Iowa received a $2 million federal grant Monday to lead a multi-state project focused on agricultural counterterrorism.

Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, has been working to promote the state of Iowa as a good candidate to lead the Agricultural Counterterrorism Project, said James Carstensen, communications director for Latham.

“Iowa’s economy is so intertwined with agriculture,” Carstensen said. “This initiative has been on Latham’s agenda for three years.”

The project will determine possible gaps in agricultural security and increase security measures when necessary, Carstensen said. The project will also focus on preventive steps to avoid contamination of our food supply and prepare for potential emergencies in agricultural production and processing industries.

Before Sept. 11, Americans believed the country was safe from all attacks, Carstensen said, an idea proven wrong by the terrorist attacks.

This project will allow officials to consider every scenario, assess areas where security is weak and determine the most effective way to address terrorism situations, he said.

Radford Davis, assistant professor of veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine, said he agrees funding for agricultural counterterrorism is necessary.

Whether it is unintentional or intentional, disease agents can contaminate plants, Davis said. If substances entering the country are not carefully monitored, a disease that could end up costing billions of dollars could be imported by terrorists or by anyone else.

A response plan at the state level will better prepare Iowans if a terrorism situation were to occur, he said.

The state is still determining how the funds will be disbursed, Carstensen said.

Davis said he would recommend the state use the funds on better technology, such as geographic information systems and mapping technology. Such equipment could monitor the spread of disease, how it is handled and who is being affected by it. Better intelligence that could provide better data would also be beneficial, he said.

This project has been identified as a program that could develop into a national model for dealing with homeland security needs, Carstensen said.

One key to the Agricultural Counterterrorism Project is that it should encourage a coordinated response plan between many states, Davis said.

“Only having one state coming up with a solution is not as good as multiple states working together,” Davis said.

The other states involved in the partnership include Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin.