News

 

2008

September

• The Center for Agriculture and Food Security and Preparedness has been selected to receive two new training grant awards through the Competitive Training Grants Program from FEMA/ Department of Homeland Security. Of 11 grants awarded across the country, the Center received two of the 3 year grants, totaling close to 5 million dollars.. (more)
• The Center for Agriculture and Food Security and Preparedness is pleased to announce that they have received additional funding from DHS / FEMA to support additional deliveries of their DHS/FEMA certified course MGT 332: Agriculture and Food Vulnerability Assessment Training Course. The Center is currently scheduling classes starting October 2008. To schedule a course delivery in your community, please contact Ms. Ann White at awhite26@utk.edu or at 865-974-0345. For more information on this important training course, please see our website or contact Ms. White with your questions.

May

• Dr. Sharon Thompson, Director of the College of Veterinary Medicine's Center for Agricultural and Food Security and Preparedness (CAFSP) was among the featured panelists on "Live Response," an award-winning educational/informational program produced by the National Terrorism Prevention Institute (NTPI). "Live Response" is a 60 minute satellite television broadcast and web cast featuring dynamic panel discussions with leading experts who share their knowledge and experiences about terrorism awareness, prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.

   

  This segment of "Live Response" is still available for viewing on the NTPI website (click on "Live Response") at http://terrorism.spcollege.edu or by calling the NTPI toll free at (877) 257-3182, ext. 4116. "Live Response" is a product of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the National Integration Center (NIC) Training and Exercise Integration.

2007

November

• The Director also presented at the Tennessee Public Health Association Conference "Response in an Animal Disaster - Key Issues".
  

October

• Associate Directors Drs. Welborn and Potgieter presented three presentations for Idaho's Bureau of Homeland Security's 2007 Idaho Prepared Conference. Their presentations were entitled, "Potential Impacts of Agroterrorism", "Agents of Agroterrorism", and "Assessing Vulnerabilities on a Community Basis".
• The Center was asked to deliver a presentation for the Alabama Association for Food Protection. The presentation, entitled "Overview of a DHS Course on Agriculture and Food Vulnerability Assessment" was delivered on the 24th in Birmingham, AL.

September

• The Director of the Center was asked to participate in a Department of Homeland Security expert group aligning training needs with the Target Capabilities List on animal emergency response and food defense.
• The Center's director gave a presentation on "Initiatives to Protect Agriculture and Food Sectors from Terrorist & Criminal Acts" to the University of Tennessee's Master's of Public Health program.

August

• The Center's DVD on "Animal Handling in a Disaster Response" was completed and made available to Tennessee Homeland Security District 2 personnel. This DVD can be ordered online from the Center's website at no cost to District 2 personnel and for a small fee to those responders outside of District 2.
• A member of the Center's staff attending the Agriculture Emergency Response Training (AgERT) course located at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, AL. This week long training is course is designed to bring emergency responders and members of the agriculture community together to discuss issues related to responding to an agricultural disaster.

July

• The Center added two new members to its staff. Dr. Matthew Welborn joined to Center to become its Associate Director of Public Health Initiatives and Dr. Leon Potgieter as Associate Director for Infectious Disease Research and Training.
• The Center hosted a seminar entitled "Animal Disaster Response" for Tennessee Homeland Security District 2 responders. This one day seminar covered topics such as: capture, control, and holding of animals during a disaster, triage, first aid, and euthanasia techniques for livestock in a disaster, biosecurity for producers and responders, and new sheltering requirements related to companion animals.
• Staff members attended and presented an exhibit at the 2007 American Veterinary Medical Association Conference in Washington, DC.

June

• Center Director and a staff member attend and presented an exhibit for the Annual Instructors Professional Development Conference held in Baton Rouge, LA. The conference was sponsored by the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training Academy of Counter-terrorist Education.
  
• Center hosted a pilot for a new DHS training course entitled "Avian Influenza Response: Training for Responders". This course was developed by Kirkwood Community College (Cedar Rapids, IA) and its collaborators. The Center served as collaborator in the development on this program.
  
• The Center's Director was invited to speak at the Alabama Security Conference in Birmingham, AL.

May

• In collaboration with the USDA, the Center co-hosted the 2007 Foreign Animal and Emerging Disease (FAED) Conference in Knoxville, TN. This conference brought together veterinarians and responders from across the country to learn about diseases that are not currently found in the US, but could enter this country with extreme consequence. Speakers from South African, the UK, Canada, and UDSA's Plum Island came to share their first hand experiences with these FAED's with the audience.
• The Center and the collaborators on its DHS sponsored "Agriculture and Food Vulnerability Assessment Training Course" met with DHS and it Review Panel in Knoxville for the course's final review. DHS approved and certified the training course and assigned it the catalog number MGT 332.

February

• The Center hosted a seminar entitled "Integrated Response in an Agricultural Disaster" for Tennessee Homeland Security District 2 responders. This one day seminar covered topics such as: the roles of local, state, and federal government in an agricultural disaster, handling of both small and large animals in a disaster, personal protective equipment, animal disposal issues after a disaster, and key elements for recovery planning.
• The Center hosted a seminar entitled "Agroterrorism and Biosecurity" for Tennessee Homeland Security District 2 responders. This one day seminar covered topics such as: the potential impacts of agroterrorism, agents of concern for crops, animals, and food, assessing vulnerabilities on a community basis, and hardening targets through the development of a biosecurity plan.

January

• The Center conducted its second and third pilots for its DHS sponsored course, "Agriculture and Food Vulnerability Assessment Training Course" in Las Cruces, NM and Tulare, CA respectively.
• Copies of the Center's photographic media materials (developed for their DHS training program) were provided upon request to the Western Institute of Food Safety and Security; the USDA Animal, Plant Health Inspection Service; and the US Food and Drug Administration for use in their future training efforts.

 

2006

 

December

• The Center Director was invited to participate in an agroterrorism planning session with representatives from DHS, USDA, and other training partners at Plum Island.
• The Center conducted its first pilot for its DHS sponsored course, "Agriculture and Food Vulnerability Assessment Training Course" in Knoxville, TN.

November

• The Honor Society of Agriculture, Gamma Sigma Delta, at the University of Tennessee, awarded their Team Award of Merit to the project development team for the "Agriculture & Food Vulnerability Assessment Training Program."
• A representative for the Center attended meetings at USDA's Plum Island Animal Disease Center and delivered a presentation in the Center's DHS "Agriculture and Food Vulnerability Assessment Training Course".
  
• Center staff participated in the Grants and Training Annual Meeting held in Washington, D.C. in November 2006.

September

• The Center Director was invited to speak at the FBI Agroterrorism Symposium (Kansas City, MO) in a break out session on educational opportunities on prevention / response to agroterrorism by land grant universities. The program also sponsored an exhibit booth at the symposium.

August

• The Center Director and Program Administrator attended and provided an informational exhibit on the Center's DHS training program at the 4th Annual Instructors Professional Development Conference held in Baton Rouge, LA. The conference was sponsored by the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training Academy of Counter-terrorist Education.