USDA Awards Funds for Feral Swine

By DTN Staff

OMAHA (DTN) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is awarding $51.9 million to 29 projects across 13 states aimed at reducing feral swine populations and the damage they cause to farms, ranches, natural resources and livestock health, USDA announced on Tuesday.

The projects are part of a broader $105 million investment in USDA's Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program, a joint effort involving the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

USDA said the projects will help landowners with restoration and on-farm trapping while also providing training and other services aimed at controlling feral swine populations.

Projects were awarded in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

"Feral swine pose a threat to America's working lands, and through this program, we're bringing together America's agricultural producers and partners to combat feral swine and protect agricultural landscapes," said NRCS Chief Colton L. Buckley. "The selected projects will take critical steps to eradicate and control feral swine across the nation where their impact is creating the most harm."

According to USDA, feral swine can damage plant and wildlife habitat, soils, water quality and other natural resources. They can also carry diseases that pose risks to livestock and humans.

"Feral swine continue to inflict serious damage on America's farms, ranches, and natural resources," said APHIS Administrator Kelly Moore. "APHIS looks forward to continuing to work with NRCS partners to augment and strengthen our efforts to eradicate and control feral swine populations for the benefit of agricultural and natural resources. Together, we can and will advance the eradication of feral swine and reduce the harm they cause to American farmers and the nation's natural resources."

Among the largest efforts described by USDA is a Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry project targeting 16.6 million acres across 27 parishes in portions of the Red River and Mississippi River basins. The project will expand surveillance, trapping and coordinated removal efforts while providing landowner education and assessing natural resource damage.

In Texas, the Texas State Soil & Water Conservation Board received awards for three projects covering Baylor, Brown, Coleman, Fannin, Haskell, Knox, Lamar, Runnels and Red River counties. USDA said the projects are intended to reduce feral swine populations while training and equipping local landowners to use coordinated management strategies. Over five years, the projects are expected to directly engage about 200 producers and affect approximately 1 million working acres.

The Alabama Soil & Water Conservation Committee received awards for four projects covering Baldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Lamar, Mobile, Monroe, Pickens, Sumter and Wilcox counties. USDA said activities are expected to cover at least 100,000 acres, with assistance provided to producers and landowners restoring land damaged by feral swine.

The newly selected projects will be coordinated among NRCS, APHIS and participating state and local partners. USDA said NRCS will provide funding for landowner assistance, trapping, training and related services through grant agreements with the partners.

Funding for the new projects was provided through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, according to USDA.

USDA said NRCS has invested $92.9 million in 63 Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program projects since 2020. Those projects have assisted more than 6,700 landowners covering nearly 9 million acres, while participating organizations have held more than 800 events to teach landowners trapping techniques.

More information about the program and its projects is available on the NRCS Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program webpage at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/….

Read more on DTN, "Feral Hogs Cause Billions of Dollars in Damage Annually" https://www.dtnpf.com/…

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Editor's Note: This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by DTN editorial staff.

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