USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating more than $70 million to support 350 projects under the Plant Protection Act’s Section 7721 program as part of a nationwide effort to strengthen the country’s infrastructure for pest detection, surveillance, and mitigation, as well as protect the U.S. nursery system. Universities, states, federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, nonprofits, and Tribal organizations will carry out selected projects in 48 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

USDA. Integrated Pest Management - Pest Information Platform for Extension and Education.

United States Department of Agriculture.

With cases of a strain of what is known as bird flu recently found in dairy cattle, USDA and other stakeholders have been busy monitoring the situation and implementing measures to protect our nation’s dairy cattle. Rod Bain and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack looks at what has so far transpired in this edition of “Agriculture USA”.
See related resource: Avian Influenza

U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is recognizing National Pollinator Week (June 19-25, 2023) through the continued commitment and support for pollinator health and research. Pollinator species, such as bees, other insects, birds and bats play a critical role in producing more than 100 crops grown in the United States. Honey bee pollination alone adds more than $18 billion in value to agricultural crops annually.

USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Spotted Lanternfly Strategic Planning Working Group has released the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) Five-Year Strategy for fiscal years 2024-2028 [PDF, 4.47 MB]. APHIS brought together the working group in August 2022 with representatives from APHIS, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and the National Plant Board (NPB). The working group developed a unified approach to reduce the spotted lanternfly’s spread and impacts through the effective use of available State and Federal resources.

USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

As winter approaches, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is reminding the public not to move wood out of areas quarantined for the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). It is important that people follow state and federal laws, which restrict the movement of woody material, to keep the tree-killing pest from spreading outside of quarantined areas in Massachusetts, Ohio, and New York.

USDA. ARS. Tellus.

Scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture are studying ways to keep honeybees stress-free and healthy. These pollinators are important to American agriculture and our nation’s food crops.

U.S. Department of Agriculture.

USDA Service Centers are designed to be a single location where customers can access the services provided by the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Rural Development agencies. This locator site provides Agency offices serving your area (by state and county).

USDA. Blog.

The use of native plant material in conservation, restoration and land management results in healthy ecosystems countering the effects of invasive plant species, altered wildfire regimes, extreme weather events and human-caused events. The National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020 promotes the use of native plant materials to restore plant communities and support healthy ecosystems.
See related resource: National Seed Strategy

U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced its strengthened commitment to advancing research and programmatic priorities that support pollinator health by soliciting nominations for members to serve on its newly formed USDA National Pollinator Subcommittee. The Pollinator Subcommittee will provide input on annual USDA strategic pollinator priorities and goals and will make pollinator health-related recommendations to strengthen USDA pollinator research efforts. USDA is both a major funder and conductor of pollinator research, with research initiatives spanning across five USDA mission areas.

USDA. Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will invest $15 million this year for the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) Classic program. Through CIG, grantees work to address our nation's water quality, water quantity, air quality, soil health and wildlife habitat challenges, all while supporting agricultural production. This year’s funding priorities are climate-smart agriculture, addressing invasive species and conservation in urban agricultural systems. For more information about the Conservation Innovation Grants program, visit the NRCS website.

USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Traveling for holidays? Then this new site can help you determine what items can be brought into the U.S. Bringing food and other items back from your travels (anytime of the year) could impact the health and safety of American agriculture and natural resources. For example, travelers cannot bring in most fresh fruits and vegetables because they can carry plant pests or diseases.  Just one pest could devastate multiple agricultural industries.

Traveling With Food or Agricultural Products provides everyone with important information about which agricultural items are safe to enter the United States – and which ones are best left behind. This helps protect the health of our country’s plants, animals and natural resources, ensuring many happy holidays to come.

USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny L. Moffitt commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Mexico-U.S. Commission for Prevention of Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Other Exotic Animal Diseases (CPA). To celebrate this occasion, Mexico’s National Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality Service (SENASICA) hosted a celebration in Mexico City. This binational Commission, established in 1947, was instrumental in eradicating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Mexico and preventing introduction to the United States. FMD was eradicated from the United States in 1929, and Mexico has been FMD-free since 1954. This celebration honors the longevity and success of this collaboration between the United States and Mexico.

USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Provides access to all outreach publications (includes many invasive species related) currently available from USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in print, PDF format, or both. The publications are organized according to category, title, date, item type, and publication number (if applicable).

Google. YouTube; USDA. Agricultural Research Service.

Scientists with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in central California are using sound to control insects that spread disease in grape vineyards.

USDA. Blog.

After weeks of searching, Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) entomologists–—using a radio tag provided by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and a trap developed by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service–— have located and eradicated the first Asian giant hornet (AGH) nest ever found in the United States. For months, WSDA had been trying to find the nest they knew must exist near Blaine, WA, because of AGH detections in the area. But finding the nest proved extremely challenging since the hornets build nests in forested areas, typically in an underground cavity.

United States Department of Agriculture. USDA Climate Hubs.

The USDA Agriculture, Forestry, and Climate Science Working Group and USDA’s Office of Energy and Environmental Policy have launched a year-long monthly webinar series that aims to equip USDA employees and key Cooperative Extension personnel with the scientific foundations of climate change as they apply to USDA’s mission and daily work. The series features leading scientists from within and outside USDA, who provide the latest scientific information and respond to questions about climate change and the application of science to decision-making on working lands. This series is designed to be of use to USDA conservation, resource management, commodity, and service staff. The material is accessible to those not already familiar with climate science, but also includes information that is of use to technical experts.

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

This guide will assist Pacific island practitioners to use the costs that result from invasive species incursions to gain support to fund prevention, management, restoration, research, and outreach. For more knowledge resources, please visit the Pacific Battler Resource Base.

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

This guide explains how natural enemies (typically invertebrates and pathogens from the native home range of the pest) can be used to control serious invasive weeds in the Pacific. The use of natural enemies is the most cost-effective method of controlling widespread weeds in the Pacific. It is particularly important in the Pacific context where local capacity to manage such widespread problems is limited. For more knowledge resources, please visit the Pacific Battler Resource Base.

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

This guide explains how natural enemies (typically invertebrates and pathogens from the native home range of the pest) can be used to control serious invasive weeds in the Pacific. The use of natural enemies is the most cost-effective method of controlling widespread weeds in the Pacific. It is particularly important in the Pacific context where local capacity to manage such widespread problems is limited. For more knowledge resources, please visit the Pacific Battler Resource Base.