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Just a year ago, the phrase "homeland security" was nowhere to be found in the political vernacular, but today it is our top priority. From airline travel to border security to the safety of American agriculture, we have had to reassess our preparation level, refocus priorities, and realign resources to meet the critical need of ensuring the safety of our people.

It’s a different kind of war and requires a different defense structure. USDA has been actively involved in the plans for the new Department of Homeland Security, which will, among other things, coordinate all of the many border security functions.

In recent weeks, the Bush Administration has been working with the House Agriculture Committee to refine the plan to move USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service into the new Department of Homeland Security. The result has been an amendment that will move the specialized border inspection and enforcement functions of APHIS as well as the Plum Island Disease Facility into the new department, but keep the other functions at USDA.

Agroterrorism is an issue that hits home here in the Midwest, where any threat to our crops and livestock is a threat to our livelihood. From their paychecks to the safety of the food they eat, millions of Americans rely on our agricultural economy. Our food supply system provides Americans with choice, abundance and safety by relying on a global economy and unparalleled international interconnectedness. But it is that same interconnectedness that is American agriculture’s greatest vulnerability as diseases, pests and contaminants do not respect international borders.

At the Department of Agriculture, we have a long history – and a solid record – of preventing and effectively responding to devastating disease and pests that threaten crops and livestock. But the threats for which we had prepared were unintentional outbreaks, not agricultural weapons of mass destruction. Soon after Sept. 11, Secretary Veneman asked me to head USDA’s homeland security mobilization organized around two primary goals: protection of the food supply and agricultural production and protecting USDA facilities, infrastructure and staff. (We determined) the best offense is a good defense. This is the approach we have taken at USDA, realizing that the best way to fight terrorists who would target our food supply is to simply take their options off the table, by having an effective response plan in place.

Unlike our airports, borders or seaports, American agriculture covers an enormous range of land, with hundreds of thousands of farms, ranches and processing plants. That means we need a similarly widespread capability to detect, diagnose and respond to intentional or accidental threats.

APHIS or USDA or the new Department of Homeland Security can’t do that alone. One of our greatest challenges is educating and enabling states, universities and producers to help detect, respond and even prevent an outbreak.

Beefing up our research capability – and its capacity – is another important part of our plan. One of USDA’s most significant accomplishments thus far in the war on terrorism is putting in place a stronger rapid detection and response network that provides redundancy and additional capacity. We’ve also taken action to prepare and educate first-responders and veterinarians who are literally our first line of defense in a future attack.

These are just a couple of examples of how we’ve been working to put in place a precise and effective plan. But the real action takes place on the farms, in the communities, in the processing plants, in state departments of agriculture, and all across America. Therein lies the greatest challenge we have before us – the challenge of communication.

Greater information sharing, improved education, and tying in so many players in so many places is an immense task and one we are committed to improving upon. This is a huge task and involves changing the mindset of many people to understand that these threats are real. USDA has already developed educational materials and checklists designed to reach producers, processors and others, to make them aware that they have a role to play in homeland security. Producers and processors, in particular, need to also understand that these homeland security measures are good business. The potential of a devastating outbreak far outweighs the cost of basic biosecurity protocols. As a pork producer myself, I can tell you how much of an inconvenience these things seem like at times. But compared to the potentially devastating loss of a herd, crops or even lives, commonsense biosecurity measures are a much needed risk management step.

The task before us is a significant one. Security from intentional attack is not an issue most in agriculture have really worried about. Located in the heartland of America, we have never been the biggest targets for our foreign enemies whether they are military super powers or the terrorists of today. But I can tell you that this is one farmer whose viewpoint was changed in just a few minutes on Sept. 11. Our enemy is looking for vulnerabilities and they are looking to hit us where it hurts the most. That’s why we have to be vigilant in defining agroterrorism as the very real and possible threat it is and be prepared to do whatever it takes to stand in its way.

"History," the President said, "has called our nation into action. History has placed a great challenge before us. Will America, with our unique position in power, blink in the face of terror, or will we lead to a freer, more civilized world?" The American people have collectively responded to that question with unqualified support for freedom, security and standing up to those who wish to do us harm.