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Preserving Tradition: APHIS’ Role in Safeguarding Cherry Trees

May 13, 2024 Alexandra Scott, APHIS Public Affairs – Detailed

In a symbolic gesture of friendship, Japan ceremoniously gifted the United States with two live cherry trees at an event held on the D.C mall last month. The trees represent a future gift of 250 trees that will replace the historic cherry trees to be removed in a project to repair the Tidal Basin...

Plants

Bug Boot Camp: 21 Days on the Front Lines of Fruit Fly Defense

March 06, 2024 Palmer Pinckney, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA, APHIS

Think 'boots on the ground' means desert camo and squad leaders? Nope, for me, it meant swapping press releases for pest prevention in Redlands, California. As an APHIS public affairs pro, I'm used to writing articles on agriculture, but this past December 2023, I traded my computer keyboard for a...

Plants

APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine Program Recognizes Black History Month – “African Americans and the Arts”

February 14, 2024 Tess Acosta-Williams, PPQ Civil Rights and Diversity Advisory Committee Chair, Trade Specialist, USDA APHIS PPQ

The 2024 Black History Month theme, “African Americans and the Arts,” intersects with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Program’s dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as we celebrate African Americans’ artistic...

Equity Plants

2023: A Year in Plant Health

January 16, 2024 Cecilia Sequeira, Public Affairs Specialist, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) closed out another successful year of protecting domestic plants from invasive threats while enabling safe trade. In 2023, APHIS employees inspected at least 2.82 billion pounds of imported crops from 19 countries—a testament to the year...

Plants

The Resilient Journey of Wild Blueberries of America: From Origins to Cultivation Challenges

August 23, 2023 Cameron Douglass, Ph.D., Agronomist/Weed Scientist, USDA Office of Pest Management Policy

August is prime time for wild blueberries, also known as “lowbush” blueberries, in the United States. While over 95% of wild blueberries are produced in Maine, wild blueberries are native to most of the northern United States.

Farming Food and Nutrition Plants

200 Years of Bilateral Relations with Mexico: Protecting Agricultural Resources from Plant Pests and Animal Disease Threats on Both Sides of the Border

January 19, 2023 Nick Gutiérrez, APHIS, International Services Regional Manager in Mexico

As of December 2022, United States and Mexico are celebrating 200 years of bilateral relations. Over these two hundred years, our nations have developed rich diplomatic and cultural ties where agriculture and trade considerations feature a prominent role.

Animals Plants Trade