Oklahoma farmers get help fighting feral swine
New federal eradication programs, pesticide target destructive hogs
Efforts to control feral swine eating their way across Oklahomans’ fields might seem as futile as trying to catch a greased pig. The hogs are known to destroy crops and land for farmers across much of the southern United States.
Ron Beard, 67, part of a family that’s been farming and ranching in Cotton County along the Red River in southwestern Oklahoma for five generations, has experienced the damage first hand.
Beard’s operation covers roughly 3,000 acres, where he grows wheat, cotton, corn, maize and grain sorghum, and also runs cattle.
“They are extremely talented animals. Any crop that they decide they are going to eat, they can do a lot of damage in a very short period of time,” he said.
But an influx in federal dollars creating pilot eradication projects across broad areas of the state and a new pesticide introduced this month are making the fight just a little more fair for farmers, ranchers and regulators.
The two feral swine control pilot projects, paid for by about $3.6 million in federal dollars allocated through the 2018 Farm Act, have combined tracking efforts with
hunting and trapping activities across multiple counties in northern and southwestern Oklahoma to blunt swine activity in those areas.
The manufacturer of the new pesticide, called HogStop, claims it can decrease the fertility of male swine and help cut rapid reproduction rates for the animal. It was approved for use by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry this month.
Any and all tools to fight the infestation are welcome, as feral swine damage across the state has cost landowners hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In the case of Beard’s operation, the land offers the pests a smorgasbord of treats.
The hogs aren’t picky, either. They also eat grasses, plants, roots and tubers, acorns, fruits, bulbs and mushrooms, rooting through the soil at depths of 6 inches or more, damaging crops and the habitat for both humans and wildlife.
The feral swine also often use rows of baled hay as a hidden nest, leaving an unsuspecting farmer unaware until he or she goes to grab one of the rolled bales for feed, just to see it fall apart.
“Feral pigs demolished about 20 acres of an 80-acre corn field we had last year in a very short amount of time,” Beard said.
Problem areas identified
The key behind the federal-funded pilot projects has been to get numerous land owners over large areas involved in the eradication program, a strategy recommended in 2018 by Ardmore’s Noble Research Institute.
The Farm Act dollars enabled state conservation and federal agricultural officials to do just that in certain parts of Oklahoma. Conservation Commission representatives have been working with landowners and federal authorities in those areas to map out good trapping locations and to undertake other eradication efforts.
The Northern Project Area, which covers parts of Kay, Osage and Pawnee counties, concentrates on land within the Arkansas River’s watershed, where most feral swine damage has been seen. Crops including wheat, corn, soybeans, grain sorghum and hay are predominantly grown in the area.
The southern project area, which includes the land that Beard farms and ranches, covers parts of Tillman, Cotton, Jackson, Harmon, Beckham and Roger Mills counties, where wheat, corn, cotton, grain sorghum, peanuts and hay crops predominantly are grown.
The program’s arsenal of tools includes wildlife cameras used to scout for trap locations, trapping systems provided to landowners through costsharing agreements and hunting activities from the air.
“Feral hog damage to crops and natural resources has climbed to the top of local priority issues raised by local conservation districts. Assessing hog damage and identifying landowners needing feral hog control is a job ideally suited to the locally led districts,” said Trey Lam, the agency’s executive director.
Authorities asked Beard a year ago if he needed help to control feral swine, and he said efforts to control populations through trapping and hunts has taken about 2,000 animals from his area since then.
But he indicated many more animals need to be harvested to really help because the animals multiply so quickly.
That’s where the new pesticide could help.
Drug aims to trim fat from passels
HogStop is an oral contraceptive that was registered in early August with Oklahoma’s Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
The manufacturer claims the nonfatal pesticide reduces male feral hog fertility within five days of consumption of the bait, and that its effect lasts for at least 30 days after five feedings.
Feral hogs affected by HogStop pose no additional health risks when consumed by humans, officials said.
“This product offers a new way for Oklahomans to partner with our team as we work to protect farmland and eliminate the feral hog population within our state,” said Blayne Arhur, Oklahoma’s Secretary of Agriculture.
Feral swine eradication efforts have been underway since 2011, when just 2,426 feral swine were eliminated. Oklahoma’s agriculture department, other partnering agencies and organizations and other private harvesting efforts eliminated 32,237 of the animals in 2017. Oklahoma’s Wildlife Services Division Director Scott Alls said eradication efforts this year have so far removed about 25,000 animals from Oklahoma.
There’s no doubt agriculture officials are interested in HogStop’s abilities to help control populations. But for now, they see real value in the pilot programs’ results based upon a reduction in observed damage the animals have caused.
“It nearly is impossible to estimate populations on feral hogs,” Alls said. “Pigs are different, they don’t hang around certain areas because they just go where they can find something to eat. Their growth rates are exponential.
“But since 2016, with the addition of traps that can be activated remotely using wireless technology, we have increased our hog take by about 182%,” Alls said.
The pesticide is made by Hi-Pro Feeds and can be purchased online or in stores where Hi-Pro Feeds products are sold. Producers in need of additional assistance with feral hog herd management are asked to contact the state agency’s Wildlife Services Division by calling 405-521-4039 or by emailing Alls, the division’s director, at scott.a.alls@usda.gov.