KY FY26 PD CAPS Combined

CAPS abstract A primary objective of the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) program is to safeguard our nation’s food and environmental resources against exotic pests that threaten our production and ecological systems. These surveys increase the likelihood of early detection which then increases the chances of eradication of the pest problem before it can spread to other areas of the country. These surveys also establish pest-free areas which promote the export of goods internationally. The Infrastructure part of the project provides partial funding of salary and bene?ts for a State Survey Coordinator (SSC) to plan and manage invasive pest surveys, write workplans and budgets, conduct some survey work, manage surveyors and expenses throughout the project, send samples to appropriate identi?ers, upload survey data into approved databases, complete accomplishment reports, etc. The Surveys part of the project allows for surveys targeting pests in some of Kentucky’s most important agricultural commodities: soybean, corn, mixed hardwood forests, and nurseries.