The Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation of North Carolina Board of Directors has set the 2025 boll weevil assessment at 75 cents per acre of cotton. This marks the eighth year where the rate has remained the same.
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.
“The boll weevil trapping and monitoring program is vital to ensuring North Carolina’s cotton crops are safe from the destructive impacts of this pest,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “This program allows us to move quickly to eradicate the boll weevil when reintroductions are found. It is a valued investment for farmers across our state.”
Foundation contractors will install 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 7,125 traps were placed and maintained in North Carolina last year, with each trap monitoring an average of 57 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 48 counties grew 403,388 certified acres of cotton last year. This acreage represented a 7.5 percent increase from 2023. The top three cotton-growing counties were Halifax, Bertie and Northampton.
To learn more about the boll weevil monitoring program, go online to https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/plant-industry/plant-protection/entomological-services/boll-weevil-program.
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