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Independent reporting on feral hog activity in Texas — neighborhood damage, county response, and statewide policy — summarized and linked, newest first. Covering 2026 year to date.

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Texas Hog Dispatch curates and summarizes independent news coverage about feral hog activity in Texas. We do not write this reporting, we do not verify every claim inside it, and we take no credit for it — we're pointing you toward real journalism worth reading. Inclusion here doesn't imply any relationship with these outlets. References to operators, services, prices, methods, or availability describe the cited reporting—not services provided, controlled, verified, or guaranteed by Texas Hog Dispatch. Independent operators control and perform their own field services under their own customer agreements. Coverage involving Texas Hog Dispatch directly lives on our Press Kit page, not here.

  1. NewsNet MediaIndustry / TrainingSeptember 9, 2026Statewide

    New feral-hog-specific professional certification program launches

    Pig Brig Trap Systems and the National Wildlife Control Operators Association announced a new Feral Hog Species-Specific Certification covering hog biology, damage, management, trapping and field practices. The program is intended for wildlife-control professionals, landowners and others involved in feral-hog management. This is an industry announcement, not an independent government certification or a Texas Hog Dispatch endorsement.

    Read at NewsNet Media
  2. dvm360Research / Animal HealthSeptember 1, 2026Statewide

    Soft ticks could complicate African swine fever response in Texas, study finds

    Texas A&M researchers mapped habitat suitability for Ornithodoros turicata, a native soft tick with prior laboratory evidence of African swine fever virus vector competence. The work concerns preparedness if the virus were introduced; African swine fever has not established itself in the United States and is not currently circulating in Texas.

    Read at dvm360
  3. FortunePolicy / ResearchAugust 24, 2026Statewide

    Feral hogs are running wild in 35 states and the Senate is debating whether to triple funding

    An analysis of federal feral-swine control funding and the earlier pilot program found that coordinated control was associated with a statistically significant reduction in cornfield wildlife-damage claims in participating counties, while comparable effects were not found for the other crops examined. The piece reports on the program and the Senate funding debate; it is not proof that all feral-hog impacts were reduced.

    Read at Fortune
  5. Laredo Morning TimesOriginal ReportingAugust 16, 2026Statewide

    Laredo hog program: what the $400,000 vote actually approved

    The Laredo Morning Times reported that the city council's August 4 vote made $400,000 a budget priority rather than a final contract; a roughly $389,000 proposal under consideration includes drones, night surveillance, corral traps, and GIS mapping across five areas. Initial KGNS coverage on August 4 had overstated the vote as an “approved program” — this reporting corrects that.

    Read at Laredo Morning Times
  6. FOX 26 HoustonOriginal ReportingAugust 2026Montgomery County

    Who pays for wild hog damage? Woodlands-area resident caught in $3,500 dilemma

    FOX 26 Houston followed a homeowner outside Conroe, near The Woodlands, whose freshly installed sod was torn apart by hogs — animals the resident now sees during daylight hours, not just overnight. A wildlife trapper interviewed by the station put the price of professional removal at roughly $3,500 and up. He also warned that pulling only part of a sounder tends to disperse the group rather than end the damage.

    Read at FOX 26 Houston
  8. USDA NRCSPolicy / FundingJuly 23, 2026Statewide

    USDA opens $35 million in feral swine control partnership funding

    USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service opened $35 million in partnership funding under the larger $105 million Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program, naming four Texas project areas: Brown-Coleman-Runnels, Fannin-Lamar-Red River, Knox-Haskell-Baylor, and Sherman County. Partner applications are due September 21, 2026. This is a partnership-funding mechanism for organizations, not a direct grant to individual landowners or operators.

    Read at USDA NRCS
  9. FOX 26 HoustonOriginal ReportingJuly 20, 2026Harris County (pilot zone)

    Hundreds of wild hogs from George Bush Park creating havoc in westside neighborhood

    In its coverage of the Green Trails subdivision, FOX 26 Houston found homeowners frustrated that little had changed since Harris County Precinct 4 announced in late 2025 that it was looking for professional trappers. A spokesperson for Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones told the station the office does manage hogs on county-owned land, but cannot legally trap on private property. The precinct's guidance to residents and HOAs has been to contract licensed wildlife professionals themselves.

    Read at FOX 26 Houston
  10. Covering Katy NewsOriginal ReportingJuly 19, 2026Harris County (pilot zone)

    Feral Hogs Again Tearing Up Green Trails Lawns, Residents Say

    Covering Katy News reported that Green Trails neighbors began circulating after-dark video and photographs on Nextdoor of hogs moving through the subdivision and rooting up yards. The animals appear to be coming out of George Bush Park and the surrounding Addicks Reservoir land once it gets dark. The thread pulled in a wave of replies, including residents of other neighborhoods along the park reporting the same problem and suggestions that the HOA pay for professional trapping.

    Read at Covering Katy News
  11. The GuardianSyndicatedJune 22, 2026Statewide

    John Oliver brings national attention to feral hog damage

    The Guardian covered a Last Week Tonight segment on feral hogs that walked a national audience through the damage, disease risk, and control-coordination challenges, with Texas central to the framing. This was major amplification of the issue — not a new incident, study, or policy action.

    Read at The Guardian
  13. CBS News TexasOriginal ReportingApril 15, 2026Statewide

    Several hogs struck on I-45 near Belt Line Road

    CBS News Texas reported that multiple feral hogs were hit and killed on I-45 near Belt Line Road, bringing southbound traffic to a halt while crews handled cleanup. The incident put a public-safety and roadway-hazard angle on the hog problem, distinct from the usual property-damage framing.

    Read at CBS News Texas
  14. CBS News TexasOriginal ReportingApril 12, 2026Statewide

    Mesquite residents seek action after Falcons Lair damage

    CBS News Texas spoke with a Mesquite resident in the Falcons Lair neighborhood who reported groups of up to ten hogs and thousands of dollars in damage. The city said its animal services could not trap or remove the animals and referred the matter to Texas Parks & Wildlife — a documented gap in municipal capacity.

    Read at CBS News Texas
  18. Laredo Morning TimesOriginal ReportingMarch 21, 2026Statewide

    Laredo directs staff to negotiate a feral hog pilot program

    The Laredo Morning Times reported that city officials, responding to complaints from multiple parts of Laredo, authorized staff to negotiate over a feral hog control program after residents reported spending thousands of dollars on repairs and barriers. This is the early-stage story later updated by the August 16 item above.

    Read at Laredo Morning Times
  19. Harris County Legistar (File 26-1953)Primary RecordMarch 19, 2026Harris County (pilot zone)

    Harris County Precinct 4 approves a no-cost public-land trapping agreement

    Harris County approved an agreement with trapper Ricky DeMann to trap feral hogs on designated Precinct 4 county property through December 31, 2031, at no cost to the county. The filing is direct evidence of an existing public-land trapping mechanism; it does not establish coverage for private subdivisions.

    Read at Harris County Legistar (File 26-1953)
  21. Texas Farm BureauOriginal ReportingJanuary 6, 2026Statewide

    Screwworm risk tied to the feral hog problem

    Texas Farm Bureau warned that feral hogs could complicate New World screwworm containment if the parasite reached Texas; at publication, screwworm had not been detected in the state. Update: USDA confirmed screwworm in a Zavala County calf on June 3, 2026 — but no official source has confirmed a feral-hog infection. Treat hogs as a risk factor, not a confirmed hog-disease case.

    Read at Texas Farm Bureau
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