What Is Agro-Terrorism And What Could This New Iowa Bill Do About It?

Not everything is coming up roses.

Now that it's summer, corn is planted (particularly early this year, actually) and we're all hoping for 'knee high by the 4th of July'.

But after a recent incident in Michigan, Iowa lawmakers have an agri-centric issue to tackle. And it's on the docket to be introduced on Capitol Hill.

Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn told KCCI that he plans to introduce a new bill that fights agro-terrorism. He's calling it the "Plant Act".

It would establish a new criminal offense for "knowingly or recklessly importing, transporting or possessing high-risk agricultural biological agents not authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture". It could bring with it a 20 year prison sentence.

In Michigan, 2 Chinese nationals were busted (federally charged) after allegedly smuggling a fungus into a Midwestern field with the intent of infecting farmland and destroy crops.

Terrorism experts report that agro-terrorism is a growing issue. Dr. Jerrald Leikin,  University of Illinois-Chicago Public Health Professor, told NBC Chicago farm animals and people could have become very sick if the Chinese couple's plan had worked. In this case, it was Soviet-era microtoxins.

Iowa Representative's New Bill

Now, coming up on Capitol Hill, Rep. Nunn's new bill is soon to be introduced. Besides the federal punishment, the bill also provides agro-terrorism prevention tools for government agencies.

Corn and soybeans are Iowa's top crop exports, according to stats. Grant Kimberely, a corn and soybean farmer in Maxwell told KCCI that his operation relies a lot on technologies he worries might be breached.