Detector Dogs: Agriculture's Best Friend
By deploying specially trained beagles, Labrador retrievers and Jack Russell terriers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Services' (APHIS) Detector Dog Program puts elite canines to work on the front lines at international airports, mail facilities and border crossings throughout the nation. These furry sleuths maneuver between passengers and luggage to search, locate and respond to the presence of banned fruits, plants and meats that may harbor damaging insects and diseases that threaten the country's agricultural production and natural resources.
The program was started in 1984 and soon grew in demand. By 2009, APHIS opened a 17-acre National Detector Dog Training Center near the Atlanta International Airport. At the center, dogs and their handlers go through an 8-10-week training program to learn how to inspect passenger luggage and handbags for agricultural goods such as fruits, vegetables, beef and pork.
Detector dogs patrol ports of entry, borders and airports to keep harmful pests, like invasive fruit flies, out of the country. For example, labrador retrievers and their handlers protect the nation's fruit by patrolling citrus orchards along the Texas–Mexico border in search of infested or diseased crops.
Safeguarding U.S. agriculture and natural resources is part of the program's mission, but APHIS' Detector Dog Program also partners with countries like Canada and Taiwan to supply guidance, training and testing of canine detection. There are even detector dog teams on the job at cargo airports throughout countries in the Pacific, tasked with identifying invasive species and stopping them from reaching Hawaii. The work these dogs and their handlers do is critical to help stop the spread of invasive plant and animal pests and diseases that could ravage America's agriculture.
A detector dog's career spans 6-8 years before they retire at 9 years old. At retirement age, 90% of dogs are adopted by their handler. In the rare case they are not, the handler will recommend a good home and a successful adoption program ensures all dogs are well placed.
Constantly on the lookout for new pups, APHIS works closely with animal shelters, rescue groups and private individuals to find the right dogs for the job from anywhere in the country. New recruits are 1-3 years old, heartworm negative, have high food drive and are environmentally and socially friendly. The ideal candidate is often that high-energy, hard-to-handle pooch who simply needs a job and a purpose.
If you or someone you know would like to help the program grow its squad of super sniffers, email usdacanineadoptions@usda.gov, call (887) 797-3899 or learn more at aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/ppq-program-overview/nddtc.
Content courtesy of USDA
Michael Frenchmfrench@familyfeatures.com 1-888-824-3337editors.familyfeatures.com
About Family Features Editorial SyndicateA leading source for high-quality food, lifestyle and home and garden content, Family Features provides readers with topically and seasonally relevant tips, takeaways, information, recipes, videos, infographics and more. Find additional articles and information at Culinary.net and eLivingToday.com.
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Plant scientist Zvi Hochman, in a 2017 paper, found hotter, drier conditions had reduced Australia's maximum achievable wheat yield by 27 per cent between 1990 and 2015. 'With continued effort we can move from achieving 55 per cent of potential yields to about 80 per cent, but going beyond that in a variable climate is likely to be uneconomic,' Hochman told Reuters. And there are downsides to the new ways. Herbicides can harm the environment and encourage weed strains that are resistant to the chemicals, scientific studies show. Australian farmers are using more synthetic nitrogen as fertilizer - albeit less per hectare than many others, according to the UN - which is manufactured using natural gas, a contributor to atmospheric carbon emissions. And they are intervening on a massive scale in the earth. 'We should always be cautious because we are disturbing the natural soil,' said Azam, the researcher. 'But the benefits outweigh the risks.' Other nations Challenging soil and weather conditions keep Australian yields low by global standards. Last year's 2.6 tons per hectare lagged behind the US (3.5 tons), China (5.9 tons), and Britain (7.3 tons), USDA data show. Some developing nations, including China and India, have made faster progress than Australia in improving wheat yields since the 1980s. But productivity growth in many advanced economies has been slower, according to the USDA, which global researchers attribute in part to soil degradation and restrictions on fertilizers and pesticides. Farmers and scientists credit Australia's system of applied research and low subsidies for helping to set it apart. They point to the Grains Research and Development Corp, a statutory corporation established in 1990 by an act of parliament to help drive industry innovation. Growers give it 1 per cent of their grain revenue, topped up by government funding. Its committees blend farmers, scientists and agribusiness executives. That means the research agenda isn't dominated by farmers seeking quick fixes, nor by scientists pursuing blue-sky projects, said Kirkegaard. Few countries replicate this model. Canada has levy-funded research groups but they are less centralised. In Europe, some researchers may never speak to a farmer, leading to impractical studies, Kirkegaard said. Australia has among the lowest agricultural subsidies, according to the OECD. And they go largely to research and biosecurity, rather than payments to farmers or into trade restrictions - common practices elsewhere. At his farmhouse, surrounded by eucalypt trees, Liebeck said he isn't daunted by an increasingly hostile climate. 'The challenge of growing more crop off less rain is exciting,' he said. 'I'm optimistic.' — Reuters
