The food we eatNew college program on food security
The United States has avoided a major terrorist attack to its food chain, but a small vial of a lethal chemical, such as the nerve toxin ricin, could be introduced anywhere along the chain, injuring thousands directly and, like 9/11, affecting whole industries; Polk State College’s newest program, the Agriculture Business/Technology Institute, will address critical industry issues, including the need for greater security in the food chain
Organizers of Polk State College’s newest program, the Agriculture Business/Technology Institute, said they hoped it would lead the way in addressing critical industry issues, including the need for greater security in the food chain.
The institute kicked off two weeks ago with six one-day classes on water management and agricultural safety. Those are two of three critical areas the institute will focus on during its first year based on recommendations from an advisory panel of local and regional agricultural officials.
The Ledger’s Kevin Bouffard writes that the third is homeland security, which will be offered through a series of online courses beginning in the next couple of months, said the institute’s director, Tom Grothouse.
As a former American Airlines manager working in Miami on 9/11, Grothouse experienced the necessity of raising awareness for tighter security measures in agriculture. American owned two of the four airplanes involved in the 9/11 attacks. “American and United airlines were the only airlines attacked that day, but the entire industry was shut down for 21 days,” he said.
The lesson for agriculture: “It doesn’t matter who gets attacked, the entire industry will suffer.”
The institute is part of the PSC Corporate College, which offers nondegree courses that train workers and managers on important business-related skills. This is the first program in Florida focusing on workforce technical training in agriculture, the state’s second-largest industry, Grothouse said.
Ben Albritton, a member of the institute’s advisory committee, agreed the programs fill unmet needs, particularly in the college’s service area covering Polk, Hardee, Highlands and DeSoto counties.
“What we’re finding in agriculture is we have to stay on top of agricultural advances, particularly in food processing and packaging,” said Albritton, a Wauchula grower, former chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission and Republican candidate for Florida House District 66, which covers Hardee and parts of Highlands and Polk. “This is hugely visionary.”
The online security courses will offer training for everyone from management to workers on recognizing and monitoring security risks, Grothouse said. They will deal with businesses along the entire food chain from the farm and ranch through processing/packing companies to the supermarket.
Bouffard writes that although the U.S. has avoided a major terrorist attack to its food chain, the fact is a small vial of a lethal chemical, such as the nerve toxin ricin, could be introduced anywhere along the chain, injuring thousands directly and, like 9/11, affecting whole industries, he said.
DHS has identified three foods— juice, water, and milk — that are particularly vulnerable, Grothouse said.
The food security training “really fits well in Polk County because it has so many (citrus juice) processing and packing plants,” Albritton noted.
The institute is planning a homeland security summit for 1 October in Winter Haven featuring experts from the federal government, law enforcement and corporate security, Grothouse said.
The advisory panel also recommended the need for more technical training in agricultural safety and water management. “They’re constant needs, and they’re growing needs,” said Albritton, noting the long history of competition between urban and agriculture areas over water.
The three water management courses this week will deal with water-use permitting, water management and an introduction to a state program call FARMS, or Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems, Grothouse said. The other three classes will deal with occupational safety regulations, equipment safety and respiratory protection for farm workers involved in chemical spraying.
All six cost just $60 per person for about four hours of classroom time. In its first year, the institute hopes to offer more than 20 other similar classes serving more than 300 workers, Grothouse said. It hopes eventually to develop a mobile classroom that can travel the entire state.
“I expect it to be successful,” Albritton said.
