Rural Missouri residents watching for ag terrorists

LANGDON, Mo. -- Since Sept. 11, Richard R. Oswald has been keeping a closer eye on strangers coming through his rural Atchison County neighborhood.

"I'm very aware," he said. "People in the country tend to be more watchful. We always recognize people who don't belong."

Oswald, 52, is among many rural residents who are watching out for agroterrorists, while law-enforcement officials and community leaders think about how to guard against sabotage involving the food supply.

"On one hand, we don't want to be alarmist," said Charles Kruse, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau. "We don't want to get up every day and live in constant fear. We just have to be more vigilant than we have in the past."

Kruse said Farm Bureau committees have met recently to discuss agroterrorism.

"A year ago right now, people would say this discussion is a little strange," Kruse said.

Since Sept. 11, however, farm operations of all sizes have re-examined security issues.

"We've taken a look at protocol and heightened awareness," said Charlie Arnot, spokesman for Kansas City-based Premium Standard Farms.

Rob Mattson, who raises hogs near Cameron, said he keeps an eye out for strangers and suspicious activity at the farm.

"We're probably more aware of it now than before," Mattson said.

Catching underage drinkers

In Holt County, Sheriff Terry Edwards said authorities maintain two additional rural patrols at night. In particular, sheriff's deputies keep an eye on truck stops.

So far, he said, the increased patrols have turned up little more than teen-agers drinking alcohol.

Edwards said rural residents also are good at being aware of anything suspicious.

"It's like a giant neighborhood watch," Edwards said.

Kruse said the government has a role in preventing terrorism on farms, but much of the burden rests on those who live in rural areas.

"You're talking about a huge geographic area," he said. "We have to be more vigilant. We have to be more aware. We have to talk about the possibilities of what might happen."

State veterinarian Taylor Woods said defending against agroterrorism is difficult for several reasons. Farms operate in vast, open-air locations; food passes through numerous stages before reaching the consumer; and the potential weapons are numerous.

"We don't know which threat we're looking at, whether it's anthrax in animals, anthrax in humans, hog cholera, foot-and-mouth disease or smallpox," Woods said. "We don't know what's out there they might use on us."