(a) “Assessment” means the amount per acre to be charged each cotton grower to finance, in whole or part, a boll weevil suppression, pre-eradication, eradication or post-eradication program in this state. The assessments shall be based on scientifically sound data regarding the level of boll weevil infestation in the state and the anticipated cost of conducting the proposed program.

(b) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Boll Weevil Management Corporation.

(c) “Boll weevil” means Anthonomus grandis Boheman in any stage of development.

(d) “Mississippi Boll Weevil Management Corporation Board of Directors” means the statewide administrative board elected by all Mississippi cotton growers who are members of a local cotton growers association to serve and represent the interests and concerns of Mississippi cotton growers with respect to the administration of boll weevil management programs and the nonvoting advisory members as provided in Section 69-7-13.

(e) “Bureau” means the Bureau of Plant Industry within the regulatory office of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce.

(f) “Certificate” means a document issued or authorized by the Bureau of Plant Industry indicating that a regulated article is not contaminated with boll weevils.

(g) “Cotton growers association” means a local association with membership open to all Mississippi cotton growers. Cotton growers associations represent the interests and concerns of Mississippi cotton growers to the Mississippi Boll Weevil Management Corporation.

(h) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce.

(i) “Containment/maintenance program” means a statewide program designed to monitor the level of boll weevil infestations to eliminate any reinfestation of boll weevils.

(j) “Corporation” means the Mississippi Boll Weevil Management Corporation.

(k) “Cotton” means any cotton plant or cotton plant products upon which the boll weevil is dependent for completion of any portion of its life cycle.

(l) “Cotton grower” means any person who under the rules and regulations of the United States Department of Agriculture is actively engaged in cotton farming.

(m) “Department” means the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce.

(n) “Eradication program” means any statewide program designed to eliminate, contain and monitor the boll weevil as an economic pest within a specified area.

(o) “Host” means any plant or plant product upon which the boll weevil is dependent for completion of any portion of its life cycle.

(p) “Infested” means actually infested with a boll weevil or so exposed to infestation that it would be considered infested according to criteria established by program management and the Mississippi Boll Weevil Management Corporation.

(q) “Information gathering program” means any statewide program designed to gather information that will be used in administering a boll weevil management program.

(r) “Management program” means any statewide program designed to suppress or eradicate, contain and monitor the boll weevil or to gather information that will be used in planning or implementing such suppression or eradication programs.

(s) “Permit” means a document issued or authorized by the Bureau of Plant Industry to provide for the movement of regulated articles to restricted designations for limited handling, utilization or processing.

(t) “Person” means any individual, partnership, corporation, company, society, association or other business entity.

(u) “Pest” means any species of plant, animal, or microbe that adversely affects cotton production; including, but not limited to: insects, weeds, nematodes, bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

(v) “Post-eradication program” means any unified program designed to maintain boll weevil free status in the program area.

(w) “Pre-eradication program” means any statewide program designed to reduce overall boll weevil populations before entering a full scale eradication program.

(x) “Region” means a specific cotton growing area within the state as defined by the Technical Advisory Committee as those regions existed before July 1, 2010, defined based on similarities in boll weevil populations, cotton cultural practices, national topography and climate.

(y) “Regulated article” means any article of any character carrying or capable of carrying the boll weevil, including cotton plants, seed cotton, cottonseed, other hosts, gin trash, gin equipment, mechanical cotton pickers and other equipment associated with cotton production, harvesting or processing.

(z) “Suppression” means any statewide program designed to reduce overall boll weevil populations throughout the specified area.

(aa) “Technical Advisory Committee” means a group of professional scientists in the fields of entomology, agronomy, agricultural economics and other appropriate disciplines appointed by the Boll Weevil Management Board to provide technical guidance in developing and conducting effective boll weevil management programs.