The US Department of Agriculture is awarding $51.9 million to 29 projects in 13 states to reduce feral swine populations and the damage they cause to farms, ranches, natural resources and livestock health, DTN reports.
The money is part of a broader $105 million investment in the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program, run jointly by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). It will help landowners with restoration and on-farm trapping and pay for training and other services.
Projects were awarded in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
USDA says feral swine damage plant and wildlife habitat, soils, water quality and other natural resources, and can carry diseases that pose risks to livestock and people. “Feral swine pose a threat to America’s working lands,” said NRCS Chief Colton L. Buckley.
Among the largest efforts is a Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry project covering 16.6 million acres across 27 parishes in parts of the Red River and Mississippi River basins. It will expand surveillance, trapping and coordinated removal while educating landowners and assessing damage to natural resources.
Source: DTN / Progressive Farmer
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