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Boll weevil eradication effort will soon switch gears on the Texas Plains
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  

Texas A&M news release

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