USDA Provides More than $1.9 Million to Support Projects that Protect New York Agriculture and Natural Resources

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating more than $1.9 million to New York 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 more than $70 million in funding this year to support 372 projects in 49 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico. USDA provides this funding under the authority of the Plant Protection Act Section 7721.

“New York has more than 33,000 farms. About 20 percent of New York is farmland—that’s close to 7 million acres. The state grows over 40 varieties of apples and has almost 700 farmers markets. Protecting New York’s agricultural industry is critical,” said USDA Under Secretary Jenny Moffitt. “These projects will help New York protect its resources and contribute to keeping our nation’s agricultural economy strong.”

These funds will support projects covering a range of plant health and pest mitigation activities, including, but not limited to:

• $376,848 to support National Clean Plant Network projects that protect specialty crops, including grapes;
• $276,714 to conduct a box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) survey;
• $270,000 to conduct a stone fruit commodity survey;
• $254,700 to research testing on potato tubers to protect seed-potato health;
• $182,936 to support Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe emerald ash borer emergency response efforts;
• $169,380 to conduct National Plant Diagnostic Network and State Diagnostician Preparedness training;
• $138,393 for deregulation and enhanced regulatory activities needed to manage golden nematode (Globodera rostochiensis); and
• $125,000 for grape commodity pest survey activity.

Since 2009, USDA has supported more than 4,800 projects and provided nearly $740 million in PPA 7721 funding. Collectively, these projects allow USDA and its partners to quickly detect and rapidly respond to invasive plant pests and diseases. They also help our country maintain the infrastructure necessary to ensure disease-free, certified planting materials are available to U.S. specialty crop producers.

View the fiscal year 2022 Plant Protection Act’s Section 7721 spending plans on the USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website: www.aphis.usda.gov/ppa-projects.