US Congressmen Zach Nunn and Don Davis recently introduced a bill with the focus to protecting the nation’s food supply. 

The bipartisan bill, “Cybersecurity in Agriculture Act,” will create a national cybersecurity network to identify and mitigate cyber vulnerabilities within the food and agriculture industry. Nunn says that farmers and producers are often vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks. Nunn explains that this bill would establish five regional agriculture cybersecurity centers across the country and a national network to conduct research and analyze cybersecurity threats for the agricultural sector.  He mentions that just one cyber attack could cripple the nation’s food supply. 

“Ag Has become one of the top industries targeted by adversaries. And really what they’re finding is that because you could put a hog farm in a shut down of its control systems for air conditioning or food and water and effectively kill an entire herd on a hot summer day if the ransom is not paid.”

Nunn says that in 2021 in Ottumwa, Iowa there was a meat packing factory that had to shut down production in 13 facilities due to a cybersecurity problem. He notes an Iowa grain cooperative was shut down due to cybersecurity in the same year. For those who want to read the full bill can do it here.