WHAT: Since 9/11, the federal government has spent at least $3.4 billion on food counterterrorism. Food was considered a possible terror target, but with no single agency in charge, it’s impossible to measure whether farms or feedlots are actually safer.

WHY: Aside from bitter turf wars and fragmented oversight, many of the government’s protection changes are just voluntary recommendations the private sector doesn’t have to follow or report.

WHAT’S BEING DONE: A Senate subcommittee heard a congressional watchdog’s new report revealing millions wasted on confused agriculture anti-terror programs. “Our primary detection capability is the emergency room,” admitted one witness.