Sherman Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program Project
The Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program responds to the threat feral swine pose to American agriculture, landscapes and human and livestock health.
Project Area
Sherman County is in the High Plains region of the northern Panhandle of Texas on the Oklahoma border. It is bordered on the west by Dallam County which was a successful eradication project under the 2018 Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program. Sherman county extends across 923 square miles of nearly level land covered by prairie grasses, some sagebrush, and yucca. The area is drained by the North Fork of the Canadian River, which cuts across the northwestern corner of the county, and by Frisco, Coldwater, and North Palo Duro Creeks. In 2022, the county had 282 farms and ranches covering 590,226 acres of which 403,875 acres were in cropland and 161,139 acres were in pastureland. Beef cattle, corn, wheat, cotton, grain sorghum and hay were the chief agricultural products.
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Anticipated Partner Activities
The partner will conduct community-level educational events through a series of open houses and newspaper articles. The intent is to notify residents of the project and solicit sightings and damage data. Partners will also conduct damage assessments in 2026, 2027 and 2028.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will be considered the subject matter experts for implementing feral swine removal and damage reduction activities. Partners will need to collaborate with APHIS personnel when removal activities are requested by participating landowners. All projects will be a collaborative and coordinated effort between the selected partner, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and APHIS. It is required that APHIS maintains operational control of feral swine management activities.
Monitoring/Evaluation Requirements of Partner
The partner will provide support personnel for damage assessment and track expenditures and in-kind contributions. The partner will provide quarterly narrative reports and a final report once eradication is confirmed.
Partners are required to collect standardized information for trapping operations in accordance with APHIS procedures. Examples of data collected include trap location, number of pigs trapped, location of nearby resources, etc.
Training Expectations
Education will be essential aspects of the project to ensure landowners are educated on the need for removing feral swine, approved techniques, and methods for controlling feral swine populations. Partners are expected to assist with training and educational activities.