Nearly $7million in grant funds is available through the USDA's Ag. Marketing Service to help enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Grants are available to State Departments of Agriculture through the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004.

Specialty Crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts and nursery crops. Examples of "enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops" include, but are not limited to: research, promotion, marketing, nutrition, trade enhancement, food safety, plant health programs, eduction, "buy local" programs, increased consumption, increased innovation, improved efficiency and reduced costs of distribution systems, environmental concerns and conservation, product development and developing cooperative.

lease contact Trista Etzig at (202) 690-4942.

Another bullet proof Australian plant goes down to a new exotic pest. the Myoporum thrips is damaging Myoporum laetum all over Southern California. The pest causes damage similar to what the Cuban laurel thrips does to Ficus microcarpa. The insectsis in the genus Teucothrips but the species has not been identified yet. So far, the pest has been observed in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Orange and Ventura Counties.

The pest is specific to Myoporum and has been found on M.laetum and M.pacificum. The pest is well established where it has been found and will likely pose a rather nasty threat to the aesthetic beauty of Myoporum wherever they are growing in California. The damage is mostly on new growth as feeding of the insect results in hypertrophy and hyperplasia of new formed leaves resulting in typical thrips related gall-like symptoms.