SHREDDING THE ENTIRE NON-WOODED AREA OF THE RANCH IS AN ARDUOUS TASK THAT MUST BE PERFORMED ANNUALLY TO CONTROL WEEDS, UNDERBRUSH AND TREES. PICTURED IS A 15 FT. SHREDDER WITH ITS OUTBOARD WINGS IN THE TRANSPORT & SHREDDING POSITIONS. A PAIR OF HEAVY STEEL BLADES SPIN AROUND IN EACH OF THE THREE SECTIONS AT 540 RPM. THIS SHREDDER IS CAPABLE OF 'CUTTING' OFF SMALL TREES UP TO A TRUNK DIAMETER OF 6 INCHES. OVER 100 HOURS OF TRACTOR TIME ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THIS TASK.
AN UGLY & VERY DESTRUCTIVE PEST IS PRODUCING MAJOR DAMAGE TO AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST LAND FROM COAST-TO-COAST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CONTINENTAL U.S. AND THE STATE OF HAWAII. THE PERPETRATOR IS SUS SCROFA, COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE FERAL HOG. THE FERAL HOG IS A VERY WARY & SECRETIVE CREATURE THAT IS HIGHLY ADAPTABLE TO CHANGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. MOST OF ITS ACTIVITIES ARE PERFORMED UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS TO AVOID CONTACT WITH MAN. IT IS ALSO EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT AND CONSIDERED BY MOST BIOLOGISTS TO BE THE MOST INTELLIGENT OF ALL ANIMALS. IF WE WERE TO ARBITRARILY ASSIGN THE AVERAGE IQ VALUE OF 100 TO THE DOMESTIC DOG, THE FERAL HOG WOULD BE IN THE GENIUS CATEGORY OF 140-200+.
THE PICTURES CLEARLY SHOW THE TYPICAL DAMAGE TO PASTURES & HAY MEADOWS PRODUCED BY THEIR ROOTING. DURING THE SPRING, FERAL HOGS TURN OVER THE GROUND SEARCHING FOR WORMS, LARVAE, ROOTS & TUBERS. CLUMPS OF GRASS WITH THE ROOTS EXPOSED AND THE LEAVES TURNED UNDER CAN BE SEEN. THE RESULTS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS DIGGING UP THE GROUND WITH A GARDEN SPADE, I.E. THE GRASS IS KILLED AND LARGE PATCHES OF WEEDS APPEAR IN PLACE OF THE GRASS THE FOLLOWING YEAR. IN ADDITION, THE HOLES THEY DIG ARE DEEP ENOUGH TO IMPEDE SURFACE TRAVEL AND DAMAGE FARM IMPLEMENTS. DRIVING OVER THESE ROOTED AREAS IS ANALOGOUS TO TRAVELING OVER A SERIES OF POT HOLES OR RAILROAD CROSS TIES. MANY ACRES OF PASTURE LAND CAN BE RAVAGED OVERNIGHT BY A SOUNDER (A 'HERD' OF PIGS). REPAIR OF THE DAMAGE IS VERY DIFFICULT & UNSATISFACTORY AT BEST. CONTROL OF THE FERAL HOG POPULATION BY ORDINARY MEANS SUCH AS HUNTING & TRAPPING ARE A LOSING PROPOSITION DUE TO THE HOG'S HIGH RATE OF REPRODUCTION. A SAFE METHOD OF BIOLOGICAL CONTROL IS BADLY NEEDED.
THE DAMAGE CAUSE BY THESE PREDATORS TO PASTURES IN ROBERTSON COUNTY DURING THE YEAR 2000 WAS THE WORST SEEN OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS. IN DESPERATION TO STEM THIS ASSAULT ON THE LAND, DR. JOHN F. ZIEGLSCHMID DEVELOPED A NEW, NON-LETHAL DETERRENCE METHOD THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDER EVALUATION AT THE RANCH. THE METHOD IS DESIGNED TO KEEP FERAL HOGS FROM INVADING & ROOTING IN A DEFINED GEOGRAPHIC AREA. THE RESULTS TO DATE ARE VERY ENCOURAGING AND WILL BE REPORTED HERE, AS WELL AS IN THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE WHEN THE VALIDITY OF THE TECHNIQUE IS CONFIRMED BY FURTHER EXPERIMENTAL DATA. THE FINAL RESULTS ARE ANTICIPATED BY DECEMBER, 2001.
THE GESTATION PERIOD FOR THE FERAL HOG IS 114 DAYS (4 MOS.) AND 2 LITTERS/YEAR ARE POSSIBLE. THE SIZE OF THE LITTERS IS QUITE VARIABLE, BUT IS USUALLY 8 OR LESS. THE FERAL SOW CAN REACH SEXUAL MATURITY AS EARLY AS 6 MOS. UNDER IDEAL GROWING CONDITIONS, BUT IN REALITY THE NORM IS CLOSER TO 14 MOS.
FERAL HOGS ARE THE RESERVOIR OF TWO DISEASES THAT POTENTIALLY COULD INFECT THE DOMESTIC SWINE POPULATION-- PSEUDORABIES (AN INFECTIOUS VIRAL DISEASE) AND SWINE BRUCELLOSIS (AN INFECTIOUS BACTERIAL DISEASE CAUSED BY BRUCELLA SUIS). PSEUDORABIES IS NOT A ZOONOTIC DISEASE AND MAN CANNOT BECOME INFECTED. PSEUDORABIES IS HOWEVER FATAL TO CATTLE, CATS & DOGS. NO KNOWN TREATMENT IS AVAILABLE. SWINE BRUCELLOSIS ON THE OTHER HAND, IS TRANSMISSIBLE TO BOTH MAN & CATTLE. THE PRESENCE OF THESE INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN THE FERAL HOG POPULATION POSES A SERIOUS OBSTACLE TO THE FEDERAL ERADICATION PROGRAM FOR EACH OF THESE DISEASES.
FERAL HOGS WERE NOT INDIGENOUS TO THE NEW WORLD & ARE THE RESULT OF A DOMESTIC PIG RELEASE IN THE WEST INDIES BY CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS IN 1493. THE SPANISH EXPLORER HERNADO DeSOTO IS CREDITED WITH IMPORTING THE FIRST SWINE INTO THE CONTINENTAL U.S. (FLORIDA) IN 1539. IN ROBERTSON COUNTY, TEXAS (OUR RANCH LOCATION) THE DOMESTIC HOG POPULATION IN 1860 WAS ESTIMATED AT 30,000 HEAD. SINCE THE VAST MAJORITY OF THESE HOGS WERE FREE RANGING, MANY RETURNED TO THE WILD AND INTERBRED WITH EXISTING FERAL POPULATIONS. TODAY'S FERAL HOG CENSUS IN TEXAS ALONE IS ESTIMATED TO BE 2 MILLION HEAD!
IN SUMMARY, FERAL HOGS ARE THE SCOURGE OF THE EARTH FOR ALL AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS. THEY DESTABILIZE THE SURFACE SOILS, ARE DISEASE VECTORS, PREDATORS & CROP DEPREDATORS. AN EFFECTIVE POPULATION CONTROL METHOD IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE. LEGALLY THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO DEFINE FERAL HOG OWNERSHIP UNDER TEXAS STATE LAW AND TO DECLASSIFY FERAL HOGS AS LIVESTOCK.
IT IS PERHAPS APPROPRIATE TO CONCLUDE THIS PICTORIAL RANCH TOUR WITH A FINAL PICTURE OF THE FARM IMPLEMENT THAT HAS DONE MORE TO SHAPE THE COURSE OF MODERN AGRICULTURE THAN ANY OTHER-- THE TRACTOR. SHOWN ABOVE ARE THE RANCH'S GREEN JOHN DEERE 4240 (1980 VINTAGE), A 6 CYLINDER 110 HP. DIESEL TRACTOR THAT HAS ACCRUED OVER 7000 HOURS OPERATING TIME WITHOUT A BREAKDOWN AND THE RED 1995 MASSEY FERGUSON 383, A 4 CYLINDER 75 HP. DIESEL TRACTOR.
WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR RANCH TOUR AS MUCH AS WE ENJOYED PRODUCING IT AND THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR YOU. PLEASE COME BACK TO VISIT US SOON AGAIN!