Here’s a short edition of the Porcine Press, thanks to our friend and fellow blogger, Josh. 

From the sounds of this article in the Fresno Bee, the hogs are really getting down to work in Fresno lately, and the farmers are feeling their bite. 

These days, the pigs are venturing from the foothills in eastern and western Fresno County to devour oranges, almonds, grapes and vegetables on Valley farms.

Their rooting can destroy berms and rip through irrigation lines. While many of the pigs average about 100 pounds, some have grown much larger.

Of course, the farmers are fighting back:

At Harris Farms River Ranch near Sanger, as many as 200 pigs have been caught and killed over the last several years.

“We are one of the first green things they see when they come out of the foothills,” said Rod Radtke, ranch manager at Harris Farms. “And they have really taken advantage out here.”

Radtke said the pigs have ripped through lawns and flower beds, yanked low-hanging oranges off trees, gobbled grape bunches and trampled sprinkler equipment. The pigs have also found their way into the feeders and water troughs used for the farm’s thoroughbred racehorses.

“We have knocked them back quite a bit, but we know they are not gone completely,” Radtke said.

What’s it all mean? 

Well, the central coast farmers are already familiar with the risks to crops and property these hogs pose.  Crop damage is already high, and likely to go higher.  And as the article points out, nothing seems to be stopping them, despite depredation hunting, sport hunting, and natural predators.  The tide can be slowed, but not stopped.

Despite the lead ban and the insane price increase of the pig tags a couple of years ago (from about $15 for a book of five to $19.70 for a single tag), hog hunting is still growing in popularity in this state.  Maybe it would help to open up more private lands to hunters.  Or maybe we just need more depredation hunters. 

I don’t know the answer, but one thing is for sure.  This story in Fresno is only one of the many we’ll be continuing to see as wild hogs spread out across the country.

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