St. Louis, Missouri
June 12, 2007
 Farmers
across the United States have witnessed a roller coaster of
extreme weather conditions this planting season. From extreme
drought in the Southeast to flooding in the Midwest, farmers
know better than anyone that excessive weather conditions can be
costly. Despite a late freeze, near record moisture creates
prime breeding ground for Asian soybean rust. In addition, the
plant disease has been found earlier this year than in years
past in Louisiana on kudzu, a plant that serves as a rust host.
Keeping this top of mind, the United Soybean Board (USB) and the
soybean checkoff urge farmers to scout, monitor and manage their
crop to prevent or minimize a major rust outbreak this summer.
“Soybean farmers have not let soybean rust drop off of their
radar,” says Jim Sallstrom, USB’s Rust Initiative Team Lead and
a soybean farmer from Winthrop, Minn. “The soybean checkoff
continues to fund research and information tools on soybean
rust. In the short term, we should be able to help develop
varieties that offer some resistance to the disease. We
eventually hope to see varieties that offer full resistance to
the disease.”
The soybean checkoff will help prepare farmers for a potential
outbreak of soybean rust this year. As South American farmers
have to consistently battle rust, U.S. farmers have to deal with
sporadic conditions, not ever fully knowing what to expect.
Soybean checkoff farmer-leaders are dialed in to what’s
happening in the fields.
The soybean checkoff partnered with the North Central Soybean
Research Program (NCSRP) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) earlier this year to increase the number of sentinel
plots across the country to serve as an early detection of
soybean rust. To track the status of soybean rust in sentinel
plots, visit the USDA Pest Information Platform for Extension
and Education Web site at www.sbrusa.net. In addition to
sentinel plots, the soybean checkoff is protecting soybean
farmers from devastating rust outbreaks by funding the
following:
- Genetic screening of
soybean lines for both full and partial rust resistance.
Researchers are beginning to make progress, as two genes
with rust resistance have been discovered. The genes are
being introduced into new breeding lines of soybeans that
could lead to rust-resistant varieties.
- Research that tracks the
movement of airborne soybean rust spores and how spores
relate to disease detection.
- The soybean checkoff
funded the development of the Plant Health Guide, and the
Soybean Diagnostic Guide and is funding a diagnostic field
tool to help identify soybean rust and other plant diseases
and pests. Materials are available at
www.stopsoybeanrust.com.
“It’s important to scout your
fields, but it’s also important to stay tuned in to what’s
happening in your area,” says Jason Bean, USB Production program
Vice Chair and a farmer from Holcomb, Mo. “Use extension agents
as resources, find out what your neighbors are dealing with in
their fields, and use the Internet and other tools to monitor
the spread of rust.”
The soybean checkoff prioritizes research based on production
needs of U.S. farmers. Funding research on other production
challenges, such as aphids and soybean cyst nematode, remain a
high priority for the soybean checkoff. To learn more about
checkoff production research efforts, visit
www.unitedsoybean.org.
USB is made up of 64 farmer-directors who oversee the
investments of the soybean checkoff on behalf of all U.S.
soybean farmers. Checkoff funds are invested in the areas of
animal utilization, human utilization, industrial utilization,
industry relations, market access and supply. As stipulated in
the Soybean Promotion, Research and Customer Information Act,
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight
responsibilities for USB and the soybean checkoff. |
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