By Sara Wyant

Just a few years ago, I never thought about the possibility of airplanes crashing through skyscrapers. Nor did I assume that young women would strap bombs to their bodies to blow up hundreds of innocent civilians--all in the name of their own religious beliefs.

Yet, in our post 9/11 world, few things seem unimaginable on the terrorist front--including threats to our nation's food supply. So I suppose it should be no surprise that a list of agricultural products showed up on a terrorist's "hit list" and thousands of people are now trying to prepare us for that first big agro-terrorism attack.

I recently moderated a panel discussion during which FBI Special Agent David Cudmore confirmed the threats and discussed our vulnerabilities. Cudmore is one of a handful of agro-terrorism experts in the FBI and played a key role in pulling together the first ever national conference on this subject in September of this year.

"Ag is a target," emphasized Cudmore. Investigators recovered a computer from terrorist Richard Reed, which listed several ways to harm our nation's food supply on an Excel spreadsheet. As you may remember, Reed was arrested on Dec. 22, 2001 for attempting to destroy a passenger airline flying from Paris to Miami by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes. He is a Muslim allegedly working for Al-Qaeda and is now spending life in a Colorado prison.

Biggest threats

One of the biggest threats to U.S. food production could come from a terrorist spreading hoof-and-mouth disease, explained Cudmore. The disease, which hasn't been seen in the U.S. since 1929, can be spread as easily as you use an everyday handkerchief--rubbing it from one infected animal and then placing it in contact with another. Hoof-and-mouth is especially troubling because it spreads rapidly and can survive for long periods at freezing temperatures. The only treatment is to destroy infected animals.

The disease doesn't affect people who eat the meat of infected animals, but it can spread to people who handle those animals. In most cases, it causes mild to severe flu-like symptoms.

You can only imagine the headlines and the economic hammer this would drive into the cattle industry. Any word of the disease on American soil would likely put a halt to all exports. Our trading partners would stop accepting meat products until we could prove eradication. In the meantime, U.S. consumer confidence in the food supply would be severely shaken.

An outbreak of hoof and mouth disease would "socially and economically devastate us," says Cudmore, who estimates that damages could top $1 billion just from livestock losses. But he warns that the any agricultural threat may just be part of a broader strategy to disrupt the U.S. economy and harm citizens.

"They may use agriculture as a diversionary target to distract our attention before they inflict damage elsewhere," he adds. "They like the big bomb approach." Cudmore says the keys to dealing with terrorist threats lie in prevention, detection and investigation. "It's extremely critical that all producers have a mindset that is recognizes the potential threats. That includes watching for suspicious people and actions.

Ramping up efforts

Since Sept. 11, Congress and the agencies have taken the food supply threat more seriously. The U.S. Department of Agriculture was given $376 million in fiscal 2006 for its Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative--more than three times the $111 million it received in fiscal 2004. Almost $59 million of that will finance a state-of-the-art animal disease research and diagnostic facility in Ames, Iowa.

Shortly after Sept. 11, USDA created its own homeland security office to coordinate terrorism-preparedness plans among the department's agencies. The goal of the administration's latest interagency plan is to identify security shortcomings in all segments of the food supply chain.

Other agencies are also involved. The Department of Homeland Security is financing regional training programs. The Centers for Disease Control has created PulseNet, which categorizes strains of food-borne diseases to improve surveillance and speed responses by local and state health agencies in cases of an outbreak.

Several state and county agencies have ramped up plans. For example, in Cuming County, Neb., the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension Service helped organize biosecurity preparedness meetings with county leaders, local emergency responders, producer groups and veterinarians. Cuming County is the top feedlot county in the state and one of the top beef counties in the country. Since livestock represents more than 88 percent of the agricultural income in the county, a disease outbreak would be economically devastating.

"We talked through issues that would be key and important for awareness," said Extension educator Larry Howard. "With something of that magnitude, it wouldn't take long before you have an explosion on your hands," Howard said.

Not enough?

Some folks are concerned that federal and state governments still aren't doing enough. Earlier this spring, a Government Accountability Office report found fault with certain federal anti-terrorism operations. The USDA wouldn't be able to deploy animal vaccines within 24 hours of a disease outbreak, as required by presidential directive, the report said. And border checks of agriculture products have declined significantly since the Homeland Security Department took charge, mostly because of vacancies in the ranks of inspectors.

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-KS, has been at the forefront of trying to provide more money to identify threats and combat agro-terrorism but it's an ongoing effort. Roberts held the first hearing on the issue of agro-terrorism in 1999 and authored provisions to protect agriculture in the 2002 Bioterrorism Preparedness Bill.

Along with Sen. Ben Nelson, D-NE, Roberts recently introduced legislation that could lead to improved security at sites where agricultural chemicals are stored. The Agricultural Business Security Tax Credit Act of 2005 provides tax credits on the amount paid to implement security measures at agricultural facilities where pesticides and fertilizers are stored. Agriculture retailers, distributors, manufacturers, formulators and aerial applicators of agricultural pesticides or fertilizers are eligible for the credit.

"It is critical that we think outside the box to continue to fight and win the war on terrorism," Roberts said. "There is evidence that some of the 9/11 hijackers had training in agriculture. It is also no secret that highly hazardous and volatile chemicals are used in agriculture and should be secured from drug traffickers and terrorists."

Editor's note: Columnist Sara Wyant is president of Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc. and publishes a bi-weekly newsletter, Agri-Pulse, on food and farm policy. For more information, you can e-mail her at Agripulse@aol.com.