A. Each organic cotton producer within an established cotton boll weevil control district shall notify the cotton boll weevil control committee in writing of the number of acres on which the organic cotton producer intends to plant organic cotton at least thirty days prior to planting.

B. The cotton boll weevil committee shall require all organic producers to pay the assessment established for the cotton boll weevil control district in the same manner as producers of conventionally grown cotton in the cotton boll weevil control district.

C. After crop planting, the cotton boll weevil control committee shall notify an organic cotton producer as to the boll weevil status of his cotton acres, as well as the boll weevil status of surrounding acres, as documented by the committee's normal boll weevil trapping program.

D. The cotton boll weevil control committee shall confer with the organic cotton producer to determine measures that might be taken to attempt to keep all or a portion of the organic cotton producer's cotton acreage below trigger levels for required treatment. If the organic cotton producer chooses to use a nonconventional method, the cotton boll weevil control committee shall pay the costs of the nonconventional method used by the organic cotton producer, provided the costs do not exceed the equivalent costs of conventional control methods. If boll weevil trigger levels are reached on the organic cotton producer's acres and boll weevil migration from outside these acres has been eliminated as a cause of these levels, then the organic cotton producer shall be allowed to harvest these acres, but shall not be allowed to grow cotton on the acreage for one year. If the organic cotton producer chooses to use conventional methods of treatment, the cotton boll weevil committee shall proceed accordingly.

History: Laws 1997, ch. 57, § 6.