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United Soybean Board Take Action on Disease program

The United Soybean Board (USB) is approaching resistance to fungicides in a similar way to how it’s addressing herbicide-resistant weeds.

USB member Gregg Fujan of Nebraska says their Take Action program, launched in 2013, has helped farmers and industry manage herbicide resistance.

He tells Brownfield there’s still time to get out in front of the fungicide issue.

“We haven’t developed as much resistance (with) fungicides at this point, but we certainly see it coming.  And eventually seeing the same problems that we’ve seen with the weed resistance.”

Fujan says the goal of the educational program is to preserve fungicide technology into the future, ensuring farmers have access to effective tools for combatting diseases.

“We have lost some of the technology as it relates to weeds and herbicide products, and we want to be careful not to go down that same path on fungicides.”

USB’s Take Action on Disease program promotes the use of integrated pest management practices, like rotating modes of action and understanding disease thresholds.