SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois farm groups are joining forces with law enforcement to improve security related to agriculture, creating the Agro-Security Working Group.

The group is an attempt to get in front of security issues before they become life-threatening problems, said Springfield FBI agent David Ford. Leading the group is Steffan Nass, weapons of mass destruction coordinator in the Springfield division.

“The bureau, in general, is being proactive as part of a larger outreach nationally,” Nass said. “Each state is developing its own associations as part of a larger FBI anti-terrorism initiative.”

Nass said there have been no specific threats, but “the threat is there and the threat is real. We are trying to get ahead of it to prevent any act of terrorism.”

In Illinois, the FBI is partnering with the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB), Illinois Pork Producers, Illinois Corn Growers, Illinois Soybean Assoc., Illinois Beef Assoc., Midwest Dairy Assoc., Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Assoc., USDA-Veterinary Services, Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), Illinois EPA, Illinois State Police, Illinois Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

Informally, law enforcement have been working with the ag sector, but Nass said the working group formalizes existing relationships while adding other organizations. He said the first formal meeting was in May 2011. The group plans to meet semi-annually.

“We have one liaison from each group or association, but the information that we develop is shared throughout the associations,” Nass said. “Illinois has been wonderful. The agencies are great to work with. We (the FBI) don’t have the expertise that the local agencies have.”

He said all members of the group had input on the educational brochure produced, but the IFB took the lead. “Steffan made contact with various groups at the August 2009 Farm Progress Show,” said David Patton, field operations manager for IFB.

“He’s done programs around the state for different ag groups, and it’s pretty compelling. One of our goals is to raise awareness in the ag community of things to be alert for, things that are out of the norm.”

Examples he gave include people taking pictures of things not normally photographed or people asking about ag chemicals, which can be used to make explosives.

“Obviously, if there’s a crime in progress, you should call 911 for assistance, but sometimes you see things that just look out of the norm,” Patton said.

“We just want to let the ag community know there are threats, to report anything out of the ordinary and who to report it to,” said Jim Kunkle, manager of emergency programs, livestock and animal administrator with the IDOA.

“We know that international terrorists have looked at livestock diseases. It’s a concern and it’s important to take as many precautions as possible because ag is such a wide-open industry.”

“We are learning about what could take place,” Patton added. “One of the things we’ve learned is that reports go into a database and the FBI takes a look at the country as a whole. This is an attempt to identify things that could lead to someone before an act is committed.

“This is just the beginning of the effort, and we’re not sure where we’ll go from here.”

To report any suspicious activity, contact the Springfield office of the FBI at 217-522-9675 or the IDOA at 217-782-4944. For more information or to download a copy of the group’s informational brochure, visit www.agr.state.il.us