapidly respond to pests such as grasshoppers, Mormon crickets, the Asian giant hornet, coconut rhinoceros beetle, exotic fruit flies, and the spotted lanternfly. 

As the United States and the world recognize the International Year of Plant Health through June 2021, this funding highlights USDA’s continued commitment to safeguarding our agricultural resources for current and future generations. 

Here are some details about the allocations to Western states.

California

The USDA is allocating $17.1 million to California.

“California has more than 76,000 farms and ranches, which generate about $100 billion in related economic activity. Protecting California’s agricultural industry is critical,” Ibach said. “These projects will help California protect its resources and contribute to USDA’s mission of keeping our nation’s agricultural economy strong.”

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

Oregon

The USDA has set aside $1.4 million for Oregon projects.

“Oregon has more than 37,000 farms and ranches and more than 15 million acres of farmland. Protecting Oregon’s agricultural industry is critical,” Ibach said. 

These funds will include:

Washington

Washington state is getting $3.5 million, according to USDA.

“Washington has more than 35,000 farms on about 15 million acres. The State’s produces around 300 agricultural products valued at $7.9 billion,” Ibach said. 

These allocations include:

Idaho

Projects in Idaho are getting nearly $1.57 million.

“Idaho has nearly 25,000 farms and ranches, which produce 185 different commodities," Ibach said.

Funded projects include:

Learn more about the Plant Protection Act, Section 7721 on the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) website: www.aphis.usda.gov/ppa-projects.

Source: USDA, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.