Justin Young manages his family’s farm in eastern McLennan County.

He’s supposed to be focusing on the growth and maintenance of corn, milo and other crops. But he often finds himself contending with unwanted livestock in the form of wild hogs.

Hogs are rampant in much of the state and they’ve become a major pest doing millions of dollars of damage to farm crops.

The Texas Department of Agriculture says wild hogs cause about $400 million in damages each year in Texas, which is home to about 2 million of the feral animals. In response, the department this month is holding a competition that will reward the top three counties that cut their hog populations the most. McLennan County is not taking part in the challenge.

In recent years, they have even showed up in urban communities, rooting up athletic fields, gardens and yards.

The Texas Department of Agriculture is holding a competition for grant money that will go to the three counties that cut their hog populations the most.

The top county will earn a $25,000 grant. Runner-up will net $15,000 and the third-place county will collect $10,000.

The grants must be used for hog eradication programs.

Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples announced the challenge earlier this month, using Saturday’s football game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and Texas A&M University as a hook.

Staples has dubbed October “Hog Out Month,” with the motto “Get the hog out of Texas.”

McLennan County is passing on the program, County Judge Jim Lewis said. Mounting an organized effort to eradicate hogs would cost money and it’s not worth the effort, he said. 

Lewis said the county would have to hire people to hunt or trap the hogs and, generally, farmers don’t like the idea of letting strangers on their land to do such things.

Most farmers trap or shoot the animals themselves, he said.

The Department of Agriculture said wild hogs cause about $400 million in damages each year in Texas. About 2 million feral hogs are in the state. 

Young said the damage caused by hogs is so widespread that he doubted a farmer can be found in Central Texas who hasn’t had significant damage.

“If you’re talking to a farmer, he’s got a problem with hogs,” Young said.

He said wild hogs come into fields right after planting and dig up seed. They also visit growing cornfields, knock down stalks and then feed on the ears, often taking just a few kernels. 

Hogs usually weigh about 150 pounds, but can grow to 300 pounds as adults.

A single hog can cause about $1,000 worth of damage in a year, said Shane McLellan, agricultural agent with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in McLennan County. 

McLellan said it doesn’t take long for wild hogs to severely damage a farmer’s crop or other property. Hogs can make quick work of a 50-acre tract of corn, destroying the whole thing.

With current seed prices running about $230 an acre, that’s a loss of about $9,200 in seed alone, he said.

The wild hogs will feed on lambs, kid goats, fawns, calves, ground-nesting birds and compete with native wildlife for space and food, according to the Department of Agriculture.

Wild hogs also contribute to E. coli bacteria and other diseases in Texas rivers and lakes. Also, collisions between vehicles and hogs are common, and cause an average of $1,200 in damage per accident.

The ability of the hogs to survive on a variety of food sources and the fact that females produce litters every six months are reasons for their success, said Billy Higginbotham, a wildlife specialist with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. 

Snares, live traps or shooting them are the legal ways to deal with the hogs, he said. 

There are ways to poison the hogs, but poisoning has not yet become legal in the United States.

Poisoning is being studied for use in the U.S., he said. Also under study is sterilizing the animals or getting contraceptive compounds to them through baits or other methods, he said.

Individuals may kill the wild hogs for their own consumption, but commercial use has to be done under a set of guidelines, he said.

For sale, wild hogs must be rounded up and taken alive to be sold at a government-regulated processing plant, Higginbotham said.

There are two such plants in the state: Beltex in Fort Worth and Southern Wild Game in Devine. Drop off stations for these companies are located around the state.

Higginbotham said the meat is finding markets in the United States and Europe, often being sold under the name wild boar. 

bteeter@wacotrib.com

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