5 minute read
Hog Wars
BY RAY “TOONEY” HILL
USDA Implements Cost Share Program to Help Alabama Farmers Battle Feral Hogs
There’s a war taking place across America between feral hogs and land managers. Feral hogs are an invasive species that cause economic, health and habitat destruction. There are currently nine million feral hogs in the United States, and that number is growing fast.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), land managers are fighting this war that has now spread from 17 to 39 states. Texas is ground zero with the largest population of feral hogs, but the problem is concentrated largely throughout the Southeastern United States. In 2018, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources reported feral hogs in all 67 counties.
Feral hogs are a real threat to all agriculture, and we deal with it every day. Experts at the University of Georgia estimated feral hogs annually caused land managers $2.5 billion worth of damages mostly by destroying crops, affecting livestock, and destroying native plants and habitats. Feral hogs not only destroy, they carry diseases. Feral hogs host more than 40 diseases affecting domesticated livestock, wildlife and humans. The feral hog invasion is a real economic problem for land managers everywhere.
The feral hog problem has grown so much that the government has intervened across parts of the U.S. to help land managers stop the invasion and reduce their impact. The federal government, in partnerships with states and local agencies, has recently spent more than $30 million annually to fight the feral hog invasion. But without the right strategy, land managers will continue to lose the war, and the invasion and its destruction will continue to escalate.
The question is: How can the feral hog invasion be stopped?
According to Webster, an invasion or invading means to enter as the enemy and nothing could be truer about feral hog invasions. To stop the invasion, the experts agree that land managers need two critical tools.
Tool #1:
Effective, Easy-to-Use Hog Traps
The first tool needed is an easy-to-move hog trap. Trapping is the most effective method used for sounder removal, so the right hog trap makes all the difference. The two most important characteristics are for it to be easy to move from one location to another, and it has to be effective at catching a sounder instead of a few hogs. Here’s why:
If the trap isn’t easy to move, land managers typically stop using it. An easy-to-move hog trap keeps land managers on the offense to catch feral hogs. Being able to assemble or disassemble your trap in less than 30 minutes is an important attribute to consider when choosing a trap. However, not all traps are created equal, so land managers need to choose a hog trap that’s durable, too. With a durable, easy-to-move trap, land managers have a serious weapon to stop feral hogs and the damage they cause. An easy-to-use, durable and effective hog trapping system land managers should consider using is a Big Pig Trap.
Tool #2:
Live-Video Camera System
Having a durable, easy-to-use trap isn’t enough. Land managers also need another tool. This time they need technology in the form of a real-time live-video camera that works on their trap. Here’s why:
Removing sounders instead of a few feral hogs should be the goal. Live video makes this much easier. Being able to watch the hogs in real time and trigger the trap gate remotely is another key to successful hog trapping. Land managers should consider using HogEye, a live-video camera that works with any style hog trap. Simply watch the live-video feed of the trap on your mobile device after receiving a notification from the HogEye mobile app. When all the hogs are in the trap, press a button in the app to drop the trap gate.
Real-time, live-video trapping technology gives land managers the second tool they desperately need to catch entire sounders instead of a few feral hogs. HogEye makes hog trapping simple and effective. HogEye’s sole purpose is to help land managers with trapping situations. HogEye helps thousands of land managers protect millions of acres of land from feral hog destruction.
A New Program, A New Approach
New USDA programs are on the way to provide more support for land managers to stop the feral hog invasion. The Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program was developed and instituted by the USDA to educate and help states and landowners stop the spread of feral hogs. A critical component of the pilot program is the trapping of feral swine. This pilot includes a combination of trapping efforts by the USDA and a cost share component for landowners.
Alabama landowners can receive cost share opportunities of 70% toward the cost of trap and camera combination purchases. The trapping system chosen by the USDA in the initial pilot trapping areas in Alabama (and many other states) is the Big Pig Trap System which includes a HogEye Camera.
The Big Pig Trap gives land managers exactly what they need to stop the feral hog invasion – an effective, durable and easy-to-move trap that has a powerful live-video camera system to enable pig trapping 24/7 from anywhere. If you are ready to take a serious step to stop feral hog damage and want to take advantage of the cost share in Alabama, we’ve made it easy in three simple steps:
(1) Call 888-PIG-TRAP.
(2) Work with knowledgeable staff to find the best trapping system.
(3) Learn how to easily enroll in the Alabama Feral Swine Cost Share Program to save 70% of the cost of a new hog trapping system.
We understand feral hogs destroy your property and that costs you thousands of dollars. We get it. Don’t wait to take back control of your land from feral hogs. Call 888-PIG-TRAP or visit www.bigpigtrap. com. We are here to help.
