The USDA is allocating nearly $60,000 to Nebraska as part of the Plant Protection Act. The USDA says funding is meant to help strengthen infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, and heat mitigation.
USDA Undersecretary Greg Ibach said protecting Nebraska’s agriculture industry is ‘critical’ and these projects will help protect Nebraska’s resources. With the funding, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture will survey for nursery pests, cyst nematodes in soil and the khapra beetle; the khapra beetle hasn’t been established domestically but the pest is capable of doing severe damage to stored grain if it makes its way to the U.S.
