Soybean Rust Detected In Continental US For First Time

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - "The first case of soybean rust has been found on the mainland United States and could affect U.S. crops for the near future, costing farmers millions of dollars, the Agriculture Department said on Wednesday.

A strain of Asian soybean rust was found in two test plots on a research farm near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. USDA officials blamed the disease on recent hurricanes that apparently carried the fungus from South America.

The United States is the world's biggest producer of soybeans and is forecast to harvest a record 84.6 million tonnes in the 2004/05 marketing year. One-third of the U.S. soybean crop is exported for use as livestock feed, vegetable oils and food ingredients.

"We have confirmed a detection of soybean rust," Richard Dunkle, deputy administrator of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, told reporters in a news conference. "The chances for wider spread are very high."

EDIT

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1896&ncid=1896&e=1&u=/nm/20041110/us_nm/food_soyrust_usda_dc_9

don't expect the "big gubmint" to come help them with this.

becomes more pronounced.

The article states that winter freezes keep the rust from getting out of control in northern climates.

As freezes become more infrequent, more and more of the U.S. and European crop will fall prey to the rust.

This might also disrupt crop rotations that include soybeans to help put a little nitrogen in the soil and reduce pests.

This may end up reducing soybean production in the southern U.S., which might benefit farmers in the north pricewise.