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cotton pest nearly eliminated
TULSA, Okla. (AP)--An insect that can decimate cotton crops has been nearly eliminated in Oklahoma, agriculture officials say. The boll weevil is more than "99.99 percent killed out" in the state, officials of the Hobart-based Oklahoma Boll Weevil Eradication Organization told legislators recently. Bill Massey, the recently retired OBWEO director, said three southeastern counties are still being impacted by weevil migration from northeastern Texas--a region that now has its own eradication program. No boll weevils were found in the rest of Oklahoma during the 2006 growing season. A state eradication program begun in 1998 is funded by a producer assessment. "The program has been very successful not only in Oklahoma but across the country," said OBWEO director Joe Harris, a program veteran who replaced Massey. "If boll weevils are identified and sprayed in a timely manner--generally within 24 hours of being found--the program will, over time, be successful." Oklahoma cotton production increased from 140,000 acres in 1998 to 300,000 acres in 2006. The average per-acre yield across the state was 480 pounds in 1999 but increased to 749 pounds in 2004 and 736 pounds in 2005. Date: 7/10/07
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