Missouri farmers wary as soybean rust heads north

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Plant detectives in southeast Missouri are on the lookout for soybean rust after the fungal disease turned up in Arkansas and parts of Mississippi.

Soybean scouts from the University of Missouri's Delta Research Center in Portageville are collecting leaf samples from eight monitoring fields in southeast and southwest Missouri. Budget cuts have forced the center to scale back its statewide testing program.

Rain and humidity help spread soybean rust, which can also survive on kudzu leaves. The disease has been found in Missouri in four of the past five years, but not until late September or October near harvest time.

Scouting reports from across the soybean-growing region can be found at www.sbrusa.net., a Web site devoted to tracking and fighting soybean rust.