USDA Invests $90 Million to Strengthen Plant Pest Prevention and Clean Plant Programs

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USDA Invests $90 Million to Strengthen Plant Pest Prevention and Clean Plant Programs

Investment Equips Partners Nationwide to Safeguard U.S. Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Food Security

Contact: [email protected]

Washington, D.C., April 28, 2026-The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced an investment of more than $90 million under Section 7721 of the Plant Protection Act (PPA 7721) to support 441 projects that will strengthen the nation's ability to prevent, detect, and respond to invasive plant pests and diseases; safeguard the U.S. nursery system; and enhance pest detection, diagnostics, and mitigation efforts. States, Tribal organizations, federal agencies, universities, and other partners will carry out these projects across 49 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

"This investment equips our partners nationwide with the tools they need to safeguard U.S. agriculture, natural resources, and food security," said Dudley Hoskins, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. "These projects strengthen our collective ability to combat invasive plant pests and diseases, support growers, and open new export opportunities for American agricultural products."

Of the 441 projects, 421 fall under the Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program (PPDMDPP) and 20 support the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN). PPDMDPP projects address critical needs across the safeguarding continuum-prevention, early detection, rapid response, and mitigation of invasive pests and diseases. NCPN projects maintain the infrastructure needed to produce clean, pathogen tested planting materials that support the long-term health and competitiveness of U.S. specialty crop industries.

Selected FY 2026 projects include:

• $5,665,233 to support detector dog team training and maintenance for domestic pest detection in California, Florida, and nationwide.
• $1,253,641 to support Tribal plant protection research, survey, outreach, and invasive pest mitigation efforts in five states.
• $1,667,415 for national honey bee surveys in 47 states and territories.
• $760,575 to survey and protect American boxwoods from the invasive box tree moth.
• $967,800 for stone fruit and orchard pest detection surveys in 10 states, including Colorado, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington.
• $926,931 for forest pest surveys and outreach in Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
• $1,283,620 for survey, research, mitigation, and outreach on sudden oak death (Phytophthora ramorum) and related species in 17 states and nationally.
• $1,615,716 to support surveys and enhance identification technologies for invasive defoliating moths in 16 states, including Arkansas, California, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington.
• $2,035,690 for certified, disease-free citrus planting materials to protect nurseries and growers from economic losses caused by citrus diseases.

USDA will reserve approximately $17.2 million to support rapid response to invasive pest emergencies-funding that enables swift action against high-risk pests. In previous years, these emergency funds have supported rapid responses to threats such as the box tree moth, spotted lanternfly, Asian longhorned beetle, and invasive fruit flies.

Since 2009, USDA has supported more than 6,200 projects and invested over $1 billion through the PPA 7721 program. These investments help USDA and its partners detect, contain, and eradicate invasive plant pests and diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture and ecosystems.