BURLESON COUNTY, Texas (KRHD) — Feral hogs are tearing up yards and farmland across Burleson County, prompting county leaders to seek state funding for additional traps to combat the invasive species.
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Susan Skrabanek has lived in Burleson County her whole life and on her current property for four decades.
15 ABC asked Skrabanek about her experience with feral hogs.
"This was our first experience," Skrabanek said. "Wake up one morning and the yard is torn up."
The damage to her property was torn-up grass covering areas of her property, including a small spot close to her bedroom window.
"Very surprising to see 15 to 20 pigs out here tearing up stuff," Skrabanek said.
Her experience reflects a countywide problem.
According to USDA data from 2022, only one Texas county was feral hog free, highlighting the widespread nature of the issue.
John Grange, Burleson County Extension Agent with Texas A&M AgriLife, said the area provides ideal conditions for the invasive species.
"We have a lot of food base for them, we have a lot of water base for them, so we're just kind of an ideal location for them and, again, they just seem to be getting worse and worse every year and so we're just trying to find a way to mitigate that," Grange said.
Burleson County has applied for a feral hog abatement grant from the state of Texas to purchase additional hog traps. County Judge Keith Schroeder explained how the program would work.
"So that would allow different individuals around the county to pick up those traps, take them, use them, hopefully eliminate a good number of hogs, and then bring them back and allow those traps to be relocated in the county," Schroeder said.
The financial impact on the agricultural community is significant. In a county with extensive farmland, farmers often face costly replanting.
"A lot of people are affected, whether it's hay pasture, the row crops down at the bottom, there's a lot of times they have to totally replant fields down in the bottom," Schroeder said.
During 15 ABC's visit to Skrabanek's property, two hogs were caught in her trap.
"Hopefully, at some point, we'll knock them down a little bit," Skrabanek said.
Judge Schroeder tells 15 ABC that they expect to hear back from the state about their grant application within the next few weeks.
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