>>194512, >>194513, >>194514, >>194515, >>194516, >>194517, >>194518, >>194519, >>194520, >>194521, >>194522, >>194523, >>194524, >>194525, >>194526, >>194527
Dept. of Agriculture @USDA - 🚨 USDA is awarding $500,000 to @LSUAgCenter to combat pasture mealybug — an invasive pest threatening sugarcane, pastures, and other crops across the South.
Working with @UF and @USDA_ARS researchers in Houma, LA, the project will:
➡️ Measure the pest’s impact on sugarcane health and yields 
➡️ Evaluate treatments to control infestations 
➡️ Identify sugarcane varieties with natural resistance 
➡️ Train producers to identify the pest 
➡️ Develop a practical pest-management guide
@USDA_APHIS has also designated pasture mealybug as a priority pest for the coming fiscal year as part of a coordinated federal, state, and local response.
America’s producers feed the world. When an invasive pest threatens their crops and livelihoods, USDA moves quickly to protect them.
Quoted Post:
Secretary Brooke Rollins @SecRollins
📍 St. Martinville, Louisiana
Louisiana’s sugar cane farmers help feed America — and today, we announced new action to protect their crops and livelihoods.
Pasture mealybug is an invasive pest that can damage sugar cane, destroy pastures, and kill plants within weeks. @USDA is confronting it head-on:
➡️ We released a coordinated Action Plan outlining USDA’s response in Louisiana, Texas, Florida, and Georgia.
➡️ We awarded $500,000 to @LSUAgCenter to help researchers detect the pest, control outbreaks, identify resistant sugar cane varieties, and give farmers practical tools to protect their harvests.