Everett Griner talks about the war being declared on feral hogs in today’s Agri View. Hog war is declared! There is a concerted effort to eliminate, or at least control, feral hogs. It is unclear how these hog wars are organized. It is also unclear how it will differ from other efforts, but the objective is the same. The main objective is to eradicate feral hogs. Not just control them. Adding up the billions of dollars lost annually to farm crops is an indication of how tough it is going to be to put an army together to fight the feral hog problem.
From USDA/APHIS website:
Free-ranging populations of feral swine exist in at least 35 states, and the nationwide population is estimated at approximately 6 million animals. States with the highest numbers of feral swine include, California, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas. Feral swine are an invasive species that are native to Eurasia, but have become well adapted to the United States since their introduction in the early 1500’s.
Feral swine damage pastures, agricultural crops, lawns, landscaping and natural areas due to feeding, rooting, wallowing, grazing, and trampling activities. Feral swine are reservoirs of many diseases and act as a host to parasites that can negatively impact agricultural animals, especially swine. Integrated management solutions to address problems and control or eradicate feral swine populations may include exclusion, population management and removal of animals, and innovative approaches and tools generated by research.
View the Feral Swine Damages factsheet and learn more about damages caused by feral swine here.
For information about how to identify and report feral swine damages, see the Identifying and Reporting Feral Swine factsheet here.
Photo credit: Photos courtesy of USDA/APHIS.