Approximately $13.3 Million in Federal Funding to Help Protect California Agriculture
WASHINGTON, D.C. – California agriculture received $13,390,615 in federal money to support plant pest and disease management. Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) fought for increases in these funds during the 2008 Farm Bill debate.
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“California agriculture is nearly a $40 billion business, with some of the top producing counties in the nation located right here in our Valley,” Costa said. “Federal investment in protecting our crops against harmful pests is vital to ensure a vibrant agriculture economy. Early detection and inception are key to catching pests and disease before they become wide-spread- which is both devastating to our growers and makes the pests more costly to eradicate in the long run.”
Pest and disease management has been a high priority for Congressman Costa. Prior to passage of the 2008 Farm Bill, Costa introduced legislation (HR667) to improve pest and disease management, much of which was incorporated into Section 10201 of the Farm Bill. This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make funds available to help implement pest and disease management programs at the Department of Agriculture. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is charged with executing this section. Approximately $45 million was appropriated to Section 10201 to protect American agriculture.
Below is a list of programs in California that received funding:
â— California Expanded Pest Detection System: $6,094,198
â— Grape Commodity/Lobesia botrana survey: $332,411
â— PPV Survey: $177,286
â— National Honeybee Survey: $55,402
â— California Dog Teams for Domestic Inspection: $3,105,501
â— California Lab Infrastructure: $221,607
â— NORSDUC – 2nd year, Research on New/Emerging Pests of Ornamentals: $554,018
â— BMPs for Phytophtora ramorum: $44,321
â— Nursery Virus Certification Pilot Grape: $38,781
â— Fruit flies – California: $2,770,090
These projects build and preserve critical plant health safeguarding initiatives across America. Funding will be provided to more than 50 cooperators including state departments of agriculture, universities, nonprofit organizations and USDA agencies in support of over 200 projects. These state, regional, and national projects will support the Farm Bill goals of enhancing early plant pest detection and surveillance, threat identification and mitigation and safeguarding nursery production.
The resulting plan includes projects that will enhance plant pest and disease analysis and survey, strengthen pest identification and technology, safeguard nursery production and increase related public outreach and education about these issues. Projects include survey for pests along known risk pathways, risk assessment collaboration with states, national honeybee surveys, research on plant pest threats in the Caribbean, new diagnostic tools for plant pests and diseases, nursery audit training for state officials and outreach to help prevent the spread of invasive pests, among many others. USDA estimates that there may be up to 400 jobs created or supported as a result of this funding.