Residents of Austin and Washington counties are invited to a free workshop on feral hog management, watershed health and livestock grazing practices Thursday, Nov. 19, in Industry.
The Lone Star Healthy Streams and Feral Hog Management workshop will run from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at Industry Brethren Church, 2758 Main St. The event is hosted by the Mill Creek Watershed Partnership, with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, the Texas Water Resources Institute and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
Feral hogs can damage crops, pastures, fences and landscapes as they root through the ground and search for food. Their activity can also disturb streambanks and wetlands, increase erosion and carry bacteria into water.
The damage adds up. Texas A&M’s Natural Resources Institute reports that feral pig activity caused more than $670 million in agricultural losses in Texas in 2024, while Texas landowners spent more than $130 million on control efforts. Nationally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates feral swine cause $2.5 billion in damage and control costs each year, including at least $800 million in agricultural damage.
Water quality is another concern. In a yearlong study of streams in Alabama, researchers found E. coli levels were 40 times higher in watersheds with feral swine than in watersheds without an established pig population. That finding came from a specific study and does not describe every watershed, but it shows why managing runoff and animal activity near waterways matters.
The workshop will include a Mill Creek water quality update from watershed coordinator Mandy Stamnitz, a presentation on grazing best practices from AgriLife Extension program specialist Leanne Wiley, and a feral hog management presentation and trapping demonstration led by Jay Long of the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute.
The Mill Creek Watershed Partnership formed in 2014 in response to elevated E. coli levels in Mill Creek. Its free programs encourage residents and producers to use voluntary practices that help protect local water quality.
The workshop is free, and light refreshments will be provided. Register by Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Austin County AgriLife Extension event registration page, or call the Austin County AgriLife Extension office at 979-865-2072. For questions, contact Mandy Stamnitz at [email protected], Leanne Wiley at [email protected], or the county office.
