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Farmers, gardeners must register cotton plants with the LDAF

Farmers, gardeners must register cotton plants with the LDAF
Baton Rouge, La. (May 5, 2017) – All cotton planted in Louisiana, including cotton grown in ornamental gardens and other non-traditional locations, must be registered with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to be monitored for possible boll weevil presence.
State boll weevil eradication law provides that anyone who intends to plant cotton for non-commercial purposes must receive prior permission from Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M.
“The state is officially boll weevil-free but it is important for us to continue to monitor all cotton grown in the state to protect Louisiana’s cotton industry,” Strain said. “Boll weevil traps are set along the edges of cotton fields, but even gardeners outside of the traditional cotton growing areas may plant cotton, for example, to spin their own thread for fabric or for the plant’s ornamental appeal. In all of these instances, we have to place a boll weevil trap nearby to ensure our boll weevil-free status is maintained.”
Historically, the boll weevil has been cotton’s most destructive pest. All cotton-growing states have eradication programs.
Cotton remains one of Louisiana’s leading crops. In 2016 more than 137,000 cotton acres were harvested. The gross farm value of all cotton sales in Louisiana was $103.5 million, with value added contributing $25.9 million, so that total value of cotton production in 2016 was $129.4 million.
For more information regarding planting of non-commercial or ornamental cotton, please contact the Louisiana Boll Weevil Eradication Program office at 225-922-1338 or bollweevil@ldaf.state.la.us.