WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering $35 million in grants for partnerships targeting feral swine damage across 14 states, providing producers with more support for trapping, land restoration, and disease protection. The funding is part of a broader $105 million federal eradication and control effort.
Eligible projects may operate in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Applications are due September 21.
Selected partners will work with landowners on trapping, habitat restoration, training, and related services. Projects will be coordinated through the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Feral swine cause more than $3.4 billion in annual damage to crops, pastures, soils, water resources, and wildlife habitat. They can also carry diseases threatening livestock and people.
From 2020 through 2024, the program invested $41 million in 34 projects that covered nearly 9 million acres and assisted more than 6,700 landowners. Producers should watch for local partnerships and enrollment opportunities.
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Colton Buckley joined us on Tuesday’s Market Day Report to discuss the new investment and the ongoing effort to address the damage caused by invasive wild hog populations across the country.
In his interview with RFD News, Buckley said feral swine have become a significant threat to agriculture, livestock producers and rural communities, causing an estimated $3.4 billion in economic damage annually.
“Feral swine are a terribly invasive species,” Buckley said. “Largely across the Southeast, but even all the way out to California, they’re causing billions of dollars in economic damage to rural communities and livestock producers across the country.”
The new funding is part of a broader USDA effort, including work with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which has invested more than $100 million to combat feral swine.
The NRCS portion of the program will provide funding opportunities for non-federal partners, including state and local governments, tribal governments and conservation districts. Through grants, these organizations will work with landowners to provide training, acquire trapping equipment and support eradication efforts.
Buckley said applications are available through Grants.gov, with the funding opportunity closing at midnight Eastern Time on September 21, 2026.
The program is designed to help local partners develop strategies that fit their communities, including landowner education, trapping programs and the use of new precision technology to improve eradication efforts.
Texas has been one of the states most impacted by feral swine, and Buckley said the issue is personal. He noted that his own family’s operation has experienced the challenges caused by wild hogs.
“This is a large investment that we are making,” Buckley said. “It follows up on the agency’s previous investment, where we supported landowners on nearly 9 million acres and provided more than 800 training and trapping classes across the country.”
The feral swine initiative is part of a larger USDA effort to increase conservation assistance and financial support for producers. Buckley said NRCS is focused on putting more resources on the ground to support American agriculture.
During the interview, Buckley also provided an update on USDA’s ongoing efforts to address New World screwworm, another significant threat to livestock producers.
