Soybean fungus brings Missouri farmers together.

Byline: Repps Hudson

Feb. 2--COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Nearly 200 Missouri farmers came together Tuesday to learn all they could about Asian soybean rust and ways to prevent the fungus from destroying one of their primary cash crops.

The midwinter meeting, a time to hear chemical company pitchmen describe their fungicides and company representatives tout the technical details of sprayer nozzles, also offered a chance for farmers to swap ideas about what to do before they plant their next crop in about three months.

"This was really great," said Warren Stemme, incoming president of the 2,000-member Missouri Soybean Association. "It was very comprehensive. We learned how the disease spreads, how it reproduces in the field and its life cycle."

The biggest challenge facing farmers in Missouri, Illinois and other soybean-producing states will be determining whether soybean plants are infected with the fungus, said Stemme, of Chesterfield, who farms 1,200 acres in the Missouri River bottoms in St. Louis County.

Until November, U.S. soybean farmers had not had to consider how to fight Asian soybean rust, which attacks leaves and destroys a plant's ability to grow beans. Then, the fungus was discovered in Louisiana. The spores were thought to have been blown onto U.S. fields by a hurricane.

Since then, the fungus has been found in other states, including two counties in the Missouri Bootheel. Farmers have been fortunate because the discovery came after last year's crop was mostly harvested, so the fungus did not cut into the nation's record soybean production.

This winter, many farmers have been searching Internet sites, learning about wind and weather patterns that can blow soybean rust spores into their fields and studying up on the fungicides and sprayers available on the market.

The one-day conference was sponsored by the Missouri Soybean Association, the American Soybean Association and a long list of farm equipment and chemical manufacturers.

Two big questions loomed over the meeting: Should farmers spend $15 to $30 an acre to apply fungicides -- and when?

The speakers gave no clear answer, except that farmers would have to be extra vigilant in watching for the first signs of soybean rust on the leaves of young plants.

"You only have days after the spores start arriving in your area" to begin spraying fungicides, said Bob Gordon of Dow AgroSciences. "By the time you find a field with an infection, there may be spores in the area for several days." Stemme, who expects to plant 600 acres of beans starting in early May, said the threat of the fungus means farmers must pay a lot more attention to how crops are progressing through the summer.

Dale Ludwig, executive director of the Missouri Soybean Association and a farmer from the Cape Girardeau area, said the possibility of a fungus infestation means farmers will have to be out in their fields more.

One concern on the minds of many farmers was whether there would be enough fungicides and sprayer equipment this spring and summer.

Stemme said some farmers already have begun stocking up on fungicides.

No other scare has moved soybean farmers like this one, Ludwig said.

"I've never seen the amount of information available as there is for rust," he said. "We've exaggerated the risk a bit, but it's certainly got their attention." He said Missouri farmers are likely to have about two days' warning if rust is discovered in a neighboring state, such as Arkansas. Missouri's central location and its cold winters will provide some natural protection against soybean rust, he said.

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