In 2021, a ransomware gang hit an Iowa grain co-op and demanded $6 million to unlock its systems. For days, the operation that feeds millions of livestock and moves 40% of Iowa’s soybeans and 20% of our corn went offline—forcing operations to revert back to faxes and handwritten tickets.
Zoom out: This wasn’t an isolated attack. According to the Food and Agriculture Information Sharing and Analysis Center, cyberattacks on U.S. agriculture jumped nearly 120% between 2023 and 2024.
Hackers are now targeting co-ops across the Midwest, probing food systems for weak spots, often on behalf of adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
📺 Watch this video to learn about how our new bipartisan bill—the Cybersecurity in Agriculture Act—brings Iowa innovation to the front lines of this fight:
Here’s what the bill does:
🏫 Establishes five Regional Agriculture Cybersecurity Centers, including one we’re working to bring to Iowa State University
🔬 Funds R&D for secure farm systems like automated threat detection in co-ops
🧪 Launches real-world testing labs and training simulations for ag tech defenses
👩💻 Equips the next generation of ag professionals with hands-on cybersecurity skills
Bottom Line: Iowa is leading the charge to defend America’s farms from growing cyber threats, and I’ll continue working to make sure our producers have the tools to stay secure and keep feeding the nation.