ment of tools to monitor and predict disease impact for the 2005
growing season and beyond. The NC-504 group began to disseminate
information on SBR at state, national, and international levels.
This group (which evolved into the North Central Extension and
Research Activity or NCERA-208 “Response to emerging threat:
Soybean rust” Committee in 2006) coordinated a weekly conference
call during the growing season among state extension specialists
and soybean researchers. The calls provided updates on SBR
confirmations and coordinated management efforts across multiple
states. These conference calls had as many as 40 participants
weekly from North America