Producers nixed the budget last year because many felt the assessments were too high. According to Dr. Cliff Hoelscher, entomologist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, producers and share landlords in the Southern Blacklands Boll Weevil Eradication Zone should receive a ballot from the Texas Department of Agriculture via public mail in early March. The ballots must be postmarked and returned to TDA by March 22.
Boll weevils feed on blooms and bolls and cause the fruit to be shed from the plant.
In late season, developing larvae in bolls reduce yields and quality. The Texas Legislature established the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation in 1993. Texas currently has about 3.5 million acres under active eradication. Cotton producers voted more than 2 million new acres into programs in 1999. The Blacklands zone includes a 63-county area from Austin to Waco to Texarkana to Beaumont to Houston and has about 105,000 acres of cotton.