Happy October to everyone! This week we have a little history for you.
In our book, there is a naughty little beetle that likes to stir up trouble on the farm. This little creature is called a Boll Weevil.
In the 19th century, the Boll Weevil had migrated from Mexico over into the United States. They then would migrate 40-160 miles per year, spreading across the country.
Boll Weevil's would feed on cotton plants and flowers, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake. By the 1920s, the Boll Weevil had infested all U.S cotton fields. Which devastated the entire industry, with an estimated cost of 300 million worth of damages per year.
In the 1970s, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had implemented The Boll Weevil Eradication Program to eradicate the Boll Weevil's from the fields around the United States. The program would prove to be one of the most successful implementations of the integrated pest management programs, enabling farmers to cut their use of pesticides by 40 to even 100 percent.
By the fall of 2009, Boll Weevils in all U.S cotton regions, except for fewer than one million acres that were still under treatment in Texas, were nearly eradicated.
Though, to this day, there is still a battle in Texas and parts of Mexico to rid the cotton fields 100% of the dreaded Boll Weevil. With the hard work and dedication from the governments and farmers, we can hope that one day, in the not so distant future, the scourge of the Boll Weevil will be just a harmless little tale from the past.
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