Cotton Production and the Boll Weevil in Georgia: History, Cost of Control, and Benefits of Eradication

Georgia’s history and cotton production have been inseparably woven together since 1733, when the colony was founded and cotton was first planted in Trustee’s Garden, near Savannah. The success of the Southeast Boll Weevil Eradication Program has played a major role in the recent revival of Georgia’s cotton industry. The boll weevil first appeared in Thomasville in 1915, and cotton production began declining rapidly, from a historical high of 2.8 million bales in 1914 to 600,000 bales in 1923. Aerial applications of calcium arsenate dust began in the early 1920s. This helped increase yields somewhat, but the industry never really recovered, and overall production continued declining steadily for another 60 years. In 1983 Georgia produced only 112,000 bales on 115,000 harvested acres. The active treatment and trapping phase of the eradication program began in 1987 and was completed in 1990. Since then, cotton production has increased dramatically each year. Average yield has increased from 482 pounds per acre in the pre-eradication period (1971 to 1986) to 733 pounds per acre in the post-eradication period (1991 to 1995). Acreage has increased from an average of 228,000 to 770,000, and average gros