How many pigs?

[NTSOG]

G'day,

Locally feral pigs are causing some entertainment and damage. One mob of 30 has been sorted, but another mob has turned up. An acquaintance on whose property I shoot has had one cultivated paddock dug up by a small mob, one of which he whacked last night, but reports that another farmer near him found a 40-acre paddock turned over in one night. So how many pigs does it take to dig up 40 acres over night? I know little about pigs tame or feral.

Jim

[Blr243]

Farmers often exaggerate the damage , especially if they are doin it tough .

[Blr243]

40 acres is 160 thousand square metres

[Blr243]

A tractor and plough would take all night. It’s not happening with a mob of pigs

[bigpete]

A tractor and plough would take all night. It’s not happening with a mob of pigs

To plough 40 acres ? Slow tractor driver then

[GQshayne]

My dad tells me when he was a boy around 1960, they were on a property near Narrabri. The owner told them where to go to find some sorghum that the pigs were getting stuck into, but they could not find the crop.

They figured they had gone to the wrong place but they had not. The pigs had cleaned it up in a short time. But there was mnay many pigs in those days. At least that is what I am told!!!!!

[bladeracer]

40 acres is 160 thousand square metres

Yes, sounds like a lot but 160,000m2 is a paddock 160m wide and 1000m long, not very big at all.

[Peterwho]

A tractor and plough would take all night. It’s not happening with a mob of pigs

To plough 40 acres ? Slow tractor driver then

Very slow or very small or old tractor. 50+ horse modern tractor and plough will knock it over in half a night. Hardest part will be doing the first row without a waypoint.

[on_one_wheel]

Or you could plough it in a few minutes with Big Bud 747.
https://youtu.be/uFKsy3Nhx9o?si=AAiEYv5fK8hzsjls

[Blr243]

Some disc ploughs / tillers are 4-5 times the width of others. I can’t remember how wide aplough I pulled. I just remember not wanting to fall of the back and into the discs

[wrenchman]

my dad had 2 get in horse pasture in Kentucky over night and they messed it real good

[Die Judicii]

G'day,

Locally feral pigs are causing some entertainment and damage. One mob of 30 has been sorted, but another mob has turned up. An acquaintance on whose property I shoot has had one cultivated paddock dug up by a small mob, one of which he whacked last night, but reports that another farmer near him found a 40-acre paddock turned over in one night. So how many pigs does it take to dig up 40 acres over night? I know little about pigs tame or feral.

Jim

A forty acre paddock of (whatever, young crop) can easily be "turned over in one night" by pigs.
That being said, it doesn't necessarily mean ploughed like,,,, with a tractor and plough.
But nonetheless,,,,,,, the crop ends up rooted (pardon the pun) and unviable.

And,,,,,,,,,,, (saved this till last) In answer to your question,,,,,,, "how many pigs does it take to dig up 40 acres over night ?"

Answer: Count the footprints,,,,,,,,, and divide by 4

[Wapiti]

Pigs can easily do this kind of damage, especially with soft, quality cultivated soil. And with a crop they get excited about, they can absolutely destroy large swathes overnight. A small mob can even destroy acres of hard-shelled watermelons or pumpkins, let alone soft crops.
Maybe it's just a myth that pigs are a threat to agriculture according to some activists amongst us eh?