Borderland farmers fearful for their pecan and cotton crops
Borderland growers attended a Texas House Agriculture Committee hearing held in El Paso on Wednesday.
It was hosted by El Paso State Rep. Mary Gonzalez who sits on the Agriculture Committee.
Growers testified they are worried about the Fusarium Wilt fungal disease in cotton and the pecan weevil. They told the committee an infestation could devastate their crops.
The hearing was held at the Texas A&M Agrilife Research Center.
“Fusarium Wilt in cotton is a soil borne and seed borne pathogen that can devastate cotton. And it has done that in California,” said Orlando Flores, who works for the center. “The other side of that is pecan weevil. Pecan weevil is something that can devastate our pecan crop in El Paso county as well.”
Ramon Tirres Jr. is a grower who attended the hearing.
“My biggest problem is the Fusarium Wilt that was discovered here four years ago. And it’s a major problem for us at this point in this valley and the upper valley,” Tirres said.
Many of the growers wanted to know what is being done at the state level to protect their crops.
“There is some seed that has been introduced that is resistant. It’s resistant, but not completely resistant. But it is something that can be used,” Flores said. “The unfortunate part is economics. These seeds can cost anywhere between $200 and $300 hundred a bag, versus people used to buy seed for $17, $18 dollars a bag.”
Tirres would like to see money state money going toward research on the problem.
Kevin Ivey is a grower who specializes in pecans.
“The potential impact of the weevil is huge. There is a lot of money provided here locally from the growing of pecans. And it would serve the local economy very badly and they would lose a lot of money if the weevil came in”, Ivey said.
Added Flores: “This is a very serious threat to agriculture economy which is a very large economy obviously in El Paso and the state of Texas.”
New Mexico state and local politicians have placed four counties on quarantine: Eddy, Chavez, Lee and Curry. The quarantine is designed to keep pecan weevils from entering Dona Ana County.
According to Southwest FarmPress, 249 of Texas’ 254 counties are under quarantine as a result of the pecan weevil. Only five counties in extreme West Texas have escaped the quarantine – so far.
