From left, Will Cornelius f rom Cornelius Seed, Iowa Soybean Association President-elect Suzanne Shirbroun, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (R-Ill.) and Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), discuss the protection of U.S. intellectual property, specif ically ag technology.
Theft in the Fields STORY AND PHOTOS BY JEFF HUTTON
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ore than a decade ago in Dysart, a farmer spotted a man, Mo Hailong, digging up hybrid corn seeds. Hailong then sent the seeds back to China. The FBI later arrested him and others, and they were charged with stealing approximately $30 million worth of U.S. ag technology. Other cases followed, including Xiang Haitao, who stole technical ag information from his employer, a Monsanto subsidiary. He was stopped at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, where the FBI discovered an SD card in his possession, which contained the information. Eleven years later, Iowa farmers including Iowa Soybean Association President Suzanne Shirbroun were asked their ideas on protecting ag technology and intellectual property. The Congressional Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held the event at Youngblut Ag in Dysart.
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But why is the CCP after U.S. seeds and ag technology? “I believe this is part of a much larger plan to steal intellectual property - a countrywide heist of American intellectual property,” says Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who noted that $225 billion to $600 billion worth of trade secrets and intellectual property are stolen every year by global competitors with China as the “world’s principal infringer.” “Just like the farmer in the Iowa field, we are being robbed every day, in plain sight, by the Chinese Community Party,” Gallagher said. “Our farms are more than just places to grow food, they are research laboratories … we have a duty to protect all our technology, whether it’s in Silicon Valley or on a farm in Iowa.”
Iowa perspectives As the United States considers
its relationship with China in the contest of food and agriculture, “we must do so strategically with a firm understanding of our country’s national and agricultural interests,” says Shirbroun, of Farmersburg. “While there is little doubt that China has targeted the United States’ intellectual property and engaged in unfair trade practices, let’s proceed cautiously, please, as there isn’t another market that can completely replace China for America’s soybean farmers,” Shirbroun says. She noted that China has become the largest importer of soybeans in the world and the top export market for U.S. soy at nearly 30 million metric tons annually. “One in every three rows of soybeans you saw on the drive here today goes to China,” Shirbroun says. So, how should the U.S. combat unfair trade practices and manage the relationship?
