Barley

Chinese Scientist Accused Of Smuggling ‘Potential Agroterrorism Weapon’ Into the U.S.

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:10:38 GMT

Two Chinese nationals have been charged with trying to smuggle a fungus, Fusarium graminearum, into the United States.

Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, citizens of the People’s Republic of China, were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements and visa fraud.

The charges against the pair were unsealed in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, on Tuesday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office references Fusarium graminearum online as a “dangerous biological pathogen … which scientific literature classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon.”

Fusarium graminearum causes significant diseases in a number of U.S.-grown food crops, including corn, wheat, barley, soybeans and rice.

Diseases caused include Fusarium head blight (scab) in wheat, and two corn diseases Gibberella ear rot and Gibberella stalk rot , which can lower yield and feed quality of silage corn, according to the Crop Protection Network, a partnership of land grant universities.

Toxins the fungus produces can cause vomiting, liver damage, reproductive defects and mycotoxin-induced immunosuppression in humans and livestock, including cattle, hogs, horses and poultry.

One Scientist Arrested, One Returned To China
The 25-page criminal complaint alleges Liu tried to smuggle the fungus through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DMA) in July 2024, so he could study it at a University of Michigan laboratory where his girlfriend, Yunqing Jian, worked at the time.

Jian had been living in the U.S. and working at the university laboratory since 2022.

The roots of the case involving Yunqing Jian, 33, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, stretch back to March 2024. That is when Liu applied for a B2 tourist visa to enter the U.S.

(The Detroit News and Sanilac County Jail)

According to the criminal complaint, Jian and Liu had both previously conducted work on the fungus in China.

Officials further allege Jian received funding from the Chinese government for her research on the pathogen in China. They also claim she is a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

Jian, who was arrested by the FBI, remains in federal custody. On Thursday, her detention hearing was adjourned until 1 p.m. June 13 to allow time for a new defense attorney to get up to speed.

Liu was sent back to China last year after changing his story during an interrogation at the Detroit airport about red plant material discovered in a wad of tissues in his backpack, the FBI says.

The U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with China, which makes Liu’s arrest unlikely unless he returns.

In a statement released on June 3, the University of Michigan said it condemns “any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission.”

“It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals,” the university added. “We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution.”

In a statement released on June 3, the University of Michigan said it condemns “any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission.”

(Michigan News Source)

Boyfriend Spills Intentions To Investigators
An article in The Detroit News said Liu told investigators during an interrogation at the Detroit airport he planned to clone the different strains and make additional samples if the experiments on the reddish plant material failed, according to the government.

“Liu stated that he intentionally hid the samples in his backpack because he knew there were restrictions on the importation of the materials,” an FBI agent wrote. “Liu confirmed that he had intentionally put the samples in a wad of tissues so CBP officers would be less likely to find and confiscate them, and he could continue his research in the United States.”

Liu told investigators he planned on using UM’s Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction Laboratory to research the biological materials, the FBI agent wrote.

“Liu stated that, while he was in the United States, he would have free access to the laboratory at the University of Michigan on some days, and that other days his girlfriend would give him access to the laboratory to conduct his research,” The Detroit News article reported.

Before preventing Liu from entering the U.S. and sending him back to China, the investigators found messages between the couple that indicate Jian previously smuggled biological material into the U.S., the FBI agent wrote.

The messages are from August 2022 and discuss smuggling seeds into the U.S.

Lawmakers Respond To The Criminal Complaint
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the Justice Department “has no higher mission than keeping the American people safe and protecting our nation from hostile foreign actors who would do us harm.”

“Thanks to the hard work of our excellent DOJ attorneys, this defendant — who clandestinely attempted to bring a destructive substance into the United States — will face years behind bars,” the attorney general says.

“I can confirm that the FBI arrested a Chinese national within the United States who allegedly smuggled a dangerous biological pathogen into the country,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on Tuesday.

(FBI)

FBI Director Kash Patel addressed the arrest of Jian late Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter.

“This case is a sobering reminder that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences … putting American lives and our economy at serious risk.”

U.S. Custom and Border Protection, Director of Field Operations Marty C. Raybon says the criminal charges against Jian and Liu are indicative of CBP’s critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate its agricultural economy and cause harm to humans.

“This was a complex investigation involving CBP offices from across the country, alongside our federal partners,” says Raybon in a prepared statement. “I’m grateful for their tireless efforts, ensuring our borders remain secure from all types of threats while safeguarding America’s national security interests.”

Your next read: Surveillance State: Game Wardens Sued for Secret Private Land Intrusions in Alabama

Mexican Grain Importers Pause Investments

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:48:49 GMT

Whether it’s loaded and driven, or rolls out by rail, U.S. grains are pouring out of our country and heading for end users in Mexico.

“We use raw material [such as] corn, sorghum, wheat and cotton seed hulls to make feed for livestock,” said Ricardo Elizondo, owner of Forrajera Elizondo, a family-run feed mill in Monterrey, Mexico.

He said the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) helped make that grain, and in turn their feed competitive. They’d like to buy more.

“We have a plan for us to grow in 2018 but we’re waiting to see what happens with NAFTA before making the investment,” said Elizondo.

The plan is a multi-million-dollar decision that is putting their business and future on hold.

“My children have already started a different business, completely different to my business so they won’t have to depend on Mexican policies or American policies,” said Elizondo.

About an hour away, tucked into the hillsides near Sabinas, Hidalgo is the Rancho La Joya feedlot where owner Martin Gonzalez also hopes to one day share his business with family.

“The biggest part of this was my parents’ work,” said Gonzalez. “It was discipline. It was their hard work and continuity and that’s something I want to convey to my children and to my grandchildren.”

Since starting with 180 calves 30 years ago, the operation has grown steadily. Today, it’s feeding roughly 3,000 tons of corn a month to 20,000 head of cattle.

“Mexico has the potential to continue growing,” said Gonzalez. “We’re fortunate to be right next to the number one grain producing country.”

It’s an advantage in a competitive market where feedlot numbers continue to fall.

“I’m completely married to NAFTA,” said Gonzalez. “It’s going to help our country. It’s going to help both countries.”

For him, finding feed elsewhere is a problem he’d rather not face.

“We could look to South America, but it’s really not practical,” said Gonzalez. “Only if the United States just refused to sell to us, then we might have to resort to that.”

500 miles to the south, U.S. grains are satisfying a thirst in Mexico’s burgeoning craft beer industry.

“What is happening right now in Mexico is pretty similar to what happened 25 years ago in the United States,” said Jaime Andreu, CEO of Primus Brewery.

It’s a growing market for barley farmers in places like Montana.

“We have 400 Mexican breweries,” said Andreu. “80 percent of us import our base malts mainly from the United States.”

Free trade between neighbors is helping steep the industry here.

“If something changes in between the NAFTA relationship between Mexico and the U.S., of course the boom of craft beers in Mexico could be damaged a little bit,” said Andreu.

Since Mexico is one of the largest beer exporters in the world, the impact could bubble over into glasses across the globe.

“We have to really push our lawmakers on both sides of the border in Mexico and the U.S., to make it fair [and] to make it sustainable in terms of economic development for both countries,” said Andreau.

It’s one product, two countries and three Mexican businesses cautiously seeing if their future will include more or less American grain.

Winter Small Grains or Spring Small Grains: Which Should I Plant?

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:20 GMT

By: Daren Redfearn, Nebraska Extension Forage and Crop Residue Systems Specialist; Bruce Anderson, Nebraska Extension Forage Specialist; Jerry Volesky, Nebraska Extension Range and Forage Specialist; and Mitch Stephenson, Nebraska Extension Range and Forage Specialist

Not all small grain species are equal when it comes to forage production, but there are a few things that we can expect with some regularity. A few certainties are:

Oats will not survive the winter in the central and northern Great Plains.
It is hard to beat oats for fall forage production.
Cereal rye has slow fall growth, but it can be a superb spring forage.
Occasionally triticale or barley will be better than either oats or cereal rye.

Many of the seasonal differences between winter and spring small grains are related to vernalization or the need to go through a cold winter period. In many cool-season plants including the winter small grains, this physiological process is necessary for stem elongation and heading. It occurs through the combination of cold temperatures coupled with short day length.

Winter small grains have a strict requirement for vernalization to initiate stem elongation and heading. Winter species planted in the late summer or early fall will be vegetative only with minimal stem elongation. Forage yield be lower, but with high quality suitable for grazing. In spring once they resume growth, stem elongation and heading can occur rapidly.

Spring small grain species and cultivars do not require vernalization for stem elongation and heading. When planted in the late summer, some spring species can have significant fall growth. However, spring small grains have minimal or no winterhardiness, so when planted in the late summer or early fall they will most likely not survive the winter.

We can take advantage of vernalization to increase our understanding of forage production from the small grains. There are both spring and winter varieties with different forage production potential, season of production, and winterhardiness. This makes small grain species and variety selection important for expectations of forage production during the fall and spring.

PLANTING OPTIONS FOR FALL PRODUCTION
Both spring and winter small grains planted in late summer and early fall have the potential to produce fall forage. If fall forage production is a primary management goal, the best option may be to plant a spring species, such as oats or another spring small grain. Fall forage production from spring species is usually greater than winter species. However, fall forage production will vary because of the uncertainty in timely precipitation and extreme temperature fluctuations.

PLANTING OPTIONS FOR SPRING PRODUCTION
Cereal rye planted in late-summer or early fall is the best choice for the earliest possible spring grazing. The major disadvantage to cereal rye is that once it begins spring growth, it matures very quickly, becomes stemmy, and forage quality rapidly declines. Most cereal rye cultivars will survive winters in the central and northern Great Plains, regardless of whether they are they classified as a “northern type” or a “southern type”. Northern-type cereal rye cultivars are very winter hardy with longer winter dormant periods than the southern types. Southern types can have longer growth into the winter and are often the first of the small grains to begin growth the following spring. Expected spring production will usually provide 2 to 3 tons of forage per acre.

PLANTING SMALL GRAIN MIXTURES
Planting simple mixtures of winter and spring small grain species and varieties in late summer may increase the chance of producing both fall and spring grazing. One example is a mixture that includes both oats and cereal rye. Using this method, oats will provide the majority of the forage during the fall. It will winterkill, then the cereal rye will provide early spring grazing. There may be combinations of other small grains that are also suitable for improving seasonal distribution of forage yield.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Using small grains as a dependable forage source will depend on several factors, including production potential, season of production, and winterhardiness. All small grains can produce forage, so the options are:

Fall forage production only from oats, spring triticale, and/or spring barley
Mainly spring production from cereal rye, winter triticale, and/or winter barley
A combination of fall and spring production from spring small grains (oat, spring triticale, or spring barley) and winter small grains (cereal rye, winter triticale, or winter barley).

The choice is yours.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SMALL GRAIN SPECIES
OATS is one of the most commonly used small grains for fall forage production, but it nearly always fails to survive cold temperatures in the central and northern Great Plains. Oats are commonly classified as either “grain-type” or “forage-type” oats. This designation is related more to maturity and growth height, than intended use. Under reasonable growing conditions, both types will produce adequate forage for grazing, but there are some key differences. The grain-type oat varieties are usually early- to medium maturity with a short to medium plant height. The forage-type oats are usually medium- to late-maturing varieties that are tall at maturity. Early-maturing, fall-planted oats may have a long enough growing season to produce a small amount of grain. On the other hand, the growing season will not be long enough for later maturing varieties to produce a seedhead. While the forage yields may be similar, the forage quality will likely be greater in the later maturing, taller forage types.

Most CEREAL RYE cultivars will survive the winter in the central and northern Great Plains, regardless of whether they are classified as a “northern type” or a “southern type”. Northern-type cereal rye cultivars are very winter hardy with longer winter dormant periods than the southern types. Thus, the southern types will have longer growth into the winter and are often the first of the small grains to begin growth the following spring.

TRITICALE is a promising small grain forage that has characteristics of both its parents, wheat and cereal rye. There are spring and winter varieties of triticale, but there are no extensive evaluations of fall or spring forage production for either type. It is more susceptible to winter injury than cereal rye. One of the more obvious differences between winter triticale and cereal rye is that plant maturity of triticale in the spring is two to three weeks later than cereal rye. This means it maintains its forage quality better into late spring than cereal rye, so it can also be managed for hay or silage. Early indications are that triticale may offer some additional flexibility as a small grain for fall and spring forage production.

BARLEY is another promising small grain forage. Like triticale, there are both spring and winter varieties of barley. The spring varieties do not have much winterhardiness and many winter varieties do not consistently survive the winter in the central and northern Great Plains. The widespread use of spring barley as a fall forage and winter barley as a spring forage has not been extensively evaluated, although they both appear promising in early forage evaluations.