Posted: Friday, August 21, 2009 12:00 AM
Pests star in USDA ad campaign
By CECILIA PARSONS
Capital Press
Realizing it needs the public's awareness and cooperation, the agriculture industry is launching a $3 million advertising campaign to warn of the threats posed by invasive pests and diseases.
Television, radio and print ads began Aug. 17 and will run through October, according to USDA spokesman Larry Hawkins.
The campaign is supported by a coalition of agriculture organizations that are listed online at www.HungryPests.com. The advertisements can also be viewed at the site.
Kevin Severns, a San Joaquin Valley citrus grower and Citrus Research Board member said the threats posed by invasive species in California affect not only the livelihood of growers, but the abundance and quality of the state's food production.
"The public needs to be aware that some of these pests can end an industry," said Severns. "If we don't do something it puts us in a situation where pests move in and devastate crops."
The state has been contending with invasives by setting quarantine zones and with spray programs, but prevention is preferred, said Hawkins.
In spite of signs announcing quarantine zones and restrictions on movement of uninspected plant material, most California residents don't understand the reasons and are unaware of the problems that invasive species can cause agriculture as well as California wildlands, he said.
Spray programs and restricting movement of fruits and vegetables are unpopular, he said because people don't understand the risks involved.
Asian citrus psyllid, light brown apple moth, Mediterranean fruit fly and sudden oak death are just a few of the pests that have been introduced in California. Besides destroying crops and trees, they cause other countries to restrict sales of California agriculture products.
Finding a citrus greening-infected Asian citrus psyllid in Fresno recently really jolted citrus growers, said Severns. They expected the pest to move north eventually, but the reality that a piece of psyllid-infested luggage could easily land in the center of the state's Citrus Belt was unsettling.
The ads warn the public that what might seem to be a harmless purchase of plants from Florida could unleash a disease.
Severns and other growers have seen what the psyllid and Huanglongbing has done to the Florida citrus industry and hope the ads will help the public realize how bringing plants or fruits and vegetables home from pest-infested areas can jeopardize California agriculture.
The advertising campaign is in the San Francisco, Monterey-Salinas, Sacramento, Fresno-Visalia and Bakersfield markets.
Cecilia Parsons is a staff writer based in Ducor. E-mail: cparsons@capitalpress.com.
Comments made about this article
Posted By: Katie Palmieri, COMTF Public Information Officer On: 8/24/2009
Title: Sudden Oak Death and Pests star in USDA ad campaign
Sudden Oak Death is a real and important issue impacting California's wildlands and the nursery industry. I encourage readers to visit the California Oak Mortality Task Force (COMTF) website (www.suddenoakdeath.org) to learn more about this agressive, invasive plant pathogen. The California Oak Mortality Task Force is a non-profit organization made up of federal, state, and local officials as well as reearchers, nursery representatives, arborists, land managers, homeowners, Native Americans, and other affected parties.
Posted By: RS On: 8/21/2009
Title: People Against Chemical Trespass
Robert W., please get in touch with us (PeopleAgainstChemicalTrespass.org). We're trying to pass an ordinance in Santa Cruz that says the we have the right to say no to spraying pesticides on people - and there are certainly plenty of people in agricultural areas, both workers and residents. It's a California-Constitution guaranteed right, and we're working to protect it. We've compiled a 100+ page packet of information you can find out our website, about the scientific evidence that the CDFA and the USDA are manufacturing this bogus need, offering alternative opinions by scientists and agriculturalists - please check it out and contact us. Thanks for your comment!
Posted By: RobertW On: 8/21/2009
Title: ENTIRE BUG AD IS A LIE
ENTIRE BUG AD IS A LIE. 1. These ads are not to stop travelers from bringing in insects. That would be done at airports and ports of entry targeting people who actually leave the country if that was their purpose. Most people watching TV will not be leaving the country any time soon. These ads are to make people believe invasive pests are overwhelming us. If USDA can scare people by magnifying small insects to make them look like scary monsters, people won't pay attention to the cost or danger of the toxic pesticides applied in their communities. THIS AD CAMPAIGN IS TO FAKE THE NEED FOR PESTICIDES IN COMMUNITIES. 2. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) recently went through a senate hearing to determine if their agency should be eliminated. CDFA has a history of faking insect emergencies and taking taxpayer emergency funds (Billions of dollars) when there really isn't any emergency. CDFA IS PENNY CHEAP WHEN IT COMES TO ASSISTING AGRICULTURE WITH WATER ISSUES AND OTHER REAL AGRICULTURE NEEDS. 3. The USDA cooperates with CDFA in these activities. The winners are not farmers, but the insider chemical corporations that receive the unnecessary pesticide contracts. This is whom CDFA and USDA truly represent, besides their own agency budgets. 4. CDFA has over 200 million pounds of toxic pesticides currently being used in California EVERY YEAR. That represents Billions of dollars in contracts for the corporate insider chemical companies that manufacture these toxic pesticides that are responsible for many of the health problems that families, particularly children, are suffering state wide (asthma, attention disorder, autism, diabetes, cancer, etc). THIS PROGRAM IS TO DEVELOP FORESTS, OPEN SPACES AND COMMUNITIES WHERE PEOPLE LIVE AS MORE LAND TO APPLY PESTICIDES. 5. CDFA was caught lying in court and on CBS TV news that the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) had done damage in California and that it was going to threaten California's agriculture, etc. Five-minute video: http://cbs5.com/investigates/apple.moth.spraying.2.700753.html True story of one CDFA fake eradication program that represents many others: http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/view/76798 Best to all of you.