Wild hogs wreak economic havoc for Mississippi agriculture
[December 27, 2025] By
KATHERINE LIN/Mississippi Today
John Parker Campbell describes the wild pigs on his family farm as “a
constant headache.”
Hogs will eat up corn and peanuts that have just been planted, damaging
acres of crops in a night. Some years the hog damage is worse than
others but it has been a problem since his father started farming in
Copiah County in the 1990s.
In Mississippi, wild hogs create around $60 million to $80 million in
damage every year, including eating crops and damaging property.
Farmers, researchers, the state and the federal government are trying to
fight the infestation, but it’s a never-ending battle for landowners.
“Farmers have enough stress as it is. They don’t need this modern-day
locust,” said Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy
Gipson
Campbell and his father use traps and have an electric fence around
their property to keep the hogs out. The fence has been effective,
although the feral pigs have broken through parts of it before. However,
it was expensive to initially put up and costs thousands of dollars each
year to maintain.
“You have to know that they’re out there,” said Campbell. “We keep an
eye on our fields but you can get busy and then go a couple days without
looking and they can just do a tremendous amount of damage.”
The wild hog population has grown over the past 40 years, not just in
Mississippi, but across the United States. In the 1980s they lived in 17
states, now they can be found in 35. Previously, it was thought they
cost the U.S. $2 billion a year but new research indicates that number
is actually over $3 billion.
Wild pigs are not native to the United States. The first population was
escaped livestock brought to the Americas by European settlers. Later,
Eurasian boars were imported for hunting and joined the wild hog
population. With no natural predators and plenty of land, water and
food, their numbers have grown.
While some owners successfully deterred pigs by using electric fences,
the only way to manage the larger population is by killing the hogs.
Mississippi was the first state to launch a statewide wild hog-control
program in 2020. The program provides education and traps to landowners.
The program operates with a budget of $183,000 a year which mainly goes
to staff salaries and maintenance of smart traps and cameras. The
program has four application cycles with each cycle receiving between 35
and 40 applications.
There are a number of ways to reduce the pig population, including using
traps, aerial gunning and poison. While wild hogs are considered
nuisance animals and can be hunted year round, hunting is relatively
ineffective at controlling the larger population.
[to top of second column] |
 Aerial gunning in Mississippi is
only used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It also has limited
use as the pigs can easily run into the trees for cover, whereas in
places like Texas, there is more open and flat land. While there is
ongoing research into the use of poisons, including contraceptives,
it’s challenging to make sure that other animals don’t eat them.
Trapping is one of the most common methods and is
preferred as it requires less time and effort than other methods. A
new study from Mississippi State University looked at the economic
benefits of trapping.
The average landowner in the study had an estimated $20,000 in hog
damages per year. It showed that reducing a local pig population can
lead to less damage and $300-$4,000 in savings per pig the next year
for land owners. But combating the wild hog problem is an expensive
and constant battle.
The study involved intense, dedicated hog removal through Delta
Wildlife, a conservation nonprofit.
Jody Acosta, Delta Wildlife’s nuisance-and invasive-species program
manager, and his team set up and monitor traps around the Delta.
While the team is experienced and knowledgeable, Acosta is clear
that the job is not about the glory of hunting but about pest
management.
Some of the trap doors will only close when a Delta Wildlife team
member remotely pushes a button. So they work around the clock,
often late at night, checking the live video feed of the traps. Once
they successfully trap a group of pigs, a Delta Wildlife worker
quickly makes their way to the trap so they can dispose of the pigs
and reset the trap.
The study estimates that it would cost a land owner about $200 per
pig if they outsourced every part of trapping. Strickland, one of
the study’s authors, acknowledges that “it’s absolutely a big
number” but says that the average landowner would likely pay less.
Despite the initial sticker shock, Strickland said the study shows
that pig removal results in a “positive return on investment” and
that government programs are economically viable.
Long term, Strickland thinks it’s possible to reduce the wild pig
population through a concerted effort and investment. He urges
farmers and landowners to take wild pigs seriously even if there’s
only a few on their property at the moment.
“The problem will only get worse and worse,” said Strickland.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
