Missouri soybean growers have a new tool available to help monitor and manage disease in their soybean fields this growing season.

The Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council (MSMC) and the soybean checkoff have set up a toll-free hotline for the state’s soybean growers to call for the latest information on soybean rust. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 866-587-1206.

News and information on the hotline will be provided by Allen Wrather, plant pathologist at the University of Missouri’s Delta Research Center. Wrather plans to provide frequent updates on the hotline with more detailed information as the growing season progresses.

Soybean rust was detected in 37 Missouri counties in 2007.