For farmers in the South, feral hogs are a constant threat to their crops and, thus, their livelihoods. But with the expiration of a federal pilot program to eradicate them, the feral hog invasion has become another skirmish in the broad fiscal battles dominating Washington.

One problem: there's not an agreement on what role the federal government should play in solving the invasive hog problem. And that disagreement could have serious impacts as Congress gears up to debate several major agricultural funding bills in the coming months.

On this episode of our weekly podcast, On The Merits, Bloomberg Government reporter Jack Fitzpatrick explains why invasive feral hogs are such a difficult problem to solve, and outlines the pros and cons of the dueling solutions to eradicate the boars: a government-led campaign or a market-oriented solution.

Do you have feedback on this episode of On The Merits? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.