Louisiana’s $30 Million Hog Problem

Did you know that hogs are causing over $30 worth of damage in the state of Louisiana? Now, we're not talking about the hogs in the picture. You know, the ones you see at a fair or livestock show. These are feral hogs and they cause so much and such a varied array of damage that there's a movement afoot to try and eliminate a few of the over 500,000 feral hogs that cause so much damage to Louisiana farms and residences.

It seems that these feral hogs not only ruin crops, but they also can cause serious damage to farm equipment which doesn't come cheap and they can also spread fatal diseases to wildlife and livestock.

If you want some staggering figures about just how much damage these wild hogs can cause, consider that in 2013 the Louisiana soybean crop suffered more than $9 million worth of hog damage. Hay producers lost about $7 million, while the rice and corn industries both saw about $5 million in damage.

The problems with these destructive animals are not easily remedied either. While a few people advocate killing as many of these hogs as possible, the fact is that Up to 75 percent of feral hogs would have to be eliminated just to maintain the current population. It seems that among this breed of hogs, some sows able to have two litters of six piglets every year.

Even people who don't farm for a living have reported problems with the pigs causing property damage of all sorts ranging from destroying everything from levees to lawns and many things in-between.

Right now the solution to the hog problem is quite simply hunting them and killing them. I'm sure that solution will go over real big with the folks at PETA who seem to feel that these animals are more valuable than people and their farms and property.