Angela Madeiras, University of Massachusetts Amherst – NEPDN
The National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) is a nation-wide consortium of diagnostic laboratories primarily located within either the Extension programs of land grant universities or state departments of agriculture. NPDN labs have the capabilities and capacity to quickly detect and accurately identify plant pathogens, pests, and noxious weeds. The organization is a vital part of our national biosecurity infrastructure, essential to the protection of the plant systems that underpin our economy, our health, and our environment.
NPDN was established in 2002 with an annual budget of $4.75 million granted by USDA/ NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture). The annual budget remained fairly steady over the next eight years, with a peak of $5 million in 2010. In 2011, funding from NIFA was cut nearly in half and has remained flat since then at roughly $3 million.
In September 2023, NPDN Executive Director/WPDN Director Dr. Neil McRoberts, Deputy NPDN Director/NEPDN Director Dr. Alicyn Smart, and GPDN Director Dr. Jim Stack traveled to Washington, D.C. and met with NIFA officials to discuss the NPDN budget situation. They also met with staff from the House Agriculture Committee and several House and Senate offices. They used the graph below to illustrate both the significant reduction in the NPDN budget in 2011 and the subsequent stagnation of funding levels.
In addition to the challenges presented by more than a decade of flat funding, operating costs have risen significantly over the past three years. Supplies are taking a larger bite out of laboratory budgets. For instance, the average price of pipette tips has risen by 25% and the price of a box of medium nitrile gloves has risen 91% since 2018 (Woolston, 2023). Equipment costs have risen as well.
Many NPDN laboratories have also been charged with increasing responsibilities (which take time away from diagnostics) without accompanying increases in funding. Many must now charge a fee for diagnostics, a service that was traditionally available for free to Extension clients. Fees may prevent clients from accessing our services, especially those with limited resources.
NPDN members are encouraged to share this important information with university Extension leaders, agency officials, and others who are in a position to advocate for increased funding from sources such as NIFA and the Farm Bill.
Woolston, Chris. Nature 613, 601-602 (2023) https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00088-z
