Maryland Soybean Board researching a kudzu bug destroying crops

This summer, the Maryland Soybean Board has granted more than $200,000 to support sixteen research projects for the benefit of soybean farmers.

The kudzu bug, from Asia, is an insect that munches on crops like soybeans. The Chairman, William Layton says that the bug could have came through cargo of fruits and vegetables. Layton says that the kudzu bug lives in warm weather and came from the south, slowly making its way to the north.

It is the latest insect causing harm not only to the crops, but to farmers’ businesses as well.

The board is researching how they can stop these insects from continuing to grow,
since they do not have any natural predator for now.

Layton says they wanted to helping out the farmers who are being affected by this bug,” Farmers as individuals don’t have the resources to do research, to do promotions, to do advertising and by collecting a little bit of money every time, a farm sells soy beans, we can collect that and do research as a larger group.”

Layton said that anyone can look up the research and information they have been working on , on their website.