Thursday, October 30, 1997

Farmers say yes to weevil program by two-to-one vote

By J.T. SMITH / Abilene Reporter-News

After a long and bumpy road, the Boll Weevil Eradication Program finally appears to be on a roll in Texas.

The South Texas-Winter Garden Boll Weevil Eradication Zone has voted by more than a two-to-one margin to continue the BWEP in the 26-county zone.

As he was departing Abilene Tuesday for a meeting in College Station, Lindy Patton was elated with this enthusiasm by growers.

"It was a positive vote for cotton -- not just the boll weevil program," said Patton, state executive director of the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation, based in Abilene. "The growers have spoken. We are proud of the way growers in that zone have taken ownership of their program."

The final tally showed 1,185 voting "for" and 535 voting "against" continuing the weevil program in that zone. Patton said the fall vote sets the stage to tighten the dragnet on the weevil in 1998.

"We can now concentrate our efforts on making the 1998 full-season program th best possible," Patton said. "It's our duty to see it gets done."

Osama El-Lissy, the foundation's program director, has traveled extensively across the state and reports an upbeat attitude among cotton growers.

"Based on the feedback I've received, growers already are noticing good things as a result of the 1996 fall diapause program," El-Lissy said.

Texas Ag Commissioner Rick Perry said the program belongs to cotton growers, themselves.

"Boll weevil eradication efforts in Texas are first and foremost a producer-driven program," Perry said. "This vote to continue the eradication program in their area indicates producers in the South Texas-Winter Garden Zone will continue their investment in ensuring that Texas cotton remains strong and competitive in the global market."

South Texas sets stage for Abilene region votes

Retention elections have been set in the Southern Rolling Plains and Rolling Plains Central zones for February.

The SRP is an eight-county zone that takes in extreme southern Taylor County and stretches southward to the San Angelo area. It was the first Texas zone to start eradication work with a fall diapause treatments in 1994.

The RPC is a larger 19-county zone that takes in the rest of Taylor County and roughly extends northward to the Haskell and Knox County area.

Patton said growers in these zones are clearly seeing the benefits of the weevil eradication work. While the eradication program certainly isn't totally responsible for this year's overall good cotton crop, there's no doubt in contributed significantly.

Patton said that's apparent from areas that are not yet in the program -- like the Northern Rolling Plains -- which sadly saw cotton devoured by weevils on many farms this year.

"It's a very exciting day for cotton in South Texas and the whole state," said Craig Shook, a Corpus Christi cotton producer. "The vote shows that growers and landowners understand the program and the fact that we need it to successfully produce cotton."

"The retention election validates the desire of growers in the zone to continue on the mission to eradicate the weevil," said Tryne Mengers, a Tynan cotton grower.