08/30/06 USDA funding potato cyst nematode survey

Farm and Ranch August 30, 2006 During his visit to the World Potato Congress in Boise, Idaho last week Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the availability of nearly 13-million dollars in emergency funding for potato cyst nematode survey efforts. The discovery of PCN in Idaho in April of this year led Mexico, Canada and South Korea to ban imports of Idaho potatoes and Japan to ban imports of any U.S. fresh potatoes. Larry Hawkins of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service explains how that funding will be used. Hawkins: "The 13-million dollars includes money for a survey in the state of Idaho where the initial detection was made, and money for a survey in other states where potatoes are grown. The significance of doing the survey is that a complete survey allows the U.S. to state, based on testing, what areas are free of this plant pest." Hawkins says early detection of a pest like potato cyst nematode is important to both limiting it's geographic distribution and economic impact. Hawkins: "In the case in Idaho the early detection has led us to just two fields totaling a little bit over 100 acres. Certainly the additional survey will help us to determine whether it is more widespread, but at this point it looks like it can be dealt with effectively and quickly." Potato cyst nematode does not post a threat to human health but if left unmanaged, nematodes can cause significant yield losses for producers. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.