Nebraska receives USDA funding

$60,000 has been allocated to Nebraska from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a part of the Plant Protection Act.

This money is for pest prevention and detection as laid out by the Plant Protection Act section 7721.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) will use the funds to survey nursery pests such as cyst nematodes and khapra beetles which cause economic damage.

Cyst Nematodes latch onto plant roots an cause crop death. When plants become infested growth of the plant halts.

Khapra beetles feed on harvested grains and can be found in grain storages. Grain storages that have infestation of these beetles are unable to sell that product.

Using section 7721 the USDA has given $670 million in pest funding across the U.S. in 49 states, District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.