Iowa’s multimillion dollar soybean crop may soon be at risk from a plant disease called soybean rust that’s been slowly moving closer to the state from South America and the southern U.S. Infected soybeans can become a huge problem, quickly, according to Soybean Board spokesman Greg Peters. Yield loss can be up to 80-percent if your crop is untreated and unprotected. It’s an expensive process to spray fields to control the rust, so active monitoring is now underway. Peters says the state’s soybean producers need to be aware of the severity of the threat from soybean rust.Peters says there is the potential for Iowa to be in an excellent position because of the rust. He says “If rust doesn’t hit us and rust hits hard down south, the soybean price would explode.” Peters says Iowa’s soybean producers will -have- to make changes this year or face potentially devastating consequences.Peters says a person will have to keep an eye on the crop — you won’t just be able to plant it and let it go. He says to keep an ear to the news to keep tabs on the disease and to get down on all fours and examine your plants, once they start to leaf.
