U.S. soybean shippers worry about rust outbreaks from trade

U.S. soybean shippers worry about rust outbreaks from trade

   U.S. soybean shippers have become increasingly concerned about the introduction of Asian soybean rust, which has the potential to devastate the industry.

   “We must work to prevent the accidental introduction of soybean rust associated with imports or travelers, and a potential outbreak via wind-borne spores,” said Ron Heck, president of the American Soybean Association and a Perry, Iowa, soybean farmer. “With the possible yield losses of 80 or even 90 percent, rust is one of the most pressing issues facing farmers this year.”

   Soybean rust attacks the foliage of soybean plants causing their leaves to drop early. The amount of damage depends on how early in the growth of the soybean plant the infection occurs.

   American Soybean Association members, who met in St. Louis this week for the Soybean Rust Conference, are concerned that Asian rust could be transported to the United States through commercial shipments from South America, where the plant disease has already caused significant crop losses. Because imported soybeans are allowed to contain up to 2 percent foreign material, such as plant stems, pods and leaves, rust spores may find their way into these shipments.

   American Soybean Association members are adamant that the risk procedures used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service are based on “good science.”

   “As global exporters, it is in our best interest to have plant protection measures around the globe that are grounded in good science because we also have to live with such measures to reach out international customers,” Heck said.

   The United States exports more than 1 billion bushels of soybeans a year.