Texas crop, weather
Feral hogs continue to root away at rural farm economy
COLLEGE STATION – Farmers have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, but when it comes to feral hogs, it's the season of discontent, made worse by hard economic times for farmers, according to reports by Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel.
"Man, they're terrible over here," said Galen Logan, AgriLife Extension agent forCamp County in East Texas. "There's been increased awareness due to the economic hardship that our local farmers are facing, but we're definitely seeing larger groups and more often."
Logan said there have been reports of damage by hogs within the city limits of Pittsburg. "Feral hogs are a sore subject here," said Kenny Rolling, AgriLife Extension agent for Titus County in Mount Pleasant.
Feral hog sightings are increasing in his county too, and Rollins said the size of the herds, called sounders, seem to be increasing as well. They continually tear up the pastures on the 150 acres Rollins maintains.
"I've seen groups as large as 50," Rollins said. "There are places where I can't get over with my four-wheel-drive tractor."
Rollins said he has caught a few in traps, but it's been getting harder. He attributed the difficulty in trapping to feral hogs being "fast learners" when it comes to traps and to the large acorn crop in his area.
With plenty to eat, hogs aren't so tempted to enter the fenced-in traps. But plenty of acorns doesn't seem to stop hogs from rooting up pastures.
"If it doesn't get any better, I'm going to have to give up the pastures. I can't afford to spend thousands every year repairing the damage," he said.
"Oh man, it's bad here too," said Armon M. Hewitt, AgriLife Extension agent for Trinity County, southwest of Lufkin.
Hewitt said there haven't been reports of hogs in Groveton, where his office is, or in other small towns in his county. For now, their intrusions are limited to pastures, home lawns on the outskirts of towns and golf courses.
At the golf courses, the hogs tend to stay on the back areas, but Hewitt expects they will soon be on the greens and in the towns as they seem to getting "bolder and bolder," as their numbers increase.
"Something has got to be done or they are just going to get worse and worse," he said. The following summaries were compiled by AgriLife Extension district reporters this week:
CENTRAL: The region remained dry, and producers were supplying livestock with hay and supplemental feed to maintain condition. Most producers finished planting wheat and oat fields and the crops emerged.
COASTAL BEND: The region was still dry, and field cultivation slowed as preparation for spring wheat planting was nearly completed. Producers were applying little fertilizer due to high costs. Producers were still feeding hay. Weak prices caused some producers with adequate grass to delay marketing their fall and summer calf crops until the first of the year.
EAST: Recent rainfall eased the dry conditions some but many counties still needed moisture. Livestock were in good condition. Falling cattle prices caused many producers concern.
NORTH: Minimal rains did little to help soil moisture levels that ranged from short to adequate. Winter pastures and the wheat improved, but things were still quite dry. Stock water tanks were getting low and wildfire danger rose. Some counties saw the second frost of the year. The frost killed most of the summer pastures, but there was still a lot of standing forage. Cotton was in fair to good condition as the harvest neared completion. The corn, soybean and sorghum harvests were completed. The pecan harvest continued; the crop looked poor. Oats planting was nearly completed. Feral hogs caused a lot of damage in pastures. Cattle were in fair to good condition, and producers started feeding them hay. Range and pastures ranged from fair to good condition.
ROLLING PLAINS: Temperatures dropped as did soil moisture levels. There had been no rain in the district for several weeks, and pastures and winter wheat were stressed. With poor moisture reserves, winter wheat hasn't had a chance for much growth. Cotton producers, however, were enjoying the weather. Yields were good, and the cotton harvest should be over before Christmas, producers said. The sorghum crop was in excellent condition with some already harvested. Later-planted sorghum needs a few weeks to mature before producers can begin harvesting. Pastures and livestock were in good condition but need a rain before the winter sets in.
SOUTH:Very short soil moisture conditions were reported by agents in much of the region. Though not as critical in the southern counties, soil moisture levels were still short despite occasional scattered showers. The peanut harvest continued, and wheat and oat planting neared completion. Wildfire hazards were high in the eastern counties as range and pastures dried out. Moisture was needed in that area for spring wheat planting. In the western parts of the region, producers were busy irrigating spinach, onions, cabbage and wheat and oat crops. Harvesting of cabbage and spinach for fresh and processing markets was active. Land preparation for spring planting and the harvesting of sugarcane, citrus and vegetables was ongoing in the southern area. Range and pasture conditions continued to decline as cooler temperatures cause grasses to go dormant. Supplemental feeding continued.
SOUTH PLAINS: Dry, open weather continued to rule the region. Topsoil moisture was low, but subsoil moisture was excellent. The cotton, sorghum and sunflower harvests continued. Cotton plants were still green due to high subsoil moisture levels. The greenness contributed to bark contamination during stripping. The corn harvest was winding down while the peanut harvest was completed. Winter wheat was in good condition, but could use some rain. Pastures and ranges were in fair to good condition, but cool season grasses needed rain. Livestock were mostly in good condition.
SOUTHEAST: Cooler temperatures slowed growth of warm-season grasses; range conditions remained critical. Winter annuals were slow to become established because of previous lack of moisture, but heavy rains aided their emergence. Ryegrass and oats were just beginning to germinate, but the cool weather will slow growth. There are still no fences on hundreds of thousands of acres due to Hurricane Ike.
SOUTHWEST:There has been no rain for 48 days. Forage is below average going into the winter dormant season. Subsoil moisture is depleted. The cabbage, cucumber and spinach harvests were ongoing. Spinach, cabbage and other fall vegetable crops were making good progress under heavy irrigation. Land has been prepared for early spring planting, but it is likely that dryland plantings will be limited unless above average rainfall is received during the winter.
WEST CENTRAL: Warm dry days with cold nights continued. A few areas received the first freeze of the season. The cotton harvest was under way with average to good yields reported. Most producers were finishing up small grain planting. Growth of small grains was slowed by lack of moisture. Range and pasture conditions, already extremely poor, continued to decline. Supplemental feeding of livestock increased. Stock tanks and ponds were going dry. Livestock remained in fair to good condition in most areas. The pecan harvest was under way with below-average yields.
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