I'm sorry to say that there is no way to stop it. It is a microscopic mite that blows in. I see it once in a while. Seems like it's hit or miss.

Are you positive that you are not seeing Round-Up damage?

Growing rootstock from seeds has no bearing on whether a rose bush gets RRD. It'll give you Rose Mosiac Virus (RMV) free roses but the method of infection for RRD is entirely different. As Dan explained above it's carried by a wind blown mite. Where it falls depends on where the wind is blocked, allowing the mites to fall onto a rose bush.
And it's not unusual for a bush to get infected while another in close proximity will not get infected. The mites don't fly so they can't jump from one bush to another. What's infected is stricly by chance.
Check upwind for infected wild multiflora or infected bushes in a neighbors yard. If found, remove the infected bushes to get rid of the source.

Checking for multiflora upwind from your yard is the first thing to do. They can be a prime source of RRD.

Is RRD relatively recent in your area? We had it start here over 15 years ago and it seemed the first 8 to 10 years were the worst. Now it seems to have slowed down, with not nearly as many reports of new infections. We still hear of one now and then, but not very many. If it follows that pattern in your area, there is hope for the future.

henry..I posted pics here a few yrs back of the Grootendorst that came down with it and everyone said it was RRD so I'm pretty sure it's not herbacide damage. I really hoped it was herbacide damage too! Every cane that I cut off that bush...new ugly ones appeared. Was sad to see cause that bush flowered ALOT.
As for multiflora growing around me...we have an overgrown field across the street from us. I might take a hike out there once things start to leaf out to see if I can find anything.
I'll email Wisconsin Roses....they're in the same area as me; I'll ask if they know of an increase of RRD in our area. Thank you for suggesting that...something I didn't think of.
Thanks for the responses....it gives me direction on where to look.
Nancy

Of course if you did not use Round-Up in or around your rose beds, it will not be Round-Up damage. But, if you did, you should be aware that Round-Up sprayed last summer/fall can show damage on spring growth.

I am not aware of RRD spread in early spring. When do the mites hatch? Perhaps Ann Peck wil comment on this point.

RRD isn't spread in early spring because the mites need a certain temp (high 70s) to get moving.

But even though I'm watchful, I've missed late fall infections and they come back much stronger in the early spring. (Fall there might be a small episode on a cane otherwise hidden by rose foliage and easily overlooked. Then that moves down the cane into the roots. Maybe that cane is pruned off in late winter. Then Spring comes and the infection moves outward into another cane.)

I've seen that this year already.

I think RRD disease pressures vary from year to year. (This matches some of the mite population counts that have been published.)

Severe drought may be a stimulus to mite migration, and when they land in a well hydrated and vigorously growing rose bed, they stay there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose Rosette E-book

Steve Singer from Wisconsin Roses was kind enough to email me back this morning. He says it's all around us =(
This article has a picture of the mosaic pattern in the leaves that's the first indication of an early new infection.
If I did see leaves such as this, would removing them and part of the cane immediately keep the mites from moving downward into the roots of the plant and possibly prevent the whole plant from becomming infected??
I know it may seem silly of me wanting to be hyper vigilent but I've lost some very nice roses because of this nasty disease and it almost makes me want to throw in the towel on growing roses.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mosaic on leaves

I don't know if this will work in your area, but at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, they started interplanting the roses with other perennials. That's supposed to help mix things up and either make it more difficult for the wind to spread the disease, confuse the mites...or maybe both!

It might be worth a try. There should be an older post here, with more information and a link. Try searching for Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

potpourri59,
The mites don't move in the plant. They carry the virus and when they feed on the leaves, the virus is transfered to the plant. It then spreads throughout the vascular system, eventually infecting the whole plant.
Sometimes if caught early enough, removing the infected part will stop the disease.

Hmm..Lavender...maybe large marigolds will throw them off, they seem to deter other bugs from invading vegetable gardens. I'll do a search as you suggested.
Karl...thank you for explaing that to me ....I get confused sometimes on the mechanics of this virus and need to remember it's the VIRUS that kills the plant...the mites are just the carriers.