USDA Awards $52 Million for Feral Swine Eradication

Funding from the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program will support projects across 13 states to reduce feral hog populations.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Agriculture

Isometric editorial illustration of a plain steel hog trap in a churned pasture beside a fence line, evoking federal feral swine control funding. — The USDA awarded nearly $52 million to projects in 13 states aimed at reducing feral hog populations and the agricultural damage they cause. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you support federal spending to eliminate feral hogs?

The USDA awarded nearly $52 million for feral swine eradication projects across 13 states. Five projects in Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee will receive funding to reduce feral hog populations.

Why it matters

Feral hogs cause damage to agriculture, and the funding is intended to reduce that damage. The awards are distributed through a pilot program administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Five funded projects span Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee, with Missouri's three projects receiving a combined $5.3 million. The awards are a portion of a roughly $52 million total distributed across 13 states.

The players

Natural Resources Conservation Service

The Natural Resources Conservation Service is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners for conservation work.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is the federal department responsible for farming, food, natural resources and rural development policy.

The details

The Natural Resources Conservation Service awarded the funding through the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program. The projects are designed to reduce feral hog populations and the agricultural damage they cause.

November 3, 2026: USDA funding announcement for feral swine eradication projects was published.

Agriculture Context

The awards are made under the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program, a federal pilot effort focused on reducing feral hog populations. The distribution across 13 states places the program's funding in multiple agricultural regions.

Farmers and landowners in affected regions may see reduced crop and livestock losses if feral hog populations decline. The projects in Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee are designed to address hog damage in those areas.

The takeaway

Federal feral swine funding is being directed to multi-state projects, so landowners and agricultural producers in participating regions may benefit from coordinated population control efforts.