The Invaders

The Invaders. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Back in the late 60's there was a sci-fi TV program on called The Invaders and each week the hero played by actor Roy Thinnes had to defeat the aliens who looked just like us before they took over the world. In the real world the invaders are a lot smaller but just as damaging to row crops and tree fruit. David Kaplan of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service discusses one such invader called Plum Pox. KAPLAN: We actually are declaring eradication in Michigan and in Pennsylvania. This is a disease that is actually present in Canada as well and the presence of the disease in New York is along the Canadian border. And this really a threat to all stone fruits throughout the United States. But unlike the TV show where only the hero was on the front line Kaplan says the Plant Health Emergency Framework is similar to any emergency response plan. KAPLAN: We also are an all hazard response agency in terms of things like hurricane response, fire. We have folks who can help with that and we train with the same systems, the unified command working with a number of entities. Kaplan says that when they are in response mode everything goes in cycles. KAPLAN: We develop an implementation plan and the actions we constantly monitor. And then we view and identify new information and you keep going around this cycle to try to get your process coordinated. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.