(USDA/APHIS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating $3.7 million to Florida as part of its effort to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation, and to safeguard the U.S. nursery production system. Overall, USDA is providing more than $70 million in funding this year to support 383 projects in 49 states, …
Synergy between Biotech and Classical Control Tactics Rid U.S. of Invasive Pest
(USDA/ARS) — Genetically engineered cotton and classical pest control tactics combined to rid the United States and Northern Mexico of a devastating pest, according to a new study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Arizona (UofA) scientists published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For most of the past century, the pink bollworm was the major …
AgDiscovery Summer Student Program Now Accepting Applications
(USDA/APHIS) — AgDiscovery is a national summer outreach program designed to introduce students in grades 7-12 to the exciting world of agricultural sciences. The program is a unique opportunity for students to gain a first-hand view of many fascinating career paths available in the agricultural sciences field, including plant and animal health, wildlife management, biotechnology, environmental science, forestry, entomology, food …
Confirmation of COVID-19 in Snow Leopard at a Kentucky Zoo
(USDA/APHIS) — The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) announced the first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection in a snow leopard at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky. This is the first snow leopard in the United States to test positive for SARS-CoV-2. Confirmatory testing is ongoing for two other snow …