RALEIGH — The board of the Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation of North Carolina has set the 2023 boll weevil assessment at 75 cents per acre of cotton, marking the sixth year at this rate.
The fee supports the foundation’s efforts to monitor cotton acreage in North Carolina for any re-introduction of the boll weevil and to respond promptly with eradication treatments if necessary.
“The boll weevil trapping and monitoring program has time and time again proven to be a great investment for farmers, by allowing us to react quickly to eradicate this pest when any spot re-introductions are found,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “It is fair to say we wouldn’t have the cotton crop we do today without this valued program.”
Foundation contractors will install the green-colored traps and monitor from late summer until after harvest and frost. Because the focus of North Carolina’s program has shifted from eradication to monitoring, the number of traps in fields has decreased. As such, each trap is critical, and farmers are encouraged to contact the foundation if traps are damaged or knocked down.
More than 8,119 traps were placed and maintained in North Carolina last year, with each trap monitoring an average of 56 acres. To allow for trapping and monitoring, cotton growers are required to certify cotton acreage with their local U.S. Farm Service Agency office by July 15.
Farmers in 52 counties grew 457,179 certified acres of cotton last year. This acreage represented a 25.7 percent increase from 2021. The top three cotton-growing counties were Halifax, Bertie and Northampton.
To learn more about the boll weevil monitoring program, go online to http://www.ncagr.gov/plantindustry/plant/entomology/BW.htm
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