Invasive species pose a growing and often underrecognized threat to American food security, public health, and economic stability. This webinar will present key findings from a white paper developed by the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC), which outlines how invasive animals, plants, and pathogens directly threaten the food security, prosperity, health, and safety of the American people.

The presentation will examine how invasive species damage and disrupt farmland, livestock, crops, fisheries, aquaculture, and hunting, fishing, and subsistence food systems. These impacts ripple outward, affecting jobs, rural economies, and the industries that support farming and ranching communities across U.S. states and territories.

By highlighting ISAC’s recommendations to federal partners, this session will underscore the importance of strategic investment in prevention, early detection, and coordinated response. These actions are essential not only for protecting agricultural productivity, but also for defending community health, strengthening food systems, and reducing long term risks associated with invasive species spread.

Meghan Brown, Administrator Plant Health and Compliance, Nevada Department of Agriculture
Meghan moved to Elko, Nevada after graduating university to work for the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association as their Executive Director. Meghan then worked for Congressman Mark Amodei as his Rural Representative, with a focus on federal land issues and oversight of regulation that affected the rural fabric of the west. Meghan joined the Nevada Department of Agriculture in 2016 and is currently serving as the Administrator for the Division of Plant Health and Compliance. She serves the agricultural community in Nevada through engagement on issues ranging from invasive species, native seed development, and establishment of the regional Early Detection and Rapid Response Network.