Project helps reduce feral hog population

Kevin Crider knows a troublemaker when he sees one, whether it be two-legged or four-legged.

Before joining University of Missouri Extension as a feral hog outreach educator, Crider spent 28 years as a Colorado state trooper and as a U.S. park ranger. He also was a Missouri Department of Conservation feral hog elimination specialist. When he moved back near his home area of Shannon County, he saw a growing need to root out wild hogs that were tearing up farm and forest land.

Crider’s work is part of the Missouri Feral Hog Elimination Partnership funded by the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill and managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. More than 15 federal and state entities, including MU Extension, work together to eliminate feral hogs on public and private lands.