Tello Farms Vision
To provide healthful, high-quality produce and organic, USDA inspected wild-game to our local community and Georgia markets. By partnering with veteran nonprofit groups in the future, we will also assist veterans returning home, pursue similar careers in agriculture through hands-on training and by sharing lessons learned.
Feasibility study for proposed wild hog control business plan
We plan to study the feasibility of trapping nuisance wild hogs and the live transportation to local meat processors to produce USDA inspected, organic wild-game pork products. The plan will incorporate information gathering from the local community and interviews with local landowners. We will utilize surveillance techniques for research and implementation through the use of trail cameras, GPS tracking, and thermal drone surveying for population detection.
An Invasive Species
Wild hogs are one of the top invasive species in Georgia. They cause a whopping $150 million dollars in economic damage in Georgia alone and 2.5 billion dollars nationally. They are reported to live in all of Georgia’s 159 counties. A single hog can cause up to $200 in damage in a single year. We estimated the damage in Jenkins county to be up to $724,000 and in Johnston county up to $1,028,000 based on the number of farms per county.
Wide-Spread Damage
Wild hogs pose an extensive threat to our natural resources and agricultural crop production. They consume large amounts of vegetation and destroy plants by rooting, and compacting soil with wallowing behaviors. Damaged land becomes susceptible to erosion and invasive plants. Feral hogs destroy nests and eat the eggs of alligators, and ground-nesting birds, and have even been known to damage the nests of endangered sea turtles. Mammal and bird communities are 26 percent less diverse in areas with large hog populations.
Population Control
Hogs can multiply faster than any other large animal. Females begin breeding at 8 months and can produce 2 litters of 4–12 piglets every 12–15 months. Wild hog biologists place the control bar at roughly 66% to 75%. For instance, if a given area has a wild hog population of 100,000, then 66,000 hogs must be culled each year—simply to maintain the population of 100,000. That’s a big problem and hunting can exacerbate things by displacing populations to new areas. That’s why we propose trapping to capture the whole sounder group.
USDA Inspected Organic Wild Game Pork
Wild game has more protein and has significantly less fat and calories than store bought meat. Wild hog meat is no different. It is also darker and has a richer flavor than traditional store-bought pork. That’s because wild hogs roam and forage for food rather than being kept confined in pens like domestic hogs.
High Tunnel Hoop Houses
Feasibility study for proposed high-tunnel hoop house produce
We plan to study the feasibility of high-tunnel hoop houses for vegetable production and explore markets in the local community.
Tello Farms Project Midville, Ga.
Farm lease from 2019 to the end of 2020 including 27-Acres of diversified farm operations.
Range-Reared Swine
The sows had their first births in the late summer of 2020 yielding two healthy litters.
Free-Range Chickens and Eggs
Chickens roamed 4-acres of land and with 5 chicken coops for hens, there was always an abundance of eggs.
Grazing Goats
Goats kept the pasture land and wooded areas weed-free.
Garden Vegetable and Grapes
One-acre summer garden included tomatoes, okra, variety of peppers and muscadine vines.
Drone Map
DJI Mavic Air was used for better land and livestock management and plans for the integration of high-tunnel hoop houses.