THE NOBLE profession of crop analyst has many drawbacks, long hours, difficulty pinpointing data and a constantly changing climate that means every prediction you make can look spectacularly wrong within days.
For all that, it probably is fair to say not many would consider it a physically dangerous job.
However, simmering tension in the US corn-belt has meant that US Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees on a crop tour were pulled off the assignment following threats from a fuming farmer.
Reuters reports the farmer made the threats following their dissatisfaction at the latest USDA crop report that did not accurately reflect the extent of damage from spring flooding.
The extra tonnes of corn production flagged by the USDA has weighed heavily on the market, seeing corn futures collapse in recent weeks.
And the threats of violence are being taken seriously, with Reuters reporting that there will be a police presence with the tour group for the rest of the trip to prevent any altercation with fed-up grain producers.