GENERAL SITUATION: This was a very hot and dry week. Just what the doctor ordered for cotton, grain sorghum and corn harvests, all of which still are underway. Rain now would not help those three crops, but would do wonders for citrus and sugarcane.

Cotton Harvesting and Shredding

Fields were being harvested or shredded down without harvesting this week. Much of Willacy county has gone under the shredder without harvest due to very poor yields based on insurance adjustment numbers. Probably, most of the cotton fields in Willacy will be shredded this year (80+% as a guess at this time). Some fields in Cameron and Hidalgo county likely will be shredded without being harvested, also. Much of Hidalgo county's irrigated county looks very good. But, harvest of the Cameron and Hidalgo county crops is barely underway.

Weevil Numbers Explode

Boll weevils infestations exploded in immature fields over the last two weeks. It was very difficult to find plants without at least a punctured square in immature fields this week. Mature fields and those ready for defoliation had some weevil activity, but not at levels of concern.

Trap Counts Increased Again

Boll weevil traps showed increased counts again this week. Nothing really new there except that growers should be looking at these "mobile" weevils as a threat to any cotton grown in 2002. We still are encouraging producers to use insecticides with their defoliants when possible to reduce the number of weevils. Particularly important will be the stalk destruction phase including adding insecticides to herbicides when they are used in conservation tillage operations to kill cotton stalks and weevils.

Last Newsletter for 2001

This will be the last weekly newsletter for 2001. Special editions will be printed as needed. We hope this publication has been of value in your farming and/or other ag related business. We will be keeping everyone informed about the boll weevil trapping effort which we plan to continue until at least late November, 2001.