Feral Hogs vs. Farmers: The Damage Price Tag

By Daniel Munch

As Congress advances reconciliation negotiations several conservation and animal health programs remain in limbo — including feral swine management initiatives left out of the most recent farm bill extension. At the same time, updated data from the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program (NFSDMP) and the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) offers the most comprehensive economic assessment of the significant costs feral hogs impose on U.S. crop and livestock production.

This Market Intel highlights findings from the most comprehensive research to date on feral hog damage, which these new estimates put at over $1.6 billion in annual agricultural losses across just 13 states — covering impacts to livestock, pastureland and six major crops. These updated figures extend far beyond traditional crop losses, capturing broader economic consequences such as land-use changes, infrastructure damage and control costs. Together, the findings provide timely context for evaluating the scope of the invasive swine problem and underscore the value of coordinated eradication programs like the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Project, which has shown measurable success but currently remains unfunded.

The Pig Problem
Feral hogs are a highly adaptable and invasive species that have been found in more than 35 U.S. states. With reproductive rates that allow populations to double in as little as four months, their geographic range and damage footprint grow rapidly without intensive eradication efforts. These animals cause extensive harm to agriculture by consuming and uprooting crops, degrading pastureland, damaging fences and infrastructure and directly impacting livestock — including through predation on newborn animals and competition for feed and water. They also pose serious disease transmission risks to both domestic livestock and wildlife. Our previous analysis, Farmers, Ranchers Struggle with Hog-Wild Feral Swine Population, provides more background information on the major threat feral hogs pose to agriculture, the environment, people, pets and livestock.

Survey Background
To better quantify the full scope of feral hog damage, USDA’s NFSDMP, in partnership with the NWRC and the National Agricultural Statistics Service, conducted two coordinated surveys targeting both crop and livestock producers. In 2022, over 11,000 crop producers across 11 states were surveyed about six major commodities — corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, peanuts and sorghum — frequently impacted by wild pig activity. That effort, released in 2024, captured crop damage, planting shifts, property losses and control costs during the 2021 production year. A separate 2023 study reached over 8,000 livestock producers in 13 states to evaluate damages from predation, disease, pasture destruction and control expenses. Together, the surveys represent the most comprehensive economic assessment to date of feral hog impacts on U.S. agriculture.

Feral Hog Populations Widespread and Growing
Feral hog populations remain firmly established across much of the Southern and Western U.S., with the highest concentrations in Texas, Georgia and Florida. Although primarily centered around warmer, Southern climates, feral hogs have successfully maintained growing populations in Canada and are well-documented surviving in extreme climates, making them well-adapted to thrive across North America.