After the discovery of soybean rust, the United States Department of Agriculture and scientists from land grant colleges worked together to create a system that would monitor the development and increase of soybean rust in North America. In 2005, soybean rust sentinel plots were first used to track the progress of soybean rust. Soybeans, kudzu, and other susceptible crops at representative locations were closely watched for any evidence of disease, results were posted on the Internet, and researchers spoke together in a weekly teleconference to share observations. The use of sentinel plots proved to be an effective tool. Sentinel plots were used in 2006, and this year, Iowa will have 20 sentinel plots.