The Threat the USDA’s Farm Security Plan Doesn’t Name

Farmers are battling domestic extremists while the USDA looks abroad.

Agroterrorism isn’t a someday problem.

It’s not hypothetical. It’s here. And it’s domestic.

We’re told to be vigilant about foreign adversaries, as if our only threat is from outside our borders. And the USDA’s National Farm Security Action Plan? It reflects exactly that mindset. It’s filled with buzzwords about foreign actors, spies stealing seed IP, and hostile takeovers of farmland by international investors.

And sure, those threats matter. But they’re not the ones who’ve shown up in the middle of the night to cut fences, free animals, or leave threatening notes on barn doors or in emails.

The USDA plan doesn’t name the threat that so many farmers already know by heart: domestic agroterrorism. And by refusing to name it, they’re leaving farmers exposed.

This Isn’t About Lifestyle Choices

Let’s get something clear: this isn’t about peaceful protest or advocacy. I don’t care if you’re vegan, carnivore, or somewhere in between. I was vegan for a few years, health reasons, curiosity, the usual, and I have zero issue with someone choosing a different lifestyle.

But when ideology turns into sabotage, threats, and cyber-physical attacks on critical infrastructure, that’s not activism. That’s terrorism. And if that word makes you squirm, ask yourself why we’re more comfortable using it when the threat wears a different passport.

What Agroterrorism Really Looks Like

Agroterrorism isn’t just one thing. It’s not only about animal rights extremists. And it’s not always big or flashy. Sometimes it’s the slow, creeping kind of terror, the kind that wears people down.

It’s the activist who trespasses onto a farm, records out-of-context footage, and edits it to inflame viewers or uses AI to create a deepfake of a normal farming operation turned hellscape.

It’s the data breach that ends with a list of farmers’ addresses posted online alongside accusations and calls to “take action.”

It’s the stranger feeding a cow the wrong thing because they think it looks too skinny. (Spoiler: some breeds are just lean. That cow didn’t need saving; it needed alone time.)

It’s the animal processing plant that gets doxxed, flooded with threats, and then hit with a phishing campaign.

And it’s the death threats that come after a farmer like Jonathan Lawler, aka the Punk Rock Farmer, my guest on the Bites and Bytes Podcast, dares to speak up.

They’re Coming for the Kids Too

And it’s not just farmers themselves. Their kids are getting dragged into it, too.

Jonathan has written about how youth in programs like 4-H and FFA are being harassed online; labeled abusers, their photos shared without consent, their families targeted in coordinated attacks. All because they raised a pig or showed a steer.

It’s psychological warfare disguised as moral outrage, and it’s aimed squarely at the next generation of agriculture.

That’s not a protest. That’s an intimidation campaign.

This Isn’t Isolated, And It’s Not Just in the U.S.

According to documented reports, there were over 400 extremist actions targeting U.S. farms and food operations in 2023 alone, including vandalism, trespassing, harassment, and even arson.

In the UK, there have been documented cases of radical activists drilling holes in the tires of dairy trucks, endangering drivers and delaying critical deliveries. The intent is the same: disrupt, intimidate, and escalate.

The UK is naming the threat. The USDA still hasn’t. And that silence speaks volumes.

In fact, the UK reported the highest number of animal rights extremist incidents worldwide in 2023, with the U.S. close behind. This threat is global. And it’s escalating.

We don’t have to imagine what this looks like. We’re living it.

Cyber-Physical Means Just That

I work in Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity. That means I live in the space where cyber meets physical.

And agriculture? It’s one of the most cyber-physical industries out there.

We can’t separate these threats into neat little silos. That’s how we lose. A social media rumor becomes a real-world confrontation. A breach of a remote-access system can alter feed formulations or turn off a barn’s ventilation.

Hackers-for-hire are a service now. (Cybercrime-as-a-service (CaaS)) If someone wants to disrupt a farm but doesn’t know how to code, they can just buy the service.

That’s not science fiction. That’s now.

If the USDA’s strategy overlooks cyber-physical and ideological threats, it risks becoming more reactive than resilient.

The USDA Plan’s Convenient Omission

To be clear, the USDA’s attention to foreign interference is valid. That threat exists.

But focusing exclusively on it doesn’t reflect the full picture of risk on the ground. Foreign adversaries matter, but what about the threats already here?

There’s barely a mention, if any, of domestic ideological threats.

• Nothing about the radicalized factions who proudly post videos of themselves sabotaging farms.

• Nothing about the misinformation campaigns that weaponize half-truths.

• Nothing about the activist-run hacktivist groups who brag about disrupting supply chains.

What is this if not a national security issue?

We’re talking about critical infrastructure. Food is as critical as it gets. But the plan leaves domestic extremists out of the conversation entirely.

Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security’s 2025 Homeland Threat Assessment acknowledges the rising risks posed by domestic violent extremists, especially toward critical infrastructure.

But even that report fails to mention agriculture, not once. Not the farms. Not the food. Not the children showing livestock at county fairs being harassed.

The silence is telling.

What Do We Do About It?

If we’re going to call this out, we’d better bring solutions.

For Farmers:

• Lock your gates, barns, and storage areas. Yes, even in small towns.

• Install visible cameras. You don’t need Hollywood-level security, just something that records.

• Monitor what’s being said about you online. Google Alerts isn’t a silver bullet, but it’s a start.

• Have a response plan. If someone shows up at your farm uninvited, what do you do? Who do you call?

• Train your team and your family. De-escalation matters. So does safety.

• Do background checks on new hires. Glance at their social media. If they’re posting anti-ag memes and talking about “liberating” animals, maybe don’t hand them the keys.

For OT and Cybersecurity Professionals:

• Expand your threat models. Include misinformation, social engineering, and activist-driven cyber-physical attacks.

• Build training modules that go beyond phishing emails. Farmers need to understand what a targeted misinformation campaign looks like.

• Partner with local law enforcement and agricultural extension services to share knowledge and resources.

For Policymakers:

• Update the National Farm Security Plan to include domestic extremism. Not just in passing in detail. Also, update it for cybersecurity while you’re at it!

• Fund grant programs for farms to improve both physical and cyber-physical security.

• Improve enforcement of existing laws like the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA). If you can’t enforce the laws you have, extremists get bolder.

For Consumers:

• Stop believing every viral farm video you see. Ask questions. Seek context.

• Learn how food systems actually work. Talk to a farmer. Visit a real farm.

• Understand that most people in agriculture are doing their best to feed you safely and ethically.

• Before donating to animal welfare groups, research their methods and impacts. Not all advocacy is ethical.

• Be cautious about amplifying outrage online; sometimes it’s engineered to harm, not help.

We Name What the Plan Doesn’t

This is the threat the USDA’s National Farm Security Plan doesn’t name.

But farmers do. Every day. In whispers. In frustration. In silence.

Because saying the word “terrorism” feels like too much. Or maybe, too political.

But we need to name it.

Because while the USDA focuses on threats from abroad, there are groups here at home who’ve already taken action. They’ve shown up. They’ve broken in. They’ve sabotaged. They’ve scared families.

And the more we ignore them, the more emboldened they become.

I’m not afraid to say it. Jonathan Lawler isn’t afraid to say it. And if you’ve been on the receiving end of one of these threats, neither are you.

It’s time for the USDA and the federal government to say it, too. And more than that, to do something about it.

Let’s Talk About It

Had you heard of domestic agroterrorism before this?

Did you know this “silent war” was happening between radical activists and farmers?

Do you have your own stories?

Leave a comment. Start a conversation. Share this with someone who should know.

🎙 Want to hear more? Listen to these Bites and Bytes Podcast episodes:

• “Agroterrorism & Cyber Threats: How Farms Are Under Attack” (featuring Andrew Rose, Hannah Thompson-Weeman, and Michael Urbanik)

• The Punk Rock Farmer Jonathan Lawler: “Farming Without Apologies: Jonathan Lawler on Bulls, Bullsh*t, and Being Real”

Be Safe, Be Curious,

Kristin King