North Carolina has reported a new county positive, Edgecombe, bringing the total to 14 infected counties in the state.

Edgecombe county, NC is the farthest north and Hyde county, NC is the farthest east location where soybean rust has been found in 2005. East Baton Rouge parish in Louisiana is the furthest west that rust has been found in 2005.

• Alabama now has 29 counties reported positive with rust;

• Florida has 23;

• Georgia has 34;

• Mississippi has two;

• South Carolina has 18;

• North Carolina has 14; and

• Louisiana has one.

There were 35 counties that reported soybean rust in the month of August with ten reports for September, forty-seven in October [one of the reported counties was confirmed in September], and thirteen so far in November.

As the growing season has finished or nearly finished in most regions, the threat of rust has diminished. It may be expected that rust will continue to be found in more counties within states already reporting rust and in adjacent states without causing any economic damage.