Feral hogs will again be a major point of discussion at the San Antonio International Farm and Ranch Show Oct. 14-16 at the San Antonio Livestock Expo & Freeman Coliseum.
“Feral hogs or wild pigs are responsible for millions of dollars of damage annually throughout Texas and are a pest in other states as well,” says Lyle Larson, the show’s originator.
Talks on feral hogs were among the best-attended programs at last year’s show, and are being presented again due to their continued relevance to farmers and ranchers.
Jim Gallagher, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist for the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Uvalde, TX, will present two educational programs on feral hogs. The first, “Feral Hogs: Forget the War, Just Win the Battles,” will be given at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 14. The second, “Control of Feral Hogs: Why We Wage War,” will be presented at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 16.
“The concept of fighting feral hogs as a type of ‘warfare’ is appropriate in that you should know your enemy and understand their behavior, as well as know the tools and options available to defeat them,” Gallagher says.
The Oct. 14 feral hog program will offer one-half of a continuing education unit in the integrated pest management category, while the Oct. 16 program will offer one unit in that category.
An additional research update on feral pigs will be given at 3 p.m. Oct. 15 by Tyler Campbell of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The program offers one continuing education unit in integrated pest management.
The program also offers dozens of other educational sessions.
Top USDA officials will discuss fever ticks and animal identification, food safety, and renewable energy and energy efficiency financial assistance.
For more information, visit http://www.farmandranchexpo.com or call (210) 226-1177.