Only three months into 2004, it looks as if disease will be a dominant theme for the agricultural community. January opened with attention fixed on the Washington BSE investigation. February brought us avian influenza in Delaware, Maryland, Texas and British Columbia On top of it all, the "Asian bird flu" is still sickening birds and people in southeast Asia. Minnesota’s soybean growers have their own storm cloud looming on the horizon. Soybean rust, which has caused up to 60 percent yield loss in Brazilian soybean fields, is slowly but surely moving its way toward us. Soybean rust is a fast-spreading fungal disease that can be carried on the wind. The disease has infected fields around the world, with the exception of Europe and North America. However, with the infestation moving north from Brazil, state and federal agriculture officials fear it’s just a matter of years — or even months — before the disease reaches North American fields. Based on studies of wind patterns, experts predict that rust will likely spread from South America to the southern United States in less than five years. Worst-case predictions call for its arrival sometime this summer. Fortunately, Minnesota will probably be among the last major soybean states hit by soybean rust. It is expected that the disease will first hit the southern states and then work is way north. Also, scientists believe the fungus that causes soybean rust cannot survive Minnesota’s frigid winters. Unfortunately, because rust spreads so easily on the wind, it is likely that once established in southern states, the disease will repeatedly find its way north to Minnesota on the winds. There are a number of fungicide products capable of controlling rust, but as of early March, none of these products have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use on soybeans. This is a gap in America’s rust readiness, so the Minnesota Department of Agriculture plant protection workers teamed up with counterparts from South Dakota to submit a national application called a "Section 18" that seeks EPA approval for seven fungicide products that can help control the disease.Just recently I had a chance to meet with EPA officials in Washington, D.C., to discuss the importance of this request. They told me we can expect to see action on our Section 18 application in the coming weeks.When soybean rust does show up, we need to be able to recognize it and act quickly. The MDA will once again conduct field monitoring for the disease during the 2004 growing season through its Plant Pest Survey program. If a field is suspected of being infected, samples will be taken to the University of Minnesota where they will be tested and analyzed. Grower education is also among the most important factors in protecting the state’s $1.3 billion soybean industry. Last year, the MDA and the University of Minnesota distributed a soybean rust fact sheet to producer organizations and grain handlers to provide details on how to post the disease, and in 2004 we will be doing more to spread the word about rust and its telltale signs. For more information about soybean rust and what we are doing to prepare for its arrival, visit the MDA’s Web site at http://www.mda.state.mn.us/invasives/soybeanrust/.
