Alabama A&M University President Daniel K. Wims made history last week when he became the first A&M president to testify before Congress, appearing before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology during its hearing, “Surveying the Threat of Agroterrorism: Perspectives on Food, Agriculture, and Veterinary Defense.”
Introduced by Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Dale Strong, R-Alabama, Wims used his remarks to underscore the vulnerabilities in America’s food and agriculture systems, pointing out that farmers in the Southeast are especially exposed to risks ranging from foreign land acquisitions to disruptions caused by terrorism.
“Our farmers and producers throughout the Southeast are very open and very vulnerable. If they lose a season, they essentially lose the means to support their families and maintain their farms,” Wims said, stressing that awareness, education, and technical assistance are critical. “That requires funding and stronger collaboration between research and extension, particularly against the terrorism dangers we face.”
He urged lawmakers to support strategies that connect traditional agriculture with modern technology, such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, warning that weaknesses in production, processing, distribution, and storage could all become targets without stronger defenses.
“We think that awareness as well as education and technical assistance with very clear and concise research to produce data-driven information from our researchers… requires funding, and there has to be a better and closer collaboration between research and extension, particularly relative to terrorism dangers that we face,” Wims said. “The challenge with us is being able to marry the agricultural sciences and research extension agents with our computer scientists and those professionally prepared in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. We have not done a good job with that.”
Drawing from his campus perspective, Wims emphasized that universities like AAMU must bridge disciplines to protect America’s food system. “We need systems in place – artificial intelligence, cybersecurity – to protect not just production but also the distribution, dissemination, and storage of food,” he added.
Strong praised Wims’ appearance as a milestone for the institution. “I am grateful to Dr. Wims for his participation in our hearing, marking the first time in Alabama A&M University’s history that a president has appeared before Congress. His testimony before the Homeland Security Subcommittee offered valuable insights on the threat of agroterrorism both to me and other members of the Subcommittee,” Strong said.
Wims testified alongside Cris Young, professor of practice at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Marty Vanier, director of the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center at Kansas State University, and Asha M. George, executive director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense. Together, the panel called for expanded research, stronger partnerships, and sustained federal investment to guard against potential disruptions to the nation’s food supply.
Founded in 1875, Alabama A&M is Alabama’s largest Historically Black College and University and a land-grant institution committed to teaching, research, and public service. The school is the state’s largest producer of minority STEM graduates and continues to play a critical role in advancing innovation and opportunity across Alabama and beyond.
