Federal hog-control grants cut corn damage dramatically in participating counties

The federal government has invested millions in a feral-hog control scheme, starting with $75 million authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill and later augmented by $105 million in the 2025 budget package, with the first $35 million of new funds now open for grant applications. Targeting ten heavily-infested states, the program subsidized trapping gear and land-restoration for private landowners. Researchers from the University of Tennessee and the University of Arkansas examined USDA crop-insurance claims and discovered that, in counties where the program was active, average corn-damage claims dropped from 70 acres to 10 acres per policy, a statistically significant reduction, whereas soy, wheat, cotton and peanut claims remained unchanged.

The authors attribute the limited impact on other crops to the program’s focus on corn, pandemic-related outreach challenges, and its pilot status, and they recommend concentrating future funding on corn-producing areas and expanding outreach to increase hog captures. While complete eradication is unlikely, the evidence suggests that sustained, well-designed investment can meaningfully reduce hog-related agricultural losses.