Old Pokey, I'm not and doctor and don't play one on TV, so I might not be able to educate you very much, but here goes. Asian rust is a new disease to the US. It was just discovered here within the last few weeks. It has been in South America now for several years now and does a lot of damage down there. Infected fields can show near total yield loss if not controled. From what I understand, it is NOT a seedbourne diesease. It can overwinter on plant material in warmer climates. It infects some legumes, such as soybeans, peas, vetch, kudzu, some clovers, etc. It is a windbourne disease, so even though it might not overwinter in the midwest, the spores will move with the wind over wide areas. Scientists are still unsure exactly how far north this disease will travel. It has now been found in Crittenden County AR, which is across the river from Memphis. That aint too far from Illinois, as the crow flies. There are fungicides that will manage the disease, USDA estimates farmers in affected areas will spend, on average, about $25 per acre to manage the disease. Early detection is critical, though some areas will probably make blanket preventive applications. Below is a link to the USDA APHIS soybean rust page. Hope this helps.