Good Morning, 

Thank you for contacting the U of M Extension Service. 

Here is the link from the U of M Extension Yard and Garden website about orange rust: https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/orange-rust-raspberry

Generally, you only get the rust fungus on the leaves and the canes, as long as there is no rust on the berry itself, they should be fine to eat, that said orange rust generally greatly reduces the berry crop.

When I first read your email, I thought you had a black raspberry garden bed. I am now understanding that you have wild berries around your 19 acre property and you are not tending to any of them as garden plants. 

If you read through the information from the website, it states: 

• Orange rust is one of the few fungal diseases that spreads internally throughout the entire plant, from the roots to the canes.
• Once a plant is infected, all the canes produced by that plant will always have the disease.
• The fungus survives the winter within the infected crown.
• Spores are produced on weak primocanes in early spring or late summer.
• Spores move by wind to new plants.
• Mature leaves are more likely to be infected than young growing leaves.
• Leaves must be wet for many hours for spores to start a new infection.
• The disease spreads from the leaves to the stems and roots.

The information about orange rust should answer most of your questions. If you just leave it, it will continue in the plants you have. It will survive the winter and appear in the new canes next year. It may not kill the plants, but will reduce the vigor and the harvest. It also explains how the disease spreads. 

I do not know if it will affect other plants. It is a fungus. 

If you decide you like the berries enough to start a garden patch of disease resistant berries, here is a link to growing raspberries in the home garden: https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-raspberries-home-garden

If you scroll through the information, it lists disease resistant black raspberry varieties and cultural control to assist in avoiding diseases.  This information states: 

• Grow raspberries in a part of the garden that has good air circulation, good drainage and full sunlight.
• Good air movement helps leaves dry faster, which reduces disease problems.

Good air movement and sun will dry out the canes to help avoid the fungus. If you were to start a garden bed, have it a little ways away from the infected plants on your property. 

I am hoping this answers most of your questions. 

Good Luck!