Agronomy News

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

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 14:39:56 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

See the 2021 Farm Journal Field Day Agendas

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 16:09:06 GMT

In 2021, you have the choice to join Farm Journal Field Days in person or online. Join us at a location near you or login online to find educational content, equipment demos, industry insights and more.

During the event, you can network with producers at some of America’s top farms and hear the latest insights and trends affecting the industry.

What is in store for the event? Here’s a quick overview. Click on each day to see the agendas.

Online Event: Aug. 23-27

Aug. 23: In-Person Field Day hosted by Whiskey Acres in DeKalb, Ill.

Aug. 25: In-Person Field Day hosted by Silent Shade Planting Company in Belzoni, Miss.

Aug. 26-27: In-Person Field Day hosted by Frahm Farmland in Colby, Kan.

Read more about the three Farm Journal Field Day Hosts

Whiskey Acres in DeKalb, Ill.

Silent Shade Planting Company in Belzoni, Miss.

Frahm Farmland in Colby, Kan.

Register now for the Farm Journal Field Days!

Why should you attend?

Powerful and Insightful Speakers: Hear from leading experts such machinery expert Greg Peterson, AgriTalk’s Chip Flory, your farmer peers and more!

Interactive Farm Tours: Take a behind-the-scenes look at our three hosts farms. Aren’t you ready to network with fellow farmers and learn from your peers?

Easily Accessible: Since part of the programming is online, you are not limited by geography or time restraints. This type of programming is more convenient in every way.

Direct Access to Exhibitors: Visit virtual booths, ask questions and learn about their latest offerings.

Register now for the Farm Journal Field Days!

USDA Clarifies Gene Editing Oversight

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:10:47 GMT

As methods and applications for biotechnology in agriculture continue to advance at a rapid pace, regulators work to maintain a balance between safety and potentially rapid progress in food production. Recent clarification from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on oversight of genomic editing intends to facilitate innovation while continuing to monitor the technology for safety concerns.

Genomic editing techniques, such as CRISPR-Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9), have recently emerged as promising tools for quickly introducing desirable traits for use in plant and animal breeding. Genomic editing differs from genetic engineering in that scientists delete, insert or substitute pieces of DNA within a species. Genetic engineering, in contrast, modifies an organism by adding genetic material from a different organism, such as Bt corn, which incorporates a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis, a soil bacterium that produces a protein toxic to Lepidoptera larvae such as corn borers.

USDA notes that, under its biotechnology regulations, it does not regulate or plan to regulate plants that could otherwise have been developed through traditional breeding techniques as long as they are not plant pests or developed using plant pests. Genomic editing, the agency notes, can introduce traits and create new plant varieties that are indistinguishable from those developed through traditional breeding methods. These biotechnology tools can, however, greatly increase speed and precision compared with conventional plant breeding, potentially saving years or decades for introducing valuable traits.

According to the clarification, USDA does not intent to regulate plant varieties with the following changes:

Deletions—the change to the plant is solely a genetic deletion of any size.
Single base pair substitutions—the change to the plant is a single base pair substitution.
Insertions from compatible plant relatives—the change to the plant solely introduces nucleic acid sequences from a compatible relative that could otherwise cross with the recipient organism and produce viable progeny through traditional breeding.
Complete Null Segregants—off-spring of a genetically engineered plant that does not retain the change of its parent.

“With this approach, USDA seeks to allow innovation when there is no risk present,” says Secretary Perdue. “At the same time, I want to be clear to consumers that we will not be stepping away from our regulatory responsibilities. While these crops do not require regulatory oversight, we do have an important role to play in protecting plant health by evaluating products developed using modern biotechnology.”

Read more about regulatory impacts on biotechnology in a recent report from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology.