CBP ag specialists discover Osbornellus sallus insect

Oct 20, 2025
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

This marks the first instance of the pest in the U.S.

Agricultural inspectors recently prevented a pest from entering the U.S.

On Oct. 17, CBP ag specialists at the Port of San Luis in California discovered the Osbornellus sallus, a type of leafhopper, in a shipment of radicchio from Mexico.

The USDA’s National Identification Service confirmed this as a “first-in-the-nation” interception.

CBP inspectors denied the shipment entry into the U.S.

“We have a great working relationship with our USDA partners and together we protect the nation from a variety of evolving dynamic threats such as invasive pests that could harm the United States’ agriculture resources,” Guadalupe Ramirez, director of field operations at the Tucson field office, said in a statement.

There are at least 105 species of Osbornellus insects, according to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

Sallus is latin for “salty.”

Insects in the leafhopper family feed on plants by sucking sap from grasses, trees, and shrubs. Some can also carry plant diseases and pathogens like aster yellows which can affect carrots, lettuce, potatoes, and canola.

Leafhoppers can also carry Western X-disease, blueberry stunt, or cranberry false blossom.

CBP agriculture specialists work to keep threats to American ag out of the country.

Here are some other interceptions the inspectors have made in 2025.

In January, specialists at the Calexico cargo facility a Campiglossa peregrina in a shipment of red and green leaf lettuce.

In June at the Pharr International Bridge Carp Lot, inspectors intercepted three “first in nation” pests.

“The identifications were confirmed as Cyclocephala Fulgurata Burmeister (Scarabaeidae) and Cardiophorus aptopoides Candze (Elateridae),” CBP said.

And in July, officers at the Hidalgo International Bridge seized prohibited and undeclared fruits and fresh plant leaves, and issued a $300 fine.

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.