The American Soybean Association (ASA) and Doane Agricultural Services Company announced today that updates from Asian soybean rust extension specialists affiliated with the Land Grant Universities are now available on the Soybean Rust Advisory Program (SoyRAP) website.  Launched in May by ASA and Doane, www.SoyRAP.com is a valuable online resource containing advice from leading experts about combating soybean rust, rust’s impact on the soybean markets and news updates as they occur.

“We’re extremely pleased to have joined forces with the Land Grant Universities on this vitally important project,” said ASA President Bob Metz from his farm in South Dakota.  “New reports of soybean rust in the Southeast underscore the need for sound advice on the disease.  Combining our network of crop consultants with a University team of soybean pathologists makes SoyRAP.com an even more valuable resource for soybean farmers seeking to manage rust.”

Reports of soybean rust had been limited to a few isolated areas in Florida and Georgia prior to the arrival of Hurricane Dennis.  Now the disease has been detected in Alabama and Mississippi and has spread to new counties in  Florida and Georgia.

“Most believe the recent spate of storms has facilitated the spread of soybean rust,” said Doane President Lynn Henderson.  “To avoid making costly mistakes, soybean farmers and agriculture professionals should monitor SoyRAP.com to learn what our expert team of crop consultants and university scientists recommend to protect their crop.”

SoyRAP.com utilizes a network of crop consultants and University scientists who monitor the progression of confirmed soybean rust outbreaks in the U.S. and provide growers with management guidelines based on a regional analysis.  SoyRAP.com also includes commentary by Doane’s chief economist about the impact on soybean markets.  SoyRAP is sponsored by BASF, Bayer CropScience and Syngenta.