That multidisciplinary approach is at the heart of all that Kansas State University’s National Agricultural Biosecurity Center does as it works to protect America’s agricultural infrastructure and economy from the threat of disease.

One way the center taps into a variety of perspectives is by holding a monthly forum to discuss a topic having to do with agricultural biosecurity. Presentations to date have been from the university disciplines one might expect—such as the center itself and the Food Science Institute—to those one might not think of, including computer science, geography and journalism.

“The forum is designed to bring people from across campus together to lend their perspective, and pick apart the complex issues facing agricultural biosecurity today,” said Marty Vanier, associate director of the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center. “From this office we try to reach out and touch everyone and anyone on campus and ask them for help.”

The next forum will be at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, in Room 212 of the K-State Student Union. It will feature K-State’s Ludek Zurek on antibiotic resistance and food safety. Zurek, who has a joint appointment in the departments of entomology and diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, studies microbial ecology, particularly the ecology of food-borne and animal pathogens, the ecology and transfer of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes, and the insect and mammalian gastrointestinal microbial ecology.

“Antibiotic resistance is an ongoing concern when it comes to a safe and reliable food supply for the U.S.,” Vanier said. “Dr. Zurek will explain in detail why this development is so important and what critical steps are needed to keep the nation’s food supply safe. The hope is that other disciplines from the university can bring different perspectives on what needs to be done to bolster our defenses.”

Each forum gives faculty and staff from across the university a chance to hear about a particular aspect of agricultural biosecurity, and to offer their own professional insight into how to resolve the problems.

“At the center we’re not just talking about being interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary, we’re doing it,” Vanier said. “ We’re talking the talk and walking the walk.”

The forum is open to the public. For more information, contact Justin Kastner at jkastner@k-state.edu or 785-532-4820.

News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, kmayes@k-state.edu

NOTE: To view the report from the Prinston site, click on the heading, “Final Report: A Comparative Study of Four States’ Public Health Systems: Survey Results from Local Health Departments, Physicians, and Veterinarians.”

Franz made his presentation, “Biosecurity: Protecting Our Livestock Industry,” Feb. 18.

Because animal populations are now more concentrated than ever before and are transported more widely, even internationally, few technical barriers exist to prevent the intentional introduction of highly infectious and contagious biological agents that could cause significant economic damage to the livestock industry, according to Franz.

“Protecting our herds and flocks from intentional disease is at once more difficult and it requires a different set of tools than we have used in our ongoing struggle with natural disease,” he said.

Franz, who also is the chief biological scientist at the Midwest Research Institute, has served as director of K-State’s National Agricultural Biosecurity Center since fall 2003. The center, which coordinates K-State’s interdisciplinary efforts in agricultural safety and security, is dedicated to protecting the nation’s agricultural infrastructure through planning and training for threats, whether natural or intentional.

Franz also has served as commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, and has been deputy commander of the Army’s Medical Research and Materiel Command.

He served as the chief inspector on three United Nations special commission biological warfare inspection missions to Iraq, and as a technical adviser on long-term monitoring. He also served as a member of the first two United States/United Kingdom teams that visited Russia in support of the Trilateral Joint Statement on Biological Weapons, and as a member of the Trilateral Experts’ Committee for biological weapons negotiations. In addition, he was technical editor for the Textbook of Military Medicine on Chemical and Biological Defense released in 1997.

Some of his current national-level committee appointments include the Defense Intelligence Agency Red Team Bio-Chem 2020, Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Threat Reduction Advisory Committee, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity and the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee for Research with Russian Biological Institutes, which he chairs. Franz also serves on the Kansas Bioscience Authority Board, the Dean’s Advisory Council of the College of Veterinary Medicine at K-State and is an adjunct professor in the college’s department of diagnostic medicine pathobiology.

Franz earned a D.V.M. from K-State and a Ph.D. in physiology from the Baylor College of Medicine.

K-State President Jon Wefald said, “Sen. Pat Roberts asked us in 1999 to consider emerging threats that might face Kansas and America. K-State’s food safety and security program—launched as a result—recognized the national need for additional biocontainment research facilities. With the senator’s help, and investment by the State of Kansas, we now have the Biosecurity Research Institute coming on line in 2006. The BRI is state of the art and one of a kind in the world today.

“In America, food is quite inexpensive and plentiful and that makes us complacent,” Wefald said. “Inexpensive food also provides Americans with the discretionary spending that underpins our standard of living. Sen. Roberts recognized this threat to America’s economy and the need for programs and facilities to address the threat. With the BRI, K-State will be at the forefront of protecting America’s agricultural infrastructure, food supply and economy. Moreover, research in the BRI can deal with animal pathogens that cause diseases in people as well, things like avian flu that we’ve been hearing so much about.”

James Stack, a K-State professor of plant pathology and director of the Great Plains Diagnostic Network, also will direct the Biosecurity Research Institute. Stack reports to Dr. David Franz, a veterinarian and former Commander of the U.S. Army’s Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, now director of K-State’s National Agricultural Biosecurity Center.

Research conducted in the Biosecurity Research Institute will examine pathways by which pathogens can spread and look at issues related to countermeasures and animal carcass disposal after a potentially catastrophic event.

Roberts is a fourth generation Kansan from Dodge City. He served eight terms as a congressman from the First District and is now in his second term as a United States Senator.

As chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and a former Marine, Roberts is leading the effort to improve the country’s intelligence gathering and analysis capabilities at a critical time in our nation’s history.

Prior to 9/11, Roberts cautioned the country that an attack on America’s homeland was possible. After September 11, 2001, columnist David Broder wrote in the Washington Post, “In words that now appear to be eerily prescient, Roberts warned (in 1999) that there was a ‘real opportunity for a handful of zealots to wreak havoc on a scale that hitherto only armies could attain.’”

Roberts chaired the House Agriculture Committee from 1995-1997, and led the reform of federal farm policies. He is a key member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, writing legislation to assist in drought relief, helping to restore beef trade with Japan and authoring reforms to the federal crop insurance program.

Following graduation from Kansas State University in 1958, Roberts served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years, then worked as a reporter and editor for several Arizona newspapers. He joined the staff of Kansas Sen. Frank Carlson in 1967. In 1969, Roberts became administrative assistant to Kansas’ First District Congressman Keith Sebelius. Roberts was elected to Congress in 1980, succeeding Sebelius upon his retirement. He was first elected to the Senate in 1996 following the retirement of Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (Baker) and won re-election in 2002.

Source: Ron Trewyn, 785-532-5110, trewyn@k-state.edu
Web: http://tinyurl.com/hnneq
News release prepared by: Cheryl May, 785-532-6415, may@k-state.edu

“We work on many fronts to ensure that our nation continues to provide the safest food supply in the world,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner. “While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to protecting agriculture, recommendations in this guide can be beneficial to a variety of types and sizes of agricultural operations.”

Food and agriculture biosecurity is an important component of USDA’s mission. Improving awareness through enhanced outreach and communications is a key element of USDA’s homeland security efforts. The voluntary guidelines and checklists were developed based upon recommendations made by producers throughout the United States. Guidelines have been developed for general agriculture; dairy; crops; cattle and poultry security.

This guide is the latest in a series of materials produced by USDA to bolster food and agriculture security. USDA continues to work closely with its federal, state and local government partners as well as industry stakeholders to develop sector-wide guidelines. For instance, guidance has been issued by USDA for food processors and distributors, and for agricultural transporters in coordination with the trucking industry.

Agriculture and food account for 13 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product, 18 percent of its employment and $140 billion in revenue. USDA continues to work with its federal, state, local partners as well as industry in protecting the nation’s agriculture and food production, from threats such as natural disasters and either the naturally occurring, intentional or unintentional introduction of diseases and pathogens as they do not respect geographic borders. The interconnected global food system contributes to our nation’s economic strength by improving production and marketing efficiency and providing timely responses to consumer needs.

USDA’s local Farm Service Agency Service Centers are distributing the “Pre-Harvest Security Guidelines and Checklist 2006” to agricultural producers throughout the country. For more information about USDA’s homeland security efforts, go to http://www.usda.gov/homelandsecurity.