USDA announces $5 million for National Clean Plant Network

From Joe Bischoff, AmericanHort:

The passage of the 2014 Farm Bill earlier this year meant the return of nearly 40 programs that went unfunded for the 2013 fiscal year – among them, the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN). In view of this program’s critical role in our industry, AmericanHort and several prominent members, including Robert Woolley (Dave Wilson Nursery, CA) and Phil Baugher (Adams County Nursery, PA) serve in the NCPN governance structure.

NCPN is made up of 19 centers in 14 states and supports efforts to perform pathogen diagnostics and therapy and to maintain both domestic and imported propagative plant material for targeted high-value crops, including fruit and nut tree stock, grapevines, and berries, for the purposes of research, trialing, and development. Without the NCPN funds many of the programs suffered with staffing losses and inability to maintain or clean new material.

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