FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2021
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR SOUTH DELTA FERAL SWINE CONTROL PROJECT
Delta Wildlife, along with state partners The Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, and Mississippi State University, are pleased to announce the sign-up and application period for the South Delta Feral Swine Control Pilot Project. Online applications are available as of Friday, January 29, 2021, at 3 pm CST.
This project and others awarded across nine states are part of the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP) – a joint effort between USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to help address the threat that feral swine pose to agriculture, ecosystems and human and animal health.
“Feral swine cause significant damage to crop and grazing lands, while also impacting the health of our natural resources,” said NRCS State Conservationist Kurt Readus. “By collaborating with our partners nationally and here in Mississippi, we hope to control and eradicate this invasive species – improving operations for farmers while also protecting our natural resources for the future.”
NRCS and APHIS are working with Delta Wildlife, Inc. on this pilot project in Mississippi to deliver NRCS funded assistance to producers for eradication and control activities. Collaboration in the pilot area will provide outreach, training opportunities, trap distribution, monitoring, and evaluation. Activities will also allow efforts to focus on their eradication and control of feral swine by educating landowners and providing tools/equipment that can be used after the project has ended.
NRCS, APHIS, and the Mississippi State Technical Agriculture Committee worked together to define the critical areas to be considered for projects within the state. The Mississippi pilot project will be conducted from 2020 to 2023. Participating counties will consist of Issaquena, Sharkey, Warren, and Yazoo.
The purpose of the Mississippi Delta Feral Swine Abatement Project is to 1) reduce feral swine populations and 2) reduce impacts of feral swine in the project area. Thirty-one percent of the 1.5 million acres project area is in row crop agricultural production. The balance of the acres are in forest and conservation lands, which is home to one of the densest populations of feral swine in the State of Mississippi. The annual impact this feral swine population has on cropland exceeds $60 million annually. This project will support existing USDA Wildlife Service feral swine management activities in the project area and provide technical and direct assistance to private landowners in the project area to actively trap and remove feral swine.
Private landowners seeking assistance will request services by visiting https://www.deltawildlife.org/feralswine.html to submit an online application. MSWCC will complete site Visits and Assessments on a first-come, first-serve basis. Active management/trapping will be prioritized and scheduled using a damage assessment ranking tool by Delta Wildlife Staff.
For more information on the project or assistance signing up, please contact MSWCC Feral Swine Program Coordinator, Nolan Brooks. You may email him at [email protected] or call 662-822-6764.
January 29, 2021
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR SOUTH DELTA FERAL SWINE CONTROL PROJECT
Delta Wildlife, along with state partners The Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, and Mississippi State University, are pleased to announce the sign-up and application period for the South Delta Feral Swine Control Pilot Project. Online applications are available as of Friday, January 29, 2021, at 3 pm CST.
This project and others awarded across nine states are part of the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP) – a joint effort between USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to help address the threat that feral swine pose to agriculture, ecosystems and human and animal health.
“Feral swine cause significant damage to crop and grazing lands, while also impacting the health of our natural resources,” said NRCS State Conservationist Kurt Readus. “By collaborating with our partners nationally and here in Mississippi, we hope to control and eradicate this invasive species – improving operations for farmers while also protecting our natural resources for the future.”
NRCS and APHIS are working with Delta Wildlife, Inc. on this pilot project in Mississippi to deliver NRCS funded assistance to producers for eradication and control activities. Collaboration in the pilot area will provide outreach, training opportunities, trap distribution, monitoring, and evaluation. Activities will also allow efforts to focus on their eradication and control of feral swine by educating landowners and providing tools/equipment that can be used after the project has ended.
NRCS, APHIS, and the Mississippi State Technical Agriculture Committee worked together to define the critical areas to be considered for projects within the state. The Mississippi pilot project will be conducted from 2020 to 2023. Participating counties will consist of Issaquena, Sharkey, Warren, and Yazoo.
The purpose of the Mississippi Delta Feral Swine Abatement Project is to 1) reduce feral swine populations and 2) reduce impacts of feral swine in the project area. Thirty-one percent of the 1.5 million acres project area is in row crop agricultural production. The balance of the acres are in forest and conservation lands, which is home to one of the densest populations of feral swine in the State of Mississippi. The annual impact this feral swine population has on cropland exceeds $60 million annually. This project will support existing USDA Wildlife Service feral swine management activities in the project area and provide technical and direct assistance to private landowners in the project area to actively trap and remove feral swine.
Private landowners seeking assistance will request services by visiting https://www.deltawildlife.org/feralswine.html to submit an online application. MSWCC will complete site Visits and Assessments on a first-come, first-serve basis. Active management/trapping will be prioritized and scheduled using a damage assessment ranking tool by Delta Wildlife Staff.
For more information on the project or assistance signing up, please contact MSWCC Feral Swine Program Coordinator, Nolan Brooks. You may email him at [email protected] or call 662-822-6764.
