South Central 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
The three focal areas where this project will occur are in the South-Central portion of Florida. This area represents one of the largest undeveloped rural areas in Florida where a plethora of Agricultural Commodities are produced and distributed across the United States.
The South-Central Florida project will include locations in Brevard, Osceola, Indian River, Okeechobee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough, and Polk counties. Improved rangeland, sod, citrus, hay production, fruit and vegetable production (including strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, watermelon, snap beans, and tropical fruits) are some of the main agriculture products grown in this area. South Central Florida is the top producing region for cattle and citrus in the state. These along with other agriculture products provide necessary income and infrastructure throughout the region and the state. The citrus from this region accounts for over 60% of the nation’s supply. Historical feral swine control efforts on properties have seemingly been ineffective to combat feral swine damage. As a result, some croplands have remained fallow due to feral swine activity and cropland that remains in production has experienced increased damage. A unified feral swine management approach is warranted to reduce associated damage.
Map(s)
Anticipated Partner Activities
The partner responsibilities may include but are not limited to: coordination between APHIS and property owners, purchase and distribution of NRCS cost share funded resources to property owners and APHIS, and development and implementation of a monitoring and evaluation program.
The partner must have knowledge of the local area and relationships with existing property owners. The partner will serve as a liaison between APHIS and property owners and will assist in developing priority areas within the focal areas which will include a significant amount of landowner participation. These priority areas will total no more than 250,000 to 750,000 contiguous acres inside each focal area. The partner will assist with acquiring work initiation documents (WS form 12A) from property owners to allow APHIS to provide direct control activities on identified properties.
The partner will cost share purchase equipment and supplies with NRCS funds to be loaned to APHIS and property owners inside the project area. APHIS will provide guidance on equipment type and associated supplies to be purchased. This equipment shall remain as property of the partner when the pilot project concludes.
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, NRCS, and APHIS. It is required that APHIS maintains operational control of feral swine management activities.
Monitoring/Evaluation Requirements of Partner
For this project, partners are expected to monitor project progress both before and after feral swine removal.
Evaluation of techniques and strategies utilized to remove feral swine, both by APHIS and landowners that are participating in the project is as important as documenting damages to agriculture, natural resources, property, and water quality alleviated by removal of the animals. The partner will be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive monitoring program evaluating multiple aspects of this pilot project. The program may consist of pre/post feral swine removal surveys, crop damage assessments, documenting acreages put back into production post removal, water quality evaluations of fecal coliform, natural resources protection etc. It should also include population data and analysis to better understand the status of feral swine within the project area. The partner will follow a scientific protocol to add validity to findings. Feral swine local populations should also be measured before, during, and after the program to monitor the feral swine population.
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.