ABSTRACT
As the globalization of the world's economy continues, increasing numbers of species will be introduced to North America. While most introduced species do not flourish and become injurious, those that do often pose direct threats to agriculture. There are 165 million hectares of cropland and 248 million hectares of land dedicated to livestock production in the United States (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service [USDA ERS] 2007). Combined, this farmland not only produces foodstuffs to feed the 321 million people in the United States, but also helps feed the other 7 billion people inhabiting the earth. Some invasive species were purposefully released in the United States, but most were accidentally introduced. This chapter discusses various threats to agriculture and highlights the major invasive species. All dollar values presented in this chapter have been adjusted for inflation to year 2015 U.S. dollars.
