The American Soybean Association (ASA) will kick off a series of seven one-day Soybean Rust Education meetings around the country on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The meetings will help farmers from across the United States be better informed about soybean rust and better prepared to deal with its eventual spread to the U.S. Without early detection and proper fungicide applications, soybean rust can cause yield losses of up to 80 percent, depending on the plant’s growth state at infection.

ASA’s Soybean Rust Education meeting dates are as follows:

July 21, 2004 – Raleigh, North Carolina (Holiday Inn Brownstone)

July 22, 2004 – Plain City, Ohio (Der Dutchman Restaurant)

July 23, 2004 – Memphis, Tennessee (Agricenter International)

July 27, 2004 – Indianapolis, Indiana (Holiday Inn Airport)

July 28, 2004 – Fremont, Nebraska (Holiday Inn Fremont)

July 29, 2004 – Moline, Illinois (Holiday Inn Moline Airport)

July 30, 2004 – North Mankato, Minnesota (Best Western Hotel and Restaurant)

During the meetings, experts will talk about the approval status and registration of fungicide products to combat the disease in the U.S., discuss fungicide application techniques and equipment, and present identification and detection methods for soybean rust. Certified crop advisors will receive CEU credits for attending the meetings.

Registration for the meetings is free to current ASA members. A registration fee of $30.00 will be charged to non-members, which can be applied toward association membership. Go to www.Soygrowers.com/rust to view the program agenda or to register in advance to attend one of the meetings. You may also contact ASA toll-free at 800/688-7692 for additional information.

ASA’s Soybean Rust Education series is conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is sponsored by BASF Corporation, Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroSciences, John Deere, Sipcam Agro USA and Syngenta Crop Protection.