A bill that would have allowed Idaho potato growers who are part of a federally regulated area designed to control pale cyst nematode to obtain a refund of their state assessment has been rejected by a House committee.
Idaho lawmakers have refused to introduce a bill that would have provided some financial relief to potato growers who face additional regulations in the effort to control pale cyst nematode, according to capitalpress.com.
The bill was authored by the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation and would have applied to potato growers in a federally regulated area in eastern Idaho.
The PCN parasite, which can significantly reduce yields, was first detected in a small area of eastern Idaho in 2006.
There are 18 growers in that federal PCN monitoring program, which regulates 7,734 acres, including 26 infested fields encompassing 2,897 acres.
Fields in the regulated area that are not infested with the nematode can still grow potatoes, but they face strict testing and phytosanitary requirements.
Source: Potato Business