Posted on 06/03/2004 4:30:40 PM PDT by genefromjersey
One, is that very similar varieties of wheat are planted over enormous amounts of real estate; what ecologists refer to as "mono cropping". This makes the potential damage caused by one virus much greater. The same principle is observed in computers: a virus written to infect Microsoft XP machines has a much greater potential to do damage than a virus written for another operating system.
Two, there is at least one expert who suspects West Nile was deliberately introduced to North America (can't remember who he is, he was at Fort Dietrich and is now a professor in Kansas? my memory is fuzzy here). He thinks it was a test or warning. Anyone with the technical wherewithal to do that can handle a wheat virus.
By the way, a virus destroyed 1/3 of the North American corn crop in the late 60s. A colleague of mine studies the vector, a leaf hopper (a relative of the cicada, incidentally).
I'm putting the onus on GMO's. It's going to breed all kinds of mutations.
Pro-med has a little snippet of info tacked on to the original article by the pro-med mod:
[A 28-kD protein has been specifically associated with infected plants. More research is needed to determine the mode of spread of the pathogen. Also needed is more information about the protein and its relationship to disease expression. - Mod.DH]
Wheat is used to fatten beef for market. Premium beef is "corn fed" to improve flavor. Chickens eat lots of corn. I'm sure soy figures into the mix to improve protein content.
ProMed
It's just another isolated incident!!!
PING
Ever read "No Blade of Grass"?
I'm not. I've met Muslims who are quite intelligent but when provoked are surprisingly irrational (from my perspective). It would be a big mistake to underestimate what they are capable of.
Many Arabs are passing for hispanic. I hears that some are now changing their names to American Indian names - which is also working for them.
This will probably cause the price of gas to rise at the pump.
"By the way, a virus destroyed 1/3 of the North American corn crop in the late 60s"
They had to raise seed corn of virus resistant varieties in Hawaii or someplace in the off season to have some to plant for a crop in the states the next year.
Thanks for the ping, HT and tanks for the post, Gene.
Agricultural bio-terrorism-the specter at the dinner table
May 2004
http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/CustomsToday/2004/May/agroBio.xml
A bioterrorist attack on our agricultural infrastructure or the safety of our food supply would cause widespread damage, both to public health and to the nation's economy.
The damage done by an agro/bio-terrorism attack would occur in a domino effect. It would start as environmental damage-diseased animals and crops; and proceed to psychological damage and social disruption when people began to be afraid to go to the grocery store or to eat out. Finally, damage to the economy would occur-other countries would refuse to accept our meat and agriculture products. Lastly, the falling futures markets could produce a stock market crash.
===
Agricultural Bioterrorism
http://www.actionbioscience.org/newfrontiers/davis.html
called agroterrorism. Why? A hard look at the data will show us that the agriculture industry is unmatched in revenue and scope.
Food and fiber account for approximately 13% of the GDP and 24 million Americans are employed in agriculture directly -- that's 2% of the population.
In 1997, the agriculture industry generated over $1 trillion worth of business, a large portion (roughly $140 billion) of which was derived from export markets.
America has nearly 2 million farms where crops and animals are raised to provide the steady flow of high-quality, safe, and inexpensive foods to our tables and to those around the world.
America has become the world's leader in food production. In 1997, corn generated nearly $20 billion in sales; soybeans $16 billion; cattle $40 billion; and poultry $22 billion. In Iowa alone there was over $3 billion in sales of corn; $2.7 billion in soybeans; and $3 billion in pigs in 1997.
A terrorist attack on U.S. agricultural products would be disastrous. If any one of these commodities were to be significantly impacted by a bioterrorist event the results could be catastrophic. But the impact of a devastating attack on our food supply would not be limited just to the farmer. Businesses such as farm suppliers, transportation, grocery stores, restaurants, equipment distributors, and in the end consumers, all pay the price. Small towns could potentially be wiped out and put the supply of our food in peril, perhaps for a long time.
The economy would suffer greatly from agroterrorism.
Targeting the food supply
An attack against animals or crops is generally viewed as more benign and less offensive than if humans fell dead from a direct assault. Agricultural terrorism is not about killing animals; it is about crippling an economy. To that end agents foreign to U.S. livestock/poultry industries and crops would be preferred by terrorists.
It's that wheat germ again.....damn Kretchmer.
From my collection: "No blade of grass", John Christopher, (c)1956, 1st Equinox (Simony & Shyster pub) 1975, ISBN 0-380-00319-8. Right?
You seen this?
wheat is for people, corn is for cows.
The terrorscum have said (amongst other things)that we will not recognize the attack on our country at first. The Feds have worried about the food supply for months, I just read something about a grant being given to a college to work on this. It could be a little late. Ya think?
Now, about 2 months ago I opened a box of cereal and inside was the ugliest looking web that looked like cheesecloth and who knows what else was below that. I haven't had cereal since.
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