ORANGE CITY, Iowa — The Iowa State University Extension Dairy Team will host its annual Dairy Discussions Seminar Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the ISU Extension and Outreach Sioux County Office in Orange City.
This year’s focus is on cybersecurity issues for food producers including farmers, manufacturers and processors, according to a news release.
“Cybersecurity is a bigger problem than many realize, unless they have been directly affected,” said Fred Hall, dairy specialist with ISU Extension.
During the first presentation, “On-Farm Cybersecurity Threats,” Doug Jacobson, director of the ISU Center for Cybersecurity Innovation, will help producers understand where threats are and how they can manifest in farm systems.
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Another speaker, Special Agent Ward Crawley of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations Cyber Crime Bureau, is working to combat the surge of cybercrime in Iowa food producers and processors.
On the topic of “Safeguarding Your Social Media Sites,” ISU network field specialist Scott Saunders said that social media — specifically Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram — are useful tools to promote your business, but they also come with cybersecurity risks. He will walk through ways to protect yourself and your business.
There will also be a “What Are You Doing to Protect Your Farm?” panel discussion. The producer panel will feature Kurt Wierda, Plymouth Dairy; Anthony Nunes, NuStar Dairy; and Michael Nettinga, M&M Dairy.
There is no registration fee to attend the program, but registration is required by calling 712-737-4230 or going to go.iastate.edu/OAOMX4. Deadline to register is Nov. 30.
For more information, contact Hall at 712-737-4230 or fred hall@iastate.edu.
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