Cotton stalk destruction deadline extended for Zone 7, Area 1

AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Agriculture announced today that the cotton stalk destruction deadline has been extended for cotton growers in Zone 7, Area 1 due to weather factors, including heavier than normal rainfall that prevented fields from being workable during normal harvest and destruction time periods.

The new Dec. 7 deadline applies to cotton fields in Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Houston, Leon, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby and Smith counties.

Producers needing additional time beyond the extended deadline may submit an individual extension request. Individual extension requests for fields with unharvested or undestroyed cotton must have their request faxed or postmarked no later than Nov. 28. To learn more about the submission process, contact your TDA regional office or visit our Web site at www.TexasAgrciulture. gov. If assistance is needed, please note TDA offices will be closed beginning Nov. 25 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Cotton stalk destruction deadlines are established by regulations adopted under the Cotton Pest Control Law to help control boll weevils. After the deadline, cotton stalks are not allowed to have squares, blooms or uncracked bolls, and must remain without fruiting structures until emergence of the new cotton crop next spring. Planting next spring cannot begin before Feb. 1, 2010.

Cotton is a host for the boll weevil. The beetle remains the most destructive cotton pest in North America. The Texas Legislature established the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation in 1993 to eradicate the pest and ensure Texas remains the No. 1 cotton- producing state in the nation. Cotton has more than a $4 billion annual economic impact on the Lone Star State.