Wild hogs have overtaken Oklahoma’s farmland, and the problem is costing farmers thousands, reports KOCO.com.
The animals are known for churning up crops and leaving holes in the soil. They also sometimes uproot and sometimes eat the seeds. One planter, Todd Manwell of Choctaw, is being forced to replant his 60-acre cornfield. “[The hogs] carry diseases, they’ll get back in your yard and kill a dog. They’re extremely dangerous,” he said. It’s going to cost him thousands of dollars to replant; this late in the season, he’s not sure what he can plant.
According to Manwell, the hog population in Oklahoma has exploded in the last five years. Kevin Grant, director of Wildlife Services for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, said wild hogs can be found in all 77 counties of the state. Manwell said farmers need the state’s help to control the the animals. That could be a problem, given Oklahoma’s current fiscal crisis.