NEWS

Moving cotton harvest equipment into Louisiana is restricted without proper inspection 

August 8, 2023

For Immediate Release:              
August 8, 2023

Contact:
Jennifer Finley, Press Secretary – 225-922-1256
Megan Moore, Public Information Director – 225-935-2179
presssecretary@LDAF.la.gov

Moving cotton harvest equipment into Louisiana is restricted without proper inspection 

Baton Rouge, La. – As Louisiana cotton producers move into cotton harvest season, Louisianians will see an influx of used and custom cotton harvest equipment moving into and through the state. To protect our cotton producers from the reintroduction of boll weevils, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) implements restrictions for all cotton harvest equipment entering the state.  

Boll weevil reintroductions usually occur when used and/or custom cotton harvest equipment from a boll weevil-infested area travels through the state or stops within the state to conduct harvest operations without being properly fumigated, inspected, and certified as being free of boll weevils. (Cotton harvest equipment includes cotton pickers, cotton module builders, cotton module trucks, boll buggies, tractors, trailers, and any other equipment potentially harboring cotton debris or boll weevils.) 

“Once the equipment stops anywhere within the state of Louisiana, our department must be notified so we may conduct an inspection of the equipment and review all pertinent documentation,” said LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, DVM. 

Equipment entering Louisiana from Texas requires a Fumigation Certificate or a USDA PPQ Inspection Form 540. Equipment from all other states where the boll weevil has been eradicated should have a phytosanitary certificate or other official documents, such as a statement on letterhead from a state-of-origin regulatory official certifying that the equipment is free from boll weevil or that the equipment originated in a boll weevil free area. 

The invasive boll weevil, which first appeared in Louisiana in 1903, has cost producers millions of dollars in yield losses and increased damage and control costs. Since the declaration of the boll weevil’s eradication from the state in 2012, LDAF continues to implement these protocols to avoid the devastating economic impact weevils can have.  

For more information regarding the requirements for the movement of cotton equipment, contact the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s Boll Weevil Eradication Program office at (225) 922-1338 or visit https://www.ldaf.state.la.us/ldaf-programs/horticulture-programs/boll-weevil-eradication-program/. 

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