Floydada, Texas
February 3, 2004
Boll weevil eradication on the
Texas Plains will soon switch gears from "active" to
"maintenance" mode, according to the manager of the Southern
High Plains-Caprock eradication zone.
"Weevil numbers in the Northern High Plains and Southern High
Plains-Caprock eradication zones are down 99 percent from 2002.
When we started in 2001, we counted more than 200,000 weevils in
trap catches in the Southern High Plains-Caprock zone. Weevil
numbers declined to slightly more than 18,000 in 2002, and to
only 145 in 2003," said Patrick Burson.
"We will soon ask Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs to
change our official status – from active to suppressed. In
short, we will enter an eradication maintenance phase when that
status is granted."
There are 14 boll weevil eradication zones in Texas today.
Twelve of those zones, representing more than 5.7 million cotton
acres, were "active" zones in 2003.
Burson was one of eight featured speakers at the Jan. 28 Caprock
Cotton Conference here. More than 100 producers attended the
conference for updates on cotton insects, weevil eradication,
national state legislation, alternative crops, crop water use
efficiency and market prices.
The pending change in eradication status will mean changes in
how the foundation operates in "suppressed" zones. Weevil
trapping to monitor declining populations will continue, but
there will be fewer traps and foundation personnel in the field
to monitor them.
"We will target hot spots within our zones, with fewer traps
spaced farther apart. We will also target areas that may serve
as points of entry – places on the edges of suppressed zones
where weevils may be coming in from other regions," Burson said.
"With fewer traps in the field, our emphasis will be keeping
those traps functional. Even so, the cost of our effort will
decline.
"Our projected four-year cost for eradication in the Southern
High Plains-Caprock zone was $105 million in 2001. That total
has been lowered by $33 million."
Quarantine rules for the movement of cotton equipment and raw
cotton will also change. Gins and producers will have to make
sure equipment and raw cotton entering a suppressed zone is
clean of weevils, Burson said.
"Meeting quarantine standards may not be easy, but it is in our
best interest all the way around. If you have any questions
regarding the movement of cotton equipment or raw cotton into a
suppressed zone, or any questions regarding how eradication
maintenance will be handled, I encourage you to contact your
local Texas Department of Agriculture office," he said.
There are five active boll weevil eradication zones on the Texas
South Plains. These zones border three non-active eradication
zones in Texas, and New Mexico – which has no boll weevil
eradication program.
The Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation runs the
eradication effort statewide. Producer assessments fund about 80
percent of the eradication bill, while state and federal funds
pay the remainder. More information about the statewide
eradication program, and a color map of all the zones, is
available on the Internet at:
http://www.txbollweevil.org.
Writer: Tim W. McAlavy (806)
746-4051, t-mcalavy@tamu.edu
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