The board of the Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation of North Carolina has set the 2024 boll weevil assessment at 75 cents per acre of cotton. The amount remains the same as in 2023.
The fee supports the foundation’s efforts to monitor cotton acreage in North Carolina for any reintroduction of the boll weevil and to respond promptly with eradication treatments if necessary.
“Ongoing monitoring and trapping for the boll weevil helps ensure we stay on top of any reintroduction. The program has and continues to serve cotton growers in North Carolina and the South well,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “North Carolina has been a long time leader and champion for the regional trapping program, understanding that boll weevils do not recognize state lines and can easily move from nearby states if not monitored."
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 6,433 traps were placed and maintained in North Carolina last year, with each trap monitoring an average of 58 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 47 counties grew 375,188 certified acres of cotton last year. This acreage represented a 17.3 percent decrease from 2022. The top three cotton-growing counties were Halifax, Edgecombe, and Bertie.
To learn more about the boll weevil monitoring program, go online to Plant Industry - Boll Weevil Program | NC Agriculture.