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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Papen

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/7/2007

HB

SHORT TITLE Pink Bollworm Control Program

SB 531

ANALYST McOlash

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$85.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 531 appropriates $85,000 from the General Fund to the Regents of NMSU for expen-

diture in FY 2008 for the NMDA to support pink bollworm control districts’ expenditures pursu-

ant to the Pink Bollworm Act.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $85,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 2008 shall revert to the

General Fund.

Continuing control is necessary since poor area wide management of pink bollworm could re-

duce production value by $3 million or more and impede control efforts in adjacent states.

Senate Bill 531 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

NMDA Analysis

Pink bollworm, an insect pest that feeds directly within cotton bolls, is now

found in all cotton production areas of New Mexico (approximately 70,000

acres). It is an economic pest in Luna, Sierra, and Eddy counties (approxi-

mately 26,000 cotton acres). Prior to eradication efforts in Doņa Ana county,

pink bollworm was a significant economic pest in Doņa Ana county. Because

of the importance of area-wide management of pink bollworm, as opposed to

individual producer management, cotton producers in Doņa Ana, Luna and Si-

erra counties voted to create a pink bollworm control district. The control dis-

trict is currently working with the United States department of agriculture,

animal and plant health inspection service and cotton producers in west Texas

and northern Mexico on an area-wide eradication program. After four years of

eradication efforts in south central New Mexico, Doņa Ana, Sierra and Luna

counties pink boll worm populations have decreased approximately 99.6 per-

cent. These efforts have resulted in an increase in cotton production and have

helped restore a margin of profitability that existed prior to the establishment

of pink bollworm in the area. Similar eradication programs have been success-

ful in Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri, and California.

This proposal was not submitted to the HED by NMSU and was not included in the Depart-

ment’s funding recommendation for FY08.

BM/yr