 (L to R) Mike Caldwell, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) resource team leader from Dumas, Lucas Spinhirne, Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) board member for Oldham County, Texas and Shannon Rowley, NRCS district conservationist from Vega, stand next to a hog trap in Oldham County.
Imagine waking up to find your crops and pasture grasses uprooted and destroyed, water contaminated with parasites and bacteria, and your livestock injured. Although it sounds like a horror story, this is the grim reality facing farmers and ranchers in many places across Texas because of feral swine.
Feral hogs cause major damage to property, agriculture, native species and ecosystems, and cultural and historic resources, according to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
The Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP) is jointly implemented at the national level by the NRCS and the APHIS. In Texas, the Texas Wildlife Services (TWS) through APHIS has worked closely with NRCS on the first phase of the program.
NRCS offers technical assistance to the producers and landowners on where to place the traps. APHIS will help producers to set up and monitor the traps they receive. Additionally, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension assists producers with set up and trap movement while they also advise them on what sort of bait to use and how to maintain the traps.
According to the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, project partners have been working closely to implement the Feral Swine Control Pilot Program in 15 counties. As of June 30, 2022, fifteen local SWCDs in the pilot project areas have purchased almost 100 smart traps that have been used on 425,493 acres by 129 landowners. Landowners have trapped 3,979 feral hogs through the trap loan efforts.
To learn more about feral swine control in Texas, plan to attend one of the Feral Swine Control Pilot Program meetings.
Read more: ArcGIS Map to NRCS Texas story in Oldham County, Texas.
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