St. Louis, Missouri
January 23, 2006
While soybean rust was not a major
challenge for most U.S. farmers in 2005, relaxing against the
threat of rust could be a mistake in 2006. The more information
on rust, the easier it will be to control, which is why soybean
checkoff farmer-leaders approved funds for additional sentinel
plots to monitor the spread of soybean rust.
Together the United Soybean Board
(USB) and the North Central
Soybean Research Program (NCSRP) will help establish
sentinel plots from south to north in the Soybean Belt to
monitor northward movement of soybean rust for early detection
and early warning for soybean farmers. These plots will
complement those established by U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA).
Timely detection of the disease can provide U.S. farmers with
enough advanced warning to enable proper application of
fungicides, the only effective management option for soybean
rust at this time. Fungicides applied too late may be
ineffective, and applications made too early could result in
decreased efficacy and could result in the need for increased
numbers of applications. Also, unnecessary treatments will
result in higher input costs hurting profitability.
Between USDA, USB and NCSRP, there will be a total of 20
sentinel plots established in most states. The checkoff will
fund plots located in states where researchers believe USDA plot
numbers may be insufficient. The number of additional plots in
each state varies according to the number being funded by USDA
funds.
“The additional sentinel plots will be a great tool in our
checkoff’s fight against soybean rust,” says Kathy Patton
Strunk, a member of USB’s Rust Initiative Team and soybean
farmer from Silver Lake, Kan. “The soybean checkoff remains
vigilant in the fight against soybean rust to protect soybean
farmers from the yield-robbing disease.”
“We believe the sentinel plots saved soybean producers millions
of dollars from unnecessary fungicide applications in 2005,”
says Gregg Fujan, NCSRP President and soybean farmer from
Weston, Nebraska. “The sentinel plots are the epicenter of an
intense checkoff-funded detection and monitoring system
involving hundreds of people. Through their efforts, we were
able to say with certainty where rust had been confirmed,
bypassing any unnecessary fungicide application based on the
electronic rumor mill.”
In addition to funding the sentinel plots, the checkoff provides
funding for other activities to inform farmers about the
challenges of soybean rust. For example, this year the checkoff
is funding research to search for rust resistance in soybean
varieties and to investigate field-friendly diagnosis and early
detection through sampling rainfall for rust spores. Last year,
USB identified soybean rust as a short-term emerging issue and
created a special Soybean Rust Initiative run by soybean farmers
to address short-term needs to help U.S. soybean farmers
minimize crop damage as a result of soybean rust.
Since rust was first identified in Brazil in 2001, the soybean
checkoff has cumulatively invested nearly $5.5 million in rust
research, including more than $3.3 million for research in 2005
and 2006. The checkoff has developed two diagnostic guides and a
rust management guide that include information on rust,
available at
www.unitedsoybean.org. The soybean checkoff co-sponsors the
comprehensive soybean rust Web sites
www.planthealth.info
and
www.stopsoybeanrust.com where soybean farmers can find the
latest information on soybean rust. USB also provides
supplemental funding to Qualified State Soybean Boards for
in-state rust detection and prevention activities.
“As someone who has experienced rust firsthand, I think it is
very important to continue to fund rust research and
communications activities,” says Billy Wayne Sellers, USB
director and soybean farmer from Baxley, Ga. “I survived having
soybean rust, thanks to information and research funded in part
by soybean checkoff programs.”
The North Central Soybean Research Program is comprised of
farmer-leaders from 12 state checkoff boards who invest checkoff
dollars in coordinated, managed, production-related research.
The 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. |