MSU has joined a collaborative effort to develop products to prevent, respond to and recover from agriculture disasters.

A homeland security initiative, the Agriculture Disaster Research Institute brings together universities, a private research group and the agriculture industry to research natural, accidental and intentional agriculture disasters - such as the possibility of agri-terrorism.

"Agriculture is pretty vulnerable to terrorists, like other infrastructures in the country," said Lonnie King, dean of MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine.

King said the institute would try to improve national food supply security and prevent foreign diseases or chemicals from naturally or deliberately entering livestock.

"It's a combined program where these veterinary schools can come together and provide research and teaching with community groups and the agriculture industry to detect and respond to emerging disease problems," he said.

The institute is expected to be fully operational within a month and was founded by the Research Triangle Institute and North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Other universities involved include Kansas State and Auburn universities.

Each university, including MSU, has committed $5,000 for the initiative.

"It's still really early in the planning stage," King said. "It will start with these key states and it will spread.

"We really are looking at a national system."

Michael Bryan, a researcher with the Research Triangle Institute, said the kinds of projects the institute will take on could vary.

If there was an outbreak of mad cow disease in the United States, and the agriculture industry needed to destroy a large number of cattle, the institute might be called upon to find a way to dispose of a massive number of carcasses safely, Bryan said.

Or the institute might look for a practical early detection system for mad cow disease pathogens, to prevent the spread of the disease, he said.

"If you're a farmer or a big agriculture corporation, you have a big investment in the food supply," Bryan said.

"Anything that can reduce your risk can be potentially beneficial."

But Sara Linsmeier-Wurfel, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Agriculture, said the department had "no information whatsoever to indicate that agriculture would be targeted."

Though resources are tight, homeland security is a priority and Michigan veterinarians are trained in handling foreign animal diseases, she said.

Linsmeier-Wurfel said it's the first time she's heard of the institute, and Michigan's food supply is secure.

The department is taking the possibility of agri-terrorism seriously from animal health to pesticide use to food safety, Linsmeier-Wurfel said.

"We already have a pretty solid emergency management system in place," she said.