Spotlight On Rust
Since 2001, your soybean checkoff has been investing in research to manage Asian soybean rust. This research has already led to the identification of two genes linked to rust resistance. With the help of gene mapping and marker-assisted selection, these genes will make it to market much faster.

Your soybean checkoff also funds sentinel plots that serve as an early warning system and publishes guides and brochures to help you identify and manage rust, should it hit your fields.

Find out more by clicking the links below:
Soybean Rust Information Site - USDA
Stop Soybean Rust

Using Foliar Fungicides to Manage Soybean Rust Guide (2008 version)
2008 Soybean Rust Facts
Soybean Rust Management Guide for the Mid-Atlantic Region (2008 version)
Plant Disease & Pest Management Guide (order here)
Soybean Rust Management Guide (order here)

Yield and Composition
Your soybean checkoff is working with researchers to gather a broader germplasm base to use in breeding programs. Increasing the genetic diversity of the germplasm used for breeding can increase the yield potential of U.S. soybean varieties. In the very near future, varieties containing this exotic germplasm will begin hitting the market.

In addition to increasing genetic diversity, soybean checkoff-funded research is funding the development of many new value-added traits. The first of these - low-linolenic acid - is currently available in several varieties. Other changes in the oil profile of soybeans are being researched as well. These new varieties will help you and other soybean farmers adapt to changes in consumer demand for healthier oils.

To address the needs of major meal customers - like livestock and poultry producers - your soybean checkoff is funding research to improve the quality and digestibility of soybean meal. By manipulating carbohydrate levels in the meal, researchers hope to improve the amount of metabolizable energy and decrease phytate levels. Lower phytate levels will also decrease the amount of supplemental phosphorus added to animal diets, which in turn decreases the amount of phosphorus released into the environment through animal manure.

Soybean Diseases and Pests
Every year, a checkoff-funded project compiles estimates of soybean yield suppression due to diseases and pests. The information gathered by these studies helps the checkoff and other organizations focus on the diseases with the largest impact on soybean yields.

Soybean cyst nematode, currently the leading cause of yield loss, is being tackled by soybean checkoff-funded research. Scientists are working to develop a set of genetic breeding tools in order to develop soybeans with durable SCN resistance. These projects are also focused on examining genes in the nematode and the chemicals that stimulate nematode eggs to hatch. In the near future, this research will help prevent much of the damage and yield loss currently caused by nematodes.

To learn more about disease and pest prevention or research, click the link below:
Download the current yield suppression report 

Organic Exemption Requests
If you run a USDA-certified 100 percent organic operation, you may request exemption from assessment under research and promotion programs.

You can download a copy of the Soybean Organic Exemption Request Form by clicking the link below.
Soybean Organic Exemption Request Form

Additional Links:
American Soybean Association
QUALISOY
Worlds Best Beans
Plant Health Initiative
United States Department of Agriculture
Protein Research Foundation (South Africa)