First line of defense: USDA funding MSU’s fight against destructive plant pests
Contact: Vanessa Beeson
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University will continue leading the defense against destructive pests and diseases threatening farms and forests thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Approximately $667,000 is supporting multiple Mississippi-based initiatives through MSU’s Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, or MAFES, including diagnostic screening, youth education and citizen science programs.
“This is the first line of defense for invasive insects across the Eastern U.S.,” said JoVonn Hill, professor and scientist in MAFES. “We screen millions of insects each year to protect both agriculture and forests.”
The Mississippi Entomological Museum, a center within MAFES, is one of just two USDA identification labs in the country, processing more than 25,000 samples annually to detect more than 49 invasive pests across 12 states. The work supports quarantine decisions and pest management planning. The MAFES team also leads pest monitoring efforts across Mississippi in 24 counties and 22 state parks, targeting threats including Asian defoliators, pine pests and exotic bark beetles.
(Video by Sarah Kirk)
“What we do is vital to protect crops, natural resources and people every day,” said Jennifer Seltzer, an MSU Department of Agricultural and Plant Protection program manager who oversees the Mississippi Entomological Museum Screening Center. “I walk through a farmers market and think, ‘We didn’t grow this, but we helped protect it.’ That makes me proud—not just of our work, but that Mississippi is leading the way against invasive insects.”
The grant also funds Bug Blues, an outreach program aiming to engage 60,000 elementary students to high schoolers through school visits, fairs and camps that raise awareness about invasive insects. Launching in 2025, a new citizen science program titled MSU Bug Eyes will enlist master gardeners and volunteers across the state to help detect invasive species. Volunteers will monitor traps at schools and report sightings, expanding the detection network statewide.
“This funding strengthens our three-part land-grant mission: research, education and service,” Hill said. “And helps us better protect agriculture and natural resources in Mississippi and across the U.S.”
In addition to the entomology programs, USDA contributed funds to the MAFES Sweet Potato Clean Plant Program through the National Clean Plant Network, an initiative targeting pathogens and pests to ensure the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crop producers.
Learn more about MSU’s Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and Mississippi Entomological Museum at www.mafes.msstate.edu and www.mississippientomologicalmuseum.org.msstate.edu.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.