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Federal Funding Bill Supports Roseau Cane Research
BATON ROUGE, LA.
Congress recently passed a $1.3 trillion spending bill that includes funding for Roseau cane scale research.
The omnibus spending bill, signed by President Donald Trump, provides for an increase in competitive grant opportunities for research programs.
Congress directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to work with stakeholders to develop a pest management program for control of the scale infestation that is destroying Roseau cane in the Mississippi River Delta region along the Gulf of Mexico.
“Roseau cane destruction harms Louisiana’s coastline and puts our states shipping and energy infrastructure in jeopardy,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy. “LSU AgCenter researchers are doing important work to support our state’s coastal restoration efforts.”
Researchers and administrators from the LSU AgCenter have been working with the Louisiana congressional delegation to educate members of Congress and agency experts on the potential effects this could have across the country.
“We have met with our delegation in Washington, D.C., several times over the past six months to discuss the potential for widespread impacts resulting from the die-off of Roseau cane,” said William Richardson, LSU vice president for agriculture. “This insect and die-off could damage invaluable coastal marshes and result in infestation of agricultural commodities.”
Researchers are working to fully understand the cause of the die-offs and the role of the invasive scale. Because of the similarities of Roseau cane and sugarcane, corn, wheat, rice and sorghum, there is potential for the insect to infest those crops.
The additional funding and partnership with the USDA will allow AgCenter researchers to expedite and expand the scope of currently funded research initiatives.
“It’s vital for our state and the protection of south Louisiana to combat coastal erosion, which is why I worked closely with my House colleagues to secure funding in the omnibus to fight the destruction of Roseau cane,” said U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise. “Roseau cane is a key component in preventing the loss of land that protects our communities from disasters and guards the navigation channels that are fundamental to our state’s economy.”
Congress allocated $500,000 through USDA APHIS to control pests in Roseau cane in wetlands. AgCenter administrators are meeting with USDA officials to discuss the initiatives and the next steps in the collaboration.
U.S. Rep. Garret Graves said this latest coastal assault is rapidly impacting land and potentially threatening more, and addressing it needs to be at the forefront of coastal action.
“When you think about all the issues in the news and the various strains on people’s attention every day, some folks may be tempted to write off what’s happening at the mouth of the river as a small issue that doesn’t really matter. But maintaining an aggressive focus on all fronts of the battle to restore our coastal wetlands and to protect our coastal communities is fundamentally important,” Graves said. “Ideas around economic development, the importance of roads, education or so many other topics won’t matter if we don’t reverse the trends along our coast and make these areas safer and more sustainable.”
The Louisiana congressional delegation has been successful in relaying the importance of resolving the problem with the other members of Congress.If die-offs result in land loss and erosion of the Mississippi River navigation channel, the potential for river closures in low-water periods could affect imports and exports across the country.
“Developing a pest management program to protect Roseau cane is of the utmost importance. Louisiana holds 40 percent of our nation’s wetlands, and our coastlines are eroding at an alarming rate of one football field every hour,” said U.S. Sen. John Kennedy. “Roseau cane fights coastal erosion and helps protect Louisiana’s fragile marshland. We need to work together to fight this Pac-Man-like pest.”
The AgCenter is working with the Louisiana departments of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Agriculture and Forestry, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act on this issue. The agencies meet quarterly to discuss results and findings from research initiatives. Additional updates are available at www.lsuagcenter.com/roseaucane . ∆
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