Ed Rund joined the Peace Corps and met his wife while in Ecuador. He's been fascinated with Brazilian agriculture and rust ever since.



Ed Rund joined the Peace Corps and met his wife while in Ecuador. He's been fascinated with Brazilian agriculture and rust ever since.

'The rust guy' fights soybean disease

Mar 5, 2005

There's a new soybean rust specialist in central Illinois.

He's Eric Rund of Pesotum, a Champaign County farmer who is better known as "the rust guy." Rund recently led an 11-day trip of farmers and university specialists, organized through the Illinois Farm Bureau, to Brazil to get a first-hand look at soybean rust.

It was one of many tours headed to Brazil this spring as farmers here prepare to battle what could be one of their toughest soybean foes ever. Another group, organized by Successful Farming and sponsored by Bayer CropScience, left for Brazil this week.

"To identify rust is just the beginning," Rund said. "Then you have to decide whether to spray again, whether the spray was effective, what to do next."

On Monday, Asian soybean rust was found on overwintering kudzu foliage in Pasco County, Fla., the southernmost confirmation of soybean rust in that state to date and the first evidence of U.S. overwintering of the pathogen.

Rund, who spoke recently at IFB's Governmental Leadership Conference, has two burning questions: Will soybean rust infest Illinois? And if so, will it thrive?

He grew up in central Illinois, then joined the Peace Corps and met his wife while in Ecuador. He's been fascinated with Brazilian agriculture and rust ever since. He also recently purchased shares in a Brazilian farm through South American Soy, organized by Phil Corzine of Assumption.

"Brazil has enough land to clear to equal the size of our Corn Belt," he said. "At the same time, the (Brazilian) government is very strict on what can and can't be cleared. In the Mato Grosso area, you can clear 65 percent, but have to leave 35 percent. In the rainforest, you can clear only 15 percent. They police it with satellites."

He acknowledges there are major differences between growing soybeans in Illinois and in Brazil. However, he says he will likely switch to 30-inch row soybeans to take advantage of improved air circulation around the plants to discourage rust. Rund says the wider row spacing may help if spraying is needed this summer.

He's also purchased an $80 digital microscope that attaches to his computer so he can see the rust postules on leaves. He recommends every farmer get one.

As for crop scouting this summer, Rund will check his soybean fields at least every other day during the growing season and will spray a curative fungicide if an infestation is discovered. He says you must spray within five days of an outbreak to avoid major economic loss.

The main challenges to rust control in Brazil include the continuous presence of the fungus in the field because of planting at different times, confusion with other foliar diseases and difficulty spraying because of excessive rain.

In the initial phase, he thinks a lot of central Illinois farmers will be confused about what to do about rust.

"What we need to do is study to learn to identify it," he said. "We need to be geared up to spray quickly and adjust the maturities of the beans we plant. Our farmers have to get out of this habit of windshield inspections."

Early maturing beans have an advantage, Rund said, explaining, "They're not exposed to the rust as long."

He expects Louisiana, which will begin planting corn in the next two weeks, and soybeans after that, to have rust before long.

"When Louisiana farmers get their beans in the ground, and when they announce they have rust, Illinois farmers need to go to Louisiana and see it in the field," Rund said. "It's not something you can learn on a slide. You've got to see it in the field."

His top six recommendations to battle rust:

* Go to Louisiana early.

* Establish a relationship with someone who knows about rust and can help you on your farm.

* Gear up to spray - get everything ready now.

* Consider row-spacing changes.

* Consider shorter maturities.

* Have a plan in place.

"I'll be ready," said Rund, who farms 850 acres of seed corn and seed beans, as well as raising hogs. "I have the sprayer in good shape."

When this story was posted in March 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in over 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related reference material in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can use the Main Index to find hundreds of stories about RPCVs who have your same interests, who served in your Country of Service, or who serve in your state.

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RPCVs in Congress ask colleagues to support PC RPCVs Sam Farr, Chris Shays, Thomas Petri, James Walsh, and Mike Honda have asked their colleagues in Congress to add their names to a letter they have written to the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, asking for full funding of $345 M for the Peace Corps in 2006. As a follow-on to Peace Corps week, please read the letter and call your Representative in Congress and ask him or her to add their name to the letter.

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Add your info now to the RPCV Directory Call Harris Publishing at 800-414-4608 right away to add your name or make changes to your listing in the newest edition of the NPCA's Directory of Peace Corps Volunteers and Former Staff. Then read our story on how you can get access to the book after it is published. The deadline for inclusion is May 16 so call now.

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March 12, 2005: This Week's Top Stories The Coyne Column: Read Winning Essay by PCV 12 Mar Laura Germino helps Migrant Workers Advocacy Group 12 Mar Sam Farr impresses medical-pot advocacy group 11 Mar Fred O'Regan writes Op-Ed on Canada seal hunt 11 Mar Fern Holland remembered In Oklahoma 10 Mar Mountaineer Charles Houston receives honorary degree 10 Mar Elaine Chao led delegation for President's inauguration 10 Mar Chris Dodd wins Hispanic Capital Award 9 Mar Pat Waak is new Colorado Democratic Party Chair 9 Mar Chris Matthews withdraws from Florida Event 9 Mar Timothy J. O'Brien returns to Korea 8 Mar Tomas Belsky's paintings inspired by service in Brazil 7 Mar Christopher Hill to be Assistant Secretary of State 7 Mar Allen Moore is Sen Frist's Deputy Chief of Staff 7 Mar Jim Doyle heads trade delegation to Mexico 5 Mar Al Kamen says Narcissus Is Now Greek AND Roman 4 Mar Diana Gomez says to do something about Peace 4 Mar

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March 12, 2005: RPCV Groups in the News San Diego RPCVs host reception with Gaddi Vasquez on March 6 4 Mar Alaska RPCVs speak for dividend 4 Mar Western North Carolina's RPCVs sponsor Africa Night on March 6 3 Mar Maryland RPCVs lobby their Senators for Peace Corps 3 Mar Connecticut RPCVs hold fundraiser on March 5 3 Mar Charles Baquet speaks at Louisiana PC Breakfast on March 4 28 Feb RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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March 1: National Day of Action Tuesday, March 1, is the NPCA's National Day of Action. Please call your Senators and ask them to support the President's proposed $27 Million budget increase for the Peace Corps for FY2006 and ask them to oppose the elimination of Perkins loans that benefit Peace Corps volunteers from low-income backgrounds. Follow this link for step-by-step information on how to make your calls. Then take our poll and leave feedback on how the calls went.

Make a call for the Peace Corps PCOL is a strong supporter of the NPCA's National Day of Action and encourages every RPCV to spend ten minutes on Tuesday, March 1 making a call to your Representatives and ask them to support President Bush's budget proposal of $345 Million to expand the Peace Corps. Take our Poll: Click here to take our poll. We'll send out a reminder and have more details early next week.

Peace Corps Calendar: Tempest in a Teapot? Bulgarian writer Ognyan Georgiev has written a story which has made the front page of the newspaper "Telegraf" criticizing the photo selection for his country in the 2005 "Peace Corps Calendar" published by RPCVs of Madison, Wisconsin. RPCV Betsy Sergeant Snow, who submitted the photograph for the calendar, has published her reply. Read the stories and leave your comments.

WWII participants became RPCVs Read about two RPCVs who participated in World War II in very different ways long before there was a Peace Corps. Retired Rear Adm. Francis J. Thomas (RPCV Fiji), a decorated hero of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died Friday, Jan. 21, 2005 at 100. Mary Smeltzer (RPCV Botswana), 89, followed her Japanese students into WWII internment camps. We honor both RPCVs for their service.

Bush's FY06 Budget for the Peace Corps The White House is proposing $345 Million for the Peace Corps for FY06 - a $27.7 Million (8.7%) increase that would allow at least two new posts and maintain the existing number of volunteers at approximately 7,700. Bush's 2002 proposal to double the Peace Corps to 14,000 volunteers appears to have been forgotten. The proposed budget still needs to be approved by Congress.

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