Cotton harvest season means used and custom harvest equipment is moving throughout the state. 

“Harvest equipment traveling through the state must be properly inspected and certified to indicate there are no boll weevils,” said Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. “The boll weevil was eradicated here in Louisiana in 2012. Used and/or custom cotton harvest equipment from a boll weevil infested area can reintroduce the pest to the state if the equipment is not inspected properly and given clearance.”

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. Equipment entering Louisiana from areas such as Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, that have restrictions due to pink bollworm, will require that a Fumigation Certificate or USDA PPQ Inspection Form 540 accompany that equipment. 

Equipment from all other states should have a phytosanitary certificate or other official document 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. If the equipment stops anywhere within the state of Louisiana, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry must be notified to inspect the equipment and review all pertinent documentation.  

The boll weevil is an insect native to Mexico. It causes extensive damage to cotton plants. 

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.