Feral swine—also known as wild pigs, wild boars, wild hogs, and razorbacks— cause major damage to crops, rangeland, waterways, and a slew of other resources and property every year. The latest research estimates that feral hogs caused some $1.6 billion in agricultural losses across 13 states in a single year. The good news is that eradication and control programs coordinated by state and federal agencies are finding some success, with an estimated $40.2 billion worth of agricultural and ecological resources protected between 2014 and 2021. The bad news is that the feral swine management initiatives responsible for that success remain unfunded under the current farm bill extension. The data below comes from the USDA via the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP), as well as the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).
What are “Feral Swine”? Feral swine are not native to the Americas. They were first brought to the United States in the 1500s by early explorers and settlers as a source of food. In the 1900s, the Eurasian or Russian wild boar was introduced into parts of the United States for the purpose of sport hunting. Today, feral swine are a combination of escaped domestic pigs, Eurasian wild boars, and hybrids of the two. Adult feral swine weigh between 75 and 250 pounds on average, but some can get twice as large. The creatures can reach 3 feet in height and 5 feet in length, and are capable of running up to 30 miles per hour. Feral swine can breed year-round and can have up to two litters of 4 to 12 piglets per year. Since they become sexually mature at 6 to 8 months of age, feral swine populations have the potential to double in size in 4 months, which is why population management is so important.
Where are Feral Swine a Problem? Feral hogs have been identified in at least 35 U.S. states. The biggest populations are concentrated in the southern and western U.S., led by Texas, Georgia, and Florida. According to crop producer surveys, a majority of producers in eight states — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas — said feral hog numbers on their land had somewhat or substantially increased over the past three years. While the creatures prefer warmer climates, they are highly adaptable and large populations have been established as far north as Canada. The standout was Missouri, where only 3% of surveyed producers reported hog presence on their operation, and more than half said populations had decreased. This is credited to the state’s coordinated elimination program.
Cost to U.S. Agriculture: A Farm Bureau analysis of data from the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program (NFSDMP) and the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) shows combined damage across 13 surveyed states amounted to $1.6 billion in 2023, or $2,415 per farm in the region. Total costs were highest in Texas ($871 million), Georgia ($152 million) and Oklahoma ($116 million). AFBF further breaks down the costs by category:
Crop Production Losses – $203.1 million – Wild pigs are opportunistic feeders, often targeting high-value crops like corn and peanuts but also affecting rice, soybeans, wheat and sorghum. On average, sorghum fields in counties with wild pig activity lost the highest share of their crop, about 6.4% of total production. Corn followed at 4%, then peanuts (2.8%), wheat (2.2%), and both soybeans and rice at 1.3%. By value, corn had the highest total production loss at $92.2 million, followed by peanuts ($38.5 million) and soybeans ($23.2 million). Texas alone reported $82 million in crop losses, the highest of any state. Georgia and Alabama followed at $37.5 million and $18.5 million, respectively.
Predation and Disease Losses (Livestock) – $85 million – Feral hogs inflicted roughly $85 million in livestock losses through predation, disease, veterinary costs and medical treatments. Sheep and goat producers suffered the highest percent loss rates from predation, but cattle operations faced the highest absolute dollar losses due to higher production value. Across predation, disease, veterinary and medical costs, cattle accounted for $61 million in losses ($35 million directly related to predation). Goats and sheep followed cattle at $10 million and $7.4 million, respectively. Hogs also spread serious diseases including pseudorabies, leptospirosis, brucellosis and vesicular stomatitis. Farmers spent over $9.2 million on medical treatment and veterinary services alone.
Pasture Losses – $192.9 million – Feral hogs caused an estimated $193 million in damage to pastureland. Approximately 2.5 million hours were spent repairing pasture damage in 2020 alone. Producers also spent nearly $69 million on supplemental feed to compensate for the lost forage.
Planting Changes & Foregone Income – $121.8 million – Feral hogs didn’t just damage crops, they altered some farmers’ approach to planting. Among farmers who reported changing what they planted due to anticipated hog damage, 75% said the decision led to lost profit, amounting to $121.8 million across the surveyed region. The most significant losses occurred in Texas, where planting changes cost producers an estimated $60.1 million in 2021 alone. When asked which crops they avoided, corn topped the list, with over half (53%) of affected farmers listing it among the crops they changed or reduced. Sorghum (21%), peanuts (20%), wheat (18%) and soybeans (9%) followed. Nearly four in 10 producers who changed crops said they didn’t plant anything in place of their original choice, leaving those acres idle or underutilized.
Control Costs – In 2021, crop producers across the surveyed region spent an estimated $207.5 million on control efforts. These efforts include expenses for fencing, bait, traps, ammunition, aerial control and — most significantly — labor. Crop producers collectively reported spending 4.9 million labor hours on feral hog control across the 11 states. On the livestock side, farmers spent more than $266.6 million and 12.4 million labor hours managing hogs on their operations — more than double the crop sector’s labor burden. Most of this effort was carried out directly by farmers or their families, with only 4% of livestock producers reporting control assistance from a federal, state or county agency. Across both crop and livestock farmers, Texas farmers spent the most on hog control ($121 million), followed by Georgia ($55 million) and Florida ($27 million).
Additional Costs – AFBF’s analysis reveals additional costs incurred by feral hogs, including replanting costs amounting to approximately $17.5 million, and an additional $25.85 million related to harvest disruption. Feral hogs also inflict property damage of nearly $103 million annually for crop producers and $375 million for livestock operations.
Federal Eradication Program Success: Congress established the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program (NFSDMP) in 2014 under USDA’s APHIS with the purpose of eliminating feral swine in states where populations were low or newly emerging while also reducing populations where they are more widespread. Since its inception, NFSDMP has removed over 570,000 hogs, eliminated populations in five states and moved 18 states into lower severity categories. New research estimates that by slowing the spread of wild pigs, the program safeguarded $40.2 billion worth of agricultural and ecological resources between 2014 and 2021. Building on that success, the 2018 farm bill authorized a companion initiative, the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP), with $75 million in funding to be jointly administered by USDA’s APHIS and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The program has supported 34 active projects across 12 Southern states, targeting some of the nation’s most heavily impacted agricultural regions. 2018 farm bill authorized a companion initiative, the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP), with $75 million in funding to be jointly administered by USDA’s APHIS and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The program has supported 34 active projects across 12 Southern states, targeting some of the nation’s most heavily impacted agricultural regions. In Missouri, feral hog occupancy across state watersheds has declined -84% since 2016, while in Georgia, corn yield losses dropped from 65% to 14% following implementation.
Lack of Funding: Despite the successes of those programs, the FSCP was not included in the most recent extension of the 2018 farm bill. Unlike many permanent farm bill programs, FSCP was established as a temporary pilot initiative without baseline funding, meaning it was not guaranteed continued funding beyond its initial authorization. When Congress passed a short-term extension in 2024, only programs with permanent funding authority were automatically carried forward, leaving FSCP out. However, funding for feral swine management is included in the funding bill just passed by the House and is currently awaiting action in the Senate.
