KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — On Monday morning, the Kaufman County Commissioners’ Court approved a resolution to seek grants through the Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) Feral Hog Abatement Grant Program.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — On Monday morning, the Kaufman County Commissioners’ Court approved a resolution to seek grants through the Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) Feral Hog Abatement Grant Program.
“The program is designed to encourage counties across the State of Texas to make a concentrated and coordinated effort to reduce the feral hog population and the damage caused by these animals,” according to the TDA.
“We’ve got plenty of hogs,” Texas A&M AgriLife County Extension Agent Ralph Davis told the commissioners’ court on Monday.
“We participated in this program several years again and came in pretty close to the top 10 in the state,” stated Ralph.
The program will be held between May 1, 2016, and May 31, 2016, and will count all hogs killed, trapped, or otherwise abated.
Hogs will need to be certified to be counted and qualified for any of the 20 possible grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. Grant money would be used to further hog abatement and educational programs in the county.
The last time the county participated, Davis says Precinct 4 had the highest turnout.
“Precinct 4 had a tremendous turnout,” he stated.
For additional information or to report feral hog abatement, Davis can be reached at (972) 932-9069 or rs-davis@tamu.edu.
“Texas is home to nearly 2.6 million feral hogs, the largest feral hog population in the U.S. Their numbers are continuing to increase because of their high reproductive potential and the lack of natural predators,” according to TDA’s website. “Feral hogs wreak havoc on property, livestock, crops and pastures across the state and frustrate landowners because of their destructive nature.”
“Landowners have reported extensive damage to crops, fences, roads, ponds, fields and feed loss,” according to the TDA which estimates feral hogs have caused $52 million in agricultural damage and an additional $7 million in landowner expenses related to hog control or other damages annually.
