The Potomac Highlands Watershed School 

Oh Deer!" 2009 Environmental Forum

 

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Farmers

 

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10/29/09 - The Moderator's Coyote Challenge

Coyotes are becoming more and more common in the East.  Coyotes are known to prey on deer, particularly fawns.  There is some question about their overall impact on the size of the deer herd, but maybe they affect deer behavior like the wolves do in Yellowstone.  Maybe, just maybe, they make deer nervous, keep them on the move, and reduce excessive browsing in our damaged forests.  But agricultural interests worry about coyote predation on livestock.   So, here is a Moderator Challenge to the Farm stakeholders: are you willing to intentionally let the coyote population get larger to find out if the possible benefits to agriculture from a smaller deer herd out weigh the costs to agriculture from livestock predation?  How about bobcats, which mostly prey on deer during periods of heavy snow?

Questions to All Farmer Stakeholders

From:     Deer Huggers! - Other Stakeholder - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:34:00 AM

     how much damage do the deer cause

 

 

POV

Deer Farmers Hampshire H.S.

 

                                                                                                                            10/21/2009

REVISED.  We are farmers in West Virginia. As farmers, we face many problems; the main one

being deer. We all work extremely hard during spring and summer to earn a profit. Only half of

 our crops grew and were able to be harvested this year. Some of the lost crops were corn, soy

beans, green beans, and cabbage. Deer were the cause of this problem. We wasted a lot of time

and money. We spent money on equipment, seeds, gas, and fences. If we had known how much

damage the deer were going to cause then we would have spared ourselves the hard work and

time. Deer cause approximately 35 million dollars worth of damage in West Virginia annually.

Thisis extremely high and not necessary. We feel that we should be able to kill the deer if they

begin to cause problems on our farms. If we are given this right then it will drastically

increase our profits. This extra profit will help us and the poor ecomony. The farms that we

run help to feed the people in West Virginia and surrounding states.  If the deer population

does not go down, then the communities will suffer.  We have urged the DNR to allow us to kill

the deer so that we are able to feed West Virginia residences.  If we are not given this right

then the people of West Virginia and surrounding states could suffer from a food shortage.  If

 we are granted our wish then we could have a surplus and make a greater profit, which could

eventually help our poor economy.

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Simply for Nature - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Ask                                                                         11/5/2009           12:35:00 PM

     It is an option to tell the government about the deer but we feel that hunters should be

     able to have more than one major deer season.  If there is more oppurtunities to kill

     deer, the population will be more under control. We only have a small fence where the

     deer can see the top of it, this enables the deer to jump over it.  There would be a food

     shortage because the deer eat all the crops and we distrbute them to the market to sell. 

     We know that deer are not just in our area because according to surveys taken, deer

     cause 35 million dollars worth of damage in West Virginia annually.  It is not possible

     for this much damage to be caused in just one area alone.  Therefore, deer are not just

     in our area.

 

  From:   Students with Solutions - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Statement                                                                11/4/2009           12:50:00 PM

     I agree with your article...deer and farming do not mix. Deer do destroy alot of crops

     and break fences. People who don't live in the country or don't farm do not realize how

     much it costs to replace fence and catch loose livestock. Also planting and maintaining

     fields, as well as the equipment to farm the fields, is not cheap. Why spend money to

     farm and have deer destroy and eat crops and not be able to make back enough to replant

      next season and support your family. Farmers should be allowed to kill off any animals

     eating and damaging crops.

  From:   Students with Solutions - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Ask                                                                         11/4/2009           12:45:00 PM

      If the deer population is that high then you should complain to the government so that

     there will be more hunters or other options.  How  are the deer getting through your

     current fence system? Why would there be a food shortage - maybe the deer are just in

     your area?

  From:   Simply for Nature - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Statement                                                                11/4/2009           10:38:00 AM

     I can appreciate your anger at the great losses you are suffering due to the deer

     destroying your property, however I don’t fully understand how you plan on killing the

     deer. You are mentioning that you should have the right to simply kill the deer, but if you

     want the right to kill whenever you want, so will everyone else.

  From:   Farmers & the Dell - farmer - EHHS

              Statement                                                                11/4/2009            8:39:00 AM

     What would you do when deer season is out? How would you rid the deer from your

     property?

       Response    Deer Farmers - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       11/5/2009        12:40:00 PM

             Once deer season is out, we can get a permit that allows us to kill deer as they

             begin to cause damage to farm.  This can help keep the deer population under

             control.

  From:   Students with Solutions - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Statement                                                                11/3/2009              1:18:00 PM

     I agree with your statements about trying to maintain a balance with the deer population

     around your farms by shooting some of the deer yourselves because it’s less expensive.

     What I don’t agree with is your humane idea to place fencing up around your farms

     because the fence would take a lot of money overtime to maintain and also the hazards

     that go with putting up a fence in your farming area. The fence wouldn’t just stop deer

     but the other animals that are in the forest, such as birds flying through at that level. My

      opinion would be to not put up a fence and try to decrease the population of deer by

     killing them in deer season.

 

  From:   Students with Solutions - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Statement                                                                11/2/2009              1:19:00 PM

     You will get a greater profit but killing more deer will anger hunters, and animal

     lovers. If you kill too many deer then you will make the overall population of deer get

      lower and they could eventually become extinct and all the hunters will get mad at

     the farmers for killing all the deer and I don’t think you losing half of your crops will

      make anyone starve. There might be less profit for you but there will be plenty of

            food for people to eat.

 

  From:   Simply for Nature - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Statement                                                             10/29/2009            9:56:00 AM

     How will you gain extra profits???  You will only make money on what you planted if

     deer caused no crop damage, not extra. If you kill deer your farm will not get magically

     larger. You also changed your statements from the begginning to the end of your POV. In

      the beginning you said that the farmers are the only ones suffering, towards the end

     you said how West Virginia and the surrounding areas will suffer very badly from food

     shortages and money loss.  Don’t worry though if you have a food shortage down there, 

     we are a strong state agriculturally and can export food to you. Sounds like a good deal

     to me.

 

  From:   Deer Huggers! - Other Stakeholder - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:22:00 AM

     How do you feel that lowering the population and increasing crop yield will aid the

     economy? We may have exhausted crops so it might be good that some crops are

     being limited as well. Do you think deer hunting will truly be the answer to this

     problem, as birds and other animals damage crops as well?

       Response    Deer Farmers - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       10/27/2009     11:37:00 AM

             Deer cause about 35 million dollars worth of damage to crops in West

             Virginia annually.

 

  From:   JJCFARM - farmer - BGHS

              Statement                                                             10/26/2009            8:42:00 AM

     I  agree deer do alot of damage to crops.  AND  I agree deer should be managed

     properly.

  From:   bghsForesters - forester - BGHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            8:39:00 AM

     In virginia farmers can get a permet leting them kill off some of them does west

     virginia have a program like that?

       Response    Deer Farmers - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       10/27/2009     11:35:00 AM

             Yes, West Virginia has permits that allow you to kill deer if they begin to

             cause problems for your crops.

 

 

 

 

POV

Trojan Farmers Hampshire H.S.

                                                                                                                            10/15/2009

  We as the farmers have many problems. Deer cause many issues such as causing millions of

dollars in damage to crops. According to William Grafton in the 1980’s they estimated that $35

 million worth of damage was done. Deer will eat almost all small plants which causes much

problems for the farmers that use them to sell. It is hard to keep them out of fields. One deer

will eat up to 5-7 pounds a day. They also cause diseases such as lyme disease. The solutions

to our problems are humane for the most part.We think that people could get permits for

hunting deer that are in their field. We could also get fencing to put up that they can’t jump it.

  The farmers could get plants that are inexpensive that the deer don’t like and place them

around the fields so that it repels the deer. The farmers that hunt would also like to increase

the deer season. This would help them to control the deer in their area. Placing other animal

scents aroud the fields would keep them away. Also something that would cost a lot would be to

place motion scensored water sprinklers in your field so that when they entered it they would

be scared off.

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Farmers & the Dell - farmer - EHHS

              Statement                                                                11/4/2009            8:35:00 AM

     When it rains outside, what do the deer do? They do not get scared by the rain! This is

     why we think the deer may be attracted to the sprinklers. We are also aware that you

     CAN turn off water systems!

       Response    Trojan Farmers - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       11/5/2009        10:03:00 AM

             When it rains hard out the deer bed down, they don't just stand there. And since

             you are aware of the fact that you can turn off the sprinklers then you know it

             won't affect the farmers going out to work on the field.

 

  From:   Students with Solutions - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Statement                                                                11/2/2009           12:59:00 PM

     Although we agree with many ideas you have proposed, we do not believe that fences

      are a good option to solve the deer dilemma. Birds that fly at a semi-low range can

     easily be caught in the fences and die. Also, other animals can become trapped in the

     fenced in forest, and trapped outside of the fence as well. Another downside to the

     fences involves humans themselves. If a couple of hunters or hikers are going for a

     walk and they come across a fence, what are they supposed to do? We also think

     that water sprinklers may be a waste. Is it proven that deer will stay away from

     sprinklers? If so, this would be a good idea, but if not they would be a complete

     waste.

       Response    Trojan Farmers - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       11/5/2009        10:09:00 AM

             We would not be fencing in the forest we would be fencing in the fields that our

              crops are in so that would not affect people hunting or hiking since they

             shouldn't be in our fields anyway. Also for the sprinklers we have only found the

              idea on the internet but we think it makes sense due to the fact that deer are

             skidish.

  From:   Farmers & the Dell - farmer - EHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/28/2009            7:45:00 AM

     Although these are good ideas, we are questioning whether the deer would stay out of

     the crops or just ignore the plants they do not like. We also think the sprinklers would be

     a problem. The deer may be attracted to the sprinklers, to stay cool. How would you

     dodge the sprinklers when you go to manage your fields?

 

       Response    Trojan Farmers - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       10/29/2009     8:59:00 AM

             The sprinklers wouldn't attract the deer they would repel them because they

             wouldn't be on all they time they would be motion sensored which means it would

             scar them when it went off. Also you could turn off the sprinklers when you had

             to work on the field, it is possible to turn off  water systems.

       Response    Trojan Farmers - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       10/29/2009     9:04:00 AM

             Deer aren't dumb they know that if they smell a bear that they shouldn't go in

             that area, or if you put any other scent that is a predator to them they know it's

             not safe so they would go another way.

 

  From:   W.P.C.S. (Wildlife Population Control Specialists) - hunter - EHHS

              Statement                                                             10/28/2009            7:42:00 AM

     Most deer aren't picky about what they eat. If they are hungry then they will eat

     whatever they can to survive.

  From:   Harassed Homeowners - homeowner - PHS

              Ask                                                                      10/28/2009             6:21:00 AM

     How would putting other animal scents around fields keep the deer away? They come

     into contact with other scents all the time in the forest and that doesn't keep them away.

 

From:   Harford Homeowners - homeowner - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:29:00 AM

     How do deer cause diseases towards humans?

       Response    Trojan Farmers - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       10/28/2009     9:14:00 AM

             Deer ticks carry deseases, and they fall off the deer in the gardens and attach

             themselves to the farmers when they go to the garden.  Those diseases affect the

              farmers ability to properly manage the crops.

 

  From:   SUPER FORESTER - forester - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:27:00 AM

     What effect does the lime disease the deer carry have on the crops the farms are

     planting?

       Response    Trojan Farmers - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       10/28/2009     9:16:00 AM

             Lyme disease does not have any direct affect on the crops but in a way it does

             affect it slightly.  Farmers could catch the diseases by ticks left in the garden

             from deer attaching themselves to them and the illness that they catch affects

             their ability to properly take care of the crops.

 

  From:   Donkey Farmers - farmer - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:26:00 AM

     Considering a deer can jump about ten feet in the air, how high would the fencing

     have to be in order to keep the deer out?

       Response    Trojan Farmers - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       10/28/2009     9:18:00 AM

             The fences around the crops may have to be up to 13 oto 15 feet tall and may be

             costly but in the long run it would cost less then the cost of replacing crops eaten

              or destroyed by deer.

 

  From:   Deer Huggers! - Other Stakeholder - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:24:00 AM

     Of course farmers are impacted greatly by over populated deer. How are you going

     to get so many fences for so many farmers? Furthermore, fences do not always

     keep deer out. You could plant many decoy crops that will purposefully keep deer

     from eating your main crops. This is one way that you could keep deer away without

     sending a bullet through their skull.

  From:   BGHS hunters - hunter - BGHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009             9:01:00 AM

     why wouldnt farmers just get a permit?

  From:   JJCFARM - farmer - BGHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            8:34:00 AM

     How will you get the money for all this stuff?  AND  What if the plants attract

     other animals?

  From:   deers - Other Stakeholder - BGHS

              Statement                                                             10/26/2009            8:33:00 AM

     I agree that something has to be done about the deer population and the farmers

     should be able to get those permits that would allpw them to shoot the deer if it

     entered their field.  what type of damages has your equipment suffered?  are your

     crops harmed in anyway?

  From:   bghsForesters - forester - BGHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            8:33:00 AM

     How much would the deer proof fence cost?

 

POV

 

Donkey Farmers North Harford H.S

                                                                                                                           10/20/2009

Farmers are a key stakeholder in the population issues concerning deer. Developments and

other suburban areas are taking up former forested areas. All that land is now uninhabitable

for deer. Now the deer are forced to overpopulate the remaining areas, and they are also

forced to eat the farmer’s crops to survive. When deer graze on the farmer’s crops this

damages the fields and if the grazing is too severe, it can cut some of the farmer’s profit.

  Some of the solutions that can help the overpopulation of deer and help the grazing on

farmers crops are a longer hunting season and create habitats for deer when building

development take it away. We could also build fences around our fields to prevent deer from

coming onto our property.          If some of these solutions are put into play, our crops would not be

grazed upon. This would increase our earnings at the end of the season when we harvest ours

crops. Installing fencing would initially cost money, but in the long run the fencing would pay

for itself.         These solutions are fairly easy to put into play. The work needed to install these

improvements is better to deal with then the problems these deer are causing. The following

statistics are from a 1997 survey of farmers reguarding deer problems:Responding farmers

reported deer were responsible for 70% of their wildlife caused crop losses. The majority of

responding farmers were very confident in their abilities to distinguish deer losses from losses

 caused by other species and confidence appeared to increase with experience. Deer

densities and crop losses have exceeded the tolerance of producers in most areas of the state.

39% of farmers responding reported 1997 losses were intolerable to the point of taking

additional action to resolve the issue. Between $5 and $10 million in crop losses for 1997

were reported by farmers responding to this survey. These problems are far worse then the

work to install the simple solutions we provided.1997 Deer Survey from

http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/deerdamage/.

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Simply for Nature - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Statement                                                                11/3/2009           11:09:00 AM

     First off how will you raise money to build fences around farmers crops when they have

     many acres of cropland. These fences will have to be pretty high to stop deer from

     jumping over them. Also where are we going to make habitats for deer when there are no

      places to make them at anyway. all of your data regarding deer population and such on

     farmer's cropland is pretty old too.

 

From:     we're deer - Other Stakeholder - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:38:00 AM

     how high will the fences be?

       Response    Donkey Farmers - farmer - NHHS

                                                                                       10/28/2009     11:01:00 AM

             twice as high as deer can jump (apx. 20 feet) and line them with barbed wire.

 

  From:   Harford Homeowners - homeowner - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:28:00 AM

     Do you think a lot of farmers spend a lot of money on rebuilding their crops?

       Response    Donkey Farmers - farmer - NHHS

                                                                                       10/28/2009     11:02:00 AM

             yes, farmers spend a significant amount of money rebuilding crops. (see

             statistics above)

 

  From:   BGHS hunters - hunter - BGHS

              Statement                                                             10/26/2009            9:04:00 AM

     there are deer in the city because of all the devolpment goin on.it is our fault and we

      need to fix our problem

       Response    Donkey Farmers - farmer - NHHS

                                                                                       10/28/2009     11:04:00 AM

             we know the deer in the developments are our fault, that is why we gave

             SPECIFIC solutions pretaining to that direct issue.

 

  From:   deers - Other Stakeholder - BGHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:02:00 AM

     what is the cost of the crops that have been destroyed?  wouldn't building fences

     cost a lot?

  From:   JJCFARM - farmer - BGHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            8:46:00 AM

     How do you think deer should be managed?  AND  How much would the fence cost?

 

POV

Moonkufu Deer Killer Hampshire H.S.

                                                                                                                            10/21/2009

A consensus must be met. I am an outraged farmer on the brink of poverty. "Why," may you

ask? Deer have destroyed everything I have worked on to make a living. These vermin have

hurt many men like myself. They are an overpopulated parasite that has plagued us long enough.

 I will not sit idly by while my family is at stake. Now someone must do something, because I

can no longer help myself.Deer have caused a great damage to agriculture around eastern

United States. In the 1980s, they have caused $35 million annually worth of damage. They eat

crops while in their silk stage which kills any chance for them to fully develop. While in their

raids, they spread disease to the livestock in the vicinity which in turn makes the entire season

worthless. Farmers can no longer grow profitable crops like alfalfa, corn, berries, grapes,

pumpkins, and even the orchards are lost. Ginseng, a plant used for medicine, is becoming less

abundant, and this crop alone grosses over $2 million. Most farmers have to quit farming.

There is no question whether or not it is deer, because they leave distinct tracks that hunters

use to find them which just shows how much of an impact they have.In New Jersey, farmers

have seen $5-10 million in damage in a study in 1997. Rich farm land has been abandoned for

this reason. Most farmers do not even own the land rather they lease off of landowners. This

makes it difficult to take measures to prevent such fatalities. We have received permits to

shoot the deer, but hunters and homeowners protested it. The best thing that works is repellents

and fencing but since it is not our land we cannot do it. It is clear the damage done. I am not

being selfish in saying that America must protects its farmers. If you do not, than there will be

no farms left to defend. Others need to be less selfish. The deer are overpopulated; the forest

shows that. Now that most of that is gone they have turned to the farms. I plead that something

be done soon or the unemployment and poverty of America will only skyrocket.

 

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Students with Solutions - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Ask                                                                         11/4/2009             1:08:00 PM

     Why do you think that repellents are one the best things to control the deer

     overpopulation issue?  If organic/natural repellents were used, chances are, the deer

     are going to acclimatize or biologically habituate themselves to them; this won't really

     effectively keep the deer away from the crops in the long run.If inorganic/artificial

     repellents were used, they can harm the crops, rather than protect them from the deer.

       Response    Moonkufu Deer Killer - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       11/12/2009      2:17:00 PM

             The repellents would be placed around the perimeter of the farm.  The fence

             would be monitered for assurance against a deer that is in danger.

 

  From:   Donkey Farmers - farmer - NHHS

            Ask

 

     Will these repellents you are talking about have any possibility of hurting the deer or

     other animals?

 

  From:   Students with Solutions - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Ask                                                                         11/2/2009           10:36:00 AM

      Why should the prices only go down for your state and go up for every one else. It

     should either raise for all states or be lowered for all states. How would the State

     buy more land? The states wont sell land to anyone. Especially with the oil shortage.

     It is a good idea to exstend hunting seasons though.  The number of deer that can be

      killed shouldn’t be raised because some people don’t want deer to go extinct in that

     state. Some people like to go deer watching instead of deer hunting. Not putting feed

      by major highways and roads is a good idea, but we are talking about the deer here

     not the insurane company’s money. I am a hunter in Pennsylvania myself. I know you

     dont hunt in PA, but pretty much all the things you talked about is completely

     senseless. Read over what you have wrote then post something else.

 

  From:   Farmers & the Dell - farmer - EHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/29/2009            7:45:00 AM

     The repellant could damage the plants in your fields as well as the deer. What kind of

     fencing would you use to repel the deer? Many fencing methods deer can jump through

     or over. What kind of repellant would you use to shield the deer?

 

From:     The Farmer Coalition in the Deer Issue - farmer - HHS

              Ask                                                                      10/27/2009             1:02:00 PM

     Why do you think that repellents are one the best things to control the deer

     overpopulation issue?  If organic/natural repellents were used, chances are, the

     deer are going to acclimatize or biologically habituate themselves to them; this won't

     really effectively keep the deer away from the crops in the long run.  If

     inorganic/artificial repellents were used, they can harm the crops, rather than

     protect them from the deer.

 

POV

The Farmer Coalition in the Deer Issue Hampshire H.S.

                                                                                                                            10/21/2009

As the majority of us are consumers, we rarely consider the viewpoints of the people who

provide the food for us in most public issues, even in issues in the environmental sciences.In

the farmers’ perspective, the main issue with the deer is their excessive numbers intruding on

farmlands.  There are two main issues that affect the farmers’ productiveness in their

farming:  the deer’s feed on crops and their epidemiologic effect on other farm animals.When

 deer either feed on the crops or degrade them in some other way, the crops are destroyed such

 that they cannot be processed and sold for public consumption. Deer can also spread diseases,

either directly (from their saliva through consumption) or indirectly (excretions and

transferring insects to plants).  When deer habitually graze in farm lands, they can not only

adversely affect the crops and other harvests, but also the livestock.  Diseases can be

transmitted through their excretions; diseases include tuberculosis, Escherichia coli, and mad

cow disease.These issues can degrade the value of farmers’ products, which thus decreases

the farmers’ productiveness and can, over time, cause financial problems.Attempts have been

made to either ameliorate or prevent the damages.  To prevent deer from damaging and

degrading crops, farmers have concocted and used repellants and deterrents.  However, the

repellants can damage the crops in themselves, due to their often corrosive or chemically

harmful effects on organic matter.  Deterrents include live animals or “straw man”-like

innovations to scare away the deer.  However, deer can easily acclimatize to the “fright-and-

flight” stimulations, to the point where they do not affect the deer anymore.  Farmers have

attempted to control the hunting permission on their farmlands.  However, the hunters’

predilection is towards larger animals than deer.Improvements could be made to improve the

management and supervision of hunters’ hunting on farmlands.  Farmers could also record

demographic data of the general deer population on their farmlands, so that they can be better

managed.

 

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   deers - Other Stakeholder - BGHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:09:00 AM

     are there any other diseases that deer spead?  have you ever thought about letting

     hunters on to your property?

       Response    The Farmer Coalition in the Deer Issue - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       10/27/2009     1:26:00 PM

             If hunters were let onto farmlands, they could hunt without the farmers'

             control of what is shot; without demographic data and reports collected on

             what is hunted on farmlands, the deer population may not be reduced to

             favor.As for the diseases deer can spread to other farmland livestock,

             besides the ones mentioned in my POV, deer can spread mad deer disease

             and chronic wasting disease (CWD).

 

  From:   bghsForesters - forester - BGHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            8:43:00 AM

     Do the chemicals hurt the deer

       Response    The Farmer Coalition in the Deer Issue - farmer - HHS

                                                                                       10/27/2009     1:08:00 PM

             First of all, the repellents could either be organic or inorganic.  Organic

             repellents would not harm the deer, really; they would just be unpleasant to

             the deer.  However, inorganic repellents are made from chemicals, possible

             harmful ones.  Yes, the chemicals from repellents could potentially harm the

             deer.  However, repellents keep deer from consuming the crops, therefore

             the deer more than likely wouldn't come in contact with inorganic repellents

             more than a few innocuous times.

 

POV

Farmers & the Dell- East Hardy H.S.

                                                                                                                           10/22/2009

     Farmers are faced with many problems caused by the deer population each day. Farmers work hard every day in the spring and summer seasons, on their crops. Yet, the biggest problem is the deer eating the farmer’s crops. The lost crops include: corn, cabbage, green beans, and soy beans. Statistics show, in the past, that farmers as a whole lost an amount of $35 million from damages by the deer. Each mature deer eats about five to seven pounds of plants per day. From that fact, think of how many individual deer eat the farmer’s crops each day.  Over the number of years, deer population has increased and the farmer’s profits have decreased. The farmers spend their hard-earned cash on: farm equipment, gasoline, crop seeds, and food to feed their livestock. Farmers spend extra money each year to shield the deer from destroying their crops. There are potentially many solutions to the deer population issues, concerning the farmers. The farmers could control the deer population by, shooting all the deer on or around their property. If the farmers were granted this right, then their profits will increase and the deer population would decrease. The farmers send their crops to their state and surrounding states, some across the world. The result of this is the prices of the crops would decrease, because there would be more availability of crops. The farmers wouldn’t have to charge more money for the crops, because they wouldn’t be spending as much money, to keep the deer out. This means everyone saves money in the situation, farmers and customers. If this idea was granted to farmers, this would have an abundant affect on the other stakeholders, around or in the same area. Farmers may shoot the deer that concerned the other stakeholders, this also would be a win-win scenario. The deer population would be lowered in the area, if the idea was passed.  

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Trojan Farmers - farmer - HHS

              Ask                                                                      10/29/2009            9:08:00 AM

     There is always a possibility that the state or county will not grant you the right to shoot

     the deer outside of deer season.  What are some possible alternatives to shooting?

       Response    Farmers & the Dell - farmer - EHHS

                                                                                       11/4/2009        8:25:00 AM

             Some other solutions, besides shooting the deer out of season are: To call the

             game warden and have them come and get rid of the deer someway, also we could

              shoot them with a BB Gun because it doesn't harm them, it stings them, which

             will scare them away.  

 

The Moderator: You say "The farmers could control the deer population by, shooting all the deer on or around their property."  I know lots of farmers who wouldn't do that because they don't want the animals to "go to waste."  Can you think of anything productive the farmers could do with the deer they killed?  Can you think of anyway they might make money doing this (beyond protecting their crops as you noted above)?

       Response    Farmers & the Dell - farmer - EHHS

                                                                                       10/28/2009     7:34:00 AM

             The farmers could keep the deer meat for their own purposes. They could give

             the meat to friends or family. The farmers could provide people with meat that

             cannot afford to buy meat from stores. The farmers could sell the deer meat to

             restaurants that serve deer meat. These ideas would keep the meat from going to

             waste.  

              The Moderator : do the laws allow sale of deer meat?

 

       Response    Farmers & the Dell - farmer - EHHS

                                                                                       10/29/2009     7:38:00 AM

             We could donate the deer meat to local food banks in our area. Cited from:

             "http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Is+the+sale+of+deer+meat+legal%3F&page=1&qsrc=

             0&dm=all&ab=0&title=Venison+inspection+requirements&u=http%3A%2F%2Fww

             w.deer-

             library.com%2Fartman%2Fpublish%2Farticle_67.shtml&sg=EyLXZ1w567K4EcO

             Aq4lgns%2F6Z%2BLF5ViOjqnS0%2FDnOh0%3D&tsp=1256822960022"All

             food must come from an "approved source" in order to be sold in retail stores

             and restaurants. An "approved source" does not mean that the deer or elk must be

              inspected; rather it means that the facility where the animal was slaughtered

             and processed is inspected. The most common "approved source" for uninspected

              venison is a licensed food establishment, a federally inspected meat plant, or a

             state inspected meat plant.

 

POV

JJCFARM- Buffalo Gap HS

                                                                                                                           10/23/2009

  As a farmer the best way to manage the deer population is by hunting. Farmers need to control the population so deer will do less damage, crops, and livestock .Deer management is very crucial to agriculture for these reasons.

  First off as a farmer I see deer everywhere. When deer jump fences they can knock wires and boards letting livestock out. Fence is expensive to build and every time consuming. Managing deer would help to save the farmer money.

  Second when deer get in an alfalfa or corn a field the deer will hurt the crops yield. Deer can also damage machinery. When deer are managed proper deer will do less damage to the crops. That will allow the farmers to make more profit.

  Deer can also harm livestock. Deer carry disease which livestock can contract. Parasites which deer can pass onto livestock can kill or cause them to loose wieght.

  The best way to manage deer is to hunt them responsibly and shoot the young weak, criple, and old deer to keep the deer population strong deer must be managed to keep the population down. To insure farmers make a profit. Without hunting deer would over populate and cause problems for farmers.  

 

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Deer Farmers - farmer - HHS

              Ask                                                                         11/5/2009           12:25:00 PM

     How do you know that it is just deer eating your crops because of deforestation???

 

  From:   Students with Solutions - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Ask                                                                         11/4/2009           12:56:00 PM

     I agree with you that hunting is the best way to control the deer population. But, how is it

      'being responsible' if you're only shooting the young, crippled, and old deer? How will

     you encourage all the hunters to shoot those certain deer? Most hunters want a trophy

     deer or healthy venison than a young or crippled deer.

  From:   Farmers & the Dell - farmer - EHHS

              Ask                                                                         11/4/2009            8:40:00 AM

     Cattle in this area is used to the parsites the have and can possibly pass on to the

     livestock from the deer, and if it does get passed on then there is treatment that can be

     given to the livestock to treat them.

  From:   squirrel huggers - forest - EHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/28/2009            7:45:00 AM

     our point of veiw quite honestly is a lot more unbiased than yours, as the forest it would

     seem that our point of veiw is neither as limited or as narrow minded. our proposal

     throws more than just one proposition on the table.......our question too you would

     be...what about the enviorment, and have you considered how hunters will act in the long

     run? I mean come on this all means less deer.

 

 

POV

Old McDonald- Petersburg H.S

                                                                                                                           10/26/2009

  As a farmer, I depend on my crops as my financial source. Deer make it almost impossible

 to keep a plantation. To prevent destruction of my farm, I have been forced to set up

fences in order to maintain a successful harvest. This has cost me extra expenses and in

these times I can barely afford it. Also, eventually I have to repair any damages to these

fences. It seems to be more of a hassle than it is worth.  Overpopulated deer herds have

cost society a major loss in agriculture, as R.J. Meere described. (1)

  A normal population of deer should have around 20 to 25 deer per square mile, claims

Meere. (1) Grant County has approximately 45 deer per square mile on average. (2)  Most

damage that is done to my crops is right before the harvest. According to Christopher

Simeral, farmers get upset because the deer are in our gardens and fields at a time when

we are not allowed to hunt them. (3) A main concern of William N. Grafton is the fact that

deer damage crops and spread disease from deer to livestock. His surveys during the past

decade indicate deer damage costs West Virginia’s agriculture about $35 million dollars

annually. (4)

  A solution to our problem could be damage permits that are given to farmers during the

harvest season. Nathan Nesselrodt states that damage permits are given to us farmers

starting in mid July and continuing until the end of August. (5) We would like to see the

permits extended for a longer period, maybe all year long.

 

1.          Meere, R.J. “Deer Overpopulation is a Serious Problem.” Sea Coastal Online

(2008):n.pag.Web. 5 Oct 2009. <http://www.seacoastal.online.com/articles/20081023-

sports-810230378.>

2.         (2007). Deer Per Square Mile. Retrieved from

<http://www.cacaponinstitute.org/hs_chat.htm>.

3.         Simeral, Christopher, Barnes, Scully, and Appelman. “Deer Overpopulation Causes

Problems.” extension.org. 07 Nov 2007. Cooperative Extension System, Web. 5 Oct 2009.

<http://www.extension.org/pages/Deer_Overpopulation_Causes_Problems.>

4.         Grafton, William. (1993, January). Deer and Agriculture in West Virginia. Retrieved from

 http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/pubnwsltr/TRIM/821.pdf

5.         Nesselrodt, Nathan. “Personal Communication.” 8 October 2009.

 

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Simply for Nature - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Statement                                                                11/4/2009           10:40:00 AM

     Okay yes, this makes sense to me and you do have a point. However, when you say

     permits what exactly do you mean by that? Do you mean that you’d have the permission

     to hunt the dear on your property from mid July to the end of August? Yes, they need to

     be controlled but if someone is going to go trigger happy because they’ve got this piece

     of paper permitting them to do so. I don’t quite like that idea very much & I don’t think

     many others would either.

       Response    Old McDonald - farmer - PHS

                                                                                       11/17/2009      7:41:00 AM

             You have to realize farmers make a living by producing their crops just as you

             do with your job. Deer create problems on our plantations and in our gardens.

             The idea is to kill nuisance deer not to just hunt out of season. The permit would

             only be available to farmers, which is a smaller population, permitting only the

             killing of deer on their property. The permit would be issued during our harvest

             time.

 

  From:   Students with Solutions - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Statement                                                                11/2/2009             1:04:00 PM

     Extending the damage permits for the whole year would be a great and smart way to

      protect your crops. You will be able to protect the crops and this will allow you to

     have a great financial source. As a farmer you have to know when to kill and not kill

     a deer. If you abuse your extended damage permit, it could lead to hurting the food

     chain. If enough deer die it can change it dramatically, which will lead to other

     animals dying off.

       Response    Old McDonald - farmer - PHS

                                                                                       11/3/2009        7:23:00 AM

             Thank you! I understand that the food chain is a delicate cycle necessary to the

             ecosystem. I am not looking to kill every deer that steps onto my property, only

             the ones that disturb our crops.

 

  From:   Deer Farmers - farmer - HHS

              Statement                                                             10/29/2009           11:25:00 AM

     I strongly agree that permits should be given. Farmers deserve to have the right to

     completely control their plantations with all the work they put into it. Permits have been

     arranged for places including Virgina already, why not us too?

 

POV

Farmers of the Beach- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

                                                                                                                              11/2/2009

Deer are big, brown animals that live in wildlife. A male deer is called a buck, a female deer

 is called a doe, and a kid deer is called a calf. They live in forests and around crop fields.

Here, they eat leaves and plants. It is hard to believe that these animals are capable of

deforestation and destroying agricultural fields.         

It’s true! We are farmers and deer have  destroyed our fields many times by eating our crops. They are reproducing and their species is growing. Their population size is huge! There are only so much limited factors to share. They are also causing environmental issues by eating away the forests. Sure we love deer, but we need to grow our own crops. This is how we make a living and live. This

happened for a few years until we finally found a few solutions.         

We could get the city to pay us farmers money to get tall, metal, fences. We will be paying them back by selling stores our crops then the city getting the money back by that. Around our fields we will build fences high enough for deer to stay out. They can’t jump in or go around.  In another

solution, we will pass a law that limits the hunting of deer predators, so that deer, as the

prey, will be hunted by their predators in the ecosystem. The predators of the deer’s

population will increase by a little and decrease the deer’s population a little. This is a

reasonable and economic friendly decision.        With these solutions, we will be able to still

grow our crops, while deer can still live in their ecosystem. 

  Thank you,

Bibliography: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090504094458.htm

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/03/0314_050314_ginseng.html

http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/deerdamage/

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   The Farmer Coalition in the Deer Issue - farmer - HHS

              Ask                                                                         11/5/2009             2:17:00 PM

     How would the city obtain the initial money to purchase the fences?  More affluent

     cities may have the money to purchase them, but what could more impecunious towns do

     to raise the money?  Your solution of prohibiting the hunting of deer predators may be

     effective in the long run, but what would you propose if we wanated the issue of the

     deer overpopulation to be resolved in a short time period?

 

  From:   Farmers & the Dell - farmer - EHHS

              Ask                                                                         11/4/2009            8:35:00 AM

     How would you keep the people from hunting the predators of the deer, when there is

     hunting seasons for them as well? If there is hunting season for the predators of the

     deer than the deer population will increase not decrease.

POV

Funky Farmers- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

                                                                                                                              11/2/2009

The farmers are very important because the farmers grow fruit, vegetables, and other

produce. Without farmers all humans would eat was meat because nobody would know how

to grow crops. The deer have been dramatically challenging because they are eating

farmers crops when the crops are young. So they do not grow and this makes farmers lives

 a lot harder. Lately many farmers have concluded that the solution to the deer problem is

shooting all of them the moment they see them. Many reasons why deer eat farmers’ crops

 are because of human impact on deer habitat and wildlife. The reason deer are eating

crops is because of deforestation and this causes environmental issues. The deer’

population has become too big for the ecosystem’s limiting factor, because of the deer

population size the deer threaten farmers’ crops.

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Farmers & the Dell - farmer - EHHS

              Ask                                                                       11/17/2009             8:41:00 AM

     If the farmers would shoot the deer the moment they see them then no one would ever

     see any deer. Also you have to have a certain permit before you can shoot deer out of

     season. So therefore you could not shoot the deer even if you wanted to until you go and

     get this license/permit. Also if the farmers would put corn or another kind of crop out

     for the deer then they may not want to eat the crops as much.

 

  From:   Coconah - homeowner - HHS

              Statement                                                                11/5/2009             2:10:00 PM

     The grasp you have on the impact of the deer to the farmers is excellent! I think even

     though your POV was short you still told the reader exactly what you were trying to point

      out. Keep up the good work!

  From:   The Mighty Oak - forester - HHS

              Ask                                                                         11/5/2009             2:00:00 PM

     What exactly is your solution to the deer problem?

 

 

 

POV

Everyone's Problem, a Farmer's Solution- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

                                                                                                                            11/10/2009

Back in the 1800s, when agriculture was the leading source of money with many cash crops

 like tobacco and corn, farmers had been fairly wealthy with enough money to support their

 family and teach their sons to farm their land or buy land. Because white-tailed deer, a

specific species of deer, has a fixed diet of different kinds of plants that farmers

sometimes grow, one key to their wealth is likely the lack of deer at that time. So what

would happen if there were many deer in one area where farmers lived? Their supply of

their crops would be low because deer would be helping themselves to the farmers’ growing

 crops. A low supply of crops can have a definite impact of the lifestyle of a farmer, as

they would not have enough money to support their family or even themselves. Many

farmers today are facing this problem, trying to survive in these tough economic times with

 a high population of deer.

  There are many ways that this problem can be fixed for farmers and many other

different groups of people. One way that may or may not work is if experts could capture

a community of deer, not one or two so that the entire group can function with all of the

members, from one area where farmers are struggling and then transport them to a

thriving forest or a place like it. However, it may not work because it could be incredibly

difficult to capture every single deer in a community, because it is possible that an enemy

of the community had been brought instead of a member, or because they may have left

one deer and they are lost or confused without that deer.

 

  A second way that we could survive in today’s economic struggle to be on top is to possibly

 lead the deer away by letting them now that there is a great abundance of food nearby

and they run to the food as somebody or something brings it further away until they are

far away from the farmers and human society. This may not work because if the object

running away from the deer and holding the food was a car, then it would likely have to be

traveling on the road, which could be incredibly hazardous to other nearby drivers.

However, this plan could be of benefit to many other groups of people because hunters

would know the general location of the deer, the homeowners would possibly be far away

from the deer because they are supposed to be far from society, and many other reasons

for many other groups of people.

 

  Yet another method to stop deer is building a fence around a farmer’s land. This method

would involve buying the mesh fencing that is at least 8 feet high and the post. This method

 could be an incredibly pricey option, as the fencing, including the post, if bought at Lowe’s,

would cost over $10,500 if a farmer has 10 acres of land and 50 posts. As farmers could

barely support their family with deer eating their crops, they are unlikely to be able to

easily have this money. Possibly, they could get it from the government or another body

who can let them pay over time or credit.

 

  In conclusion, farmers need some protection against deer and them eating their crops. So,

 some enforcement must be made, and sometimes they have to be drastic. With the help of

some people, these goals can be achieved, even if it requires many sacrifices or takes a long

 time to achieve them.

 

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   CI Moderator

              Ask                                                                       11/14/2009             1:40:00 PM

     We appreciate you realize this will require sacrifice and take a long time.  You don’t

     mention hunting, are you opposed to hunting?  Predators, like coyotes could bring the

     deer population down, would you be willing to allow them near your farm?

 

POV

The Deer-Loving Farmers- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

                                                                                                                            11/10/2009

As farmers and stakeholders, our job includes growing crops and other things for people.

We are important people to our community because without crops, people wouldn’t have

enough food. We love wildlife so that is why we are taking part in this cause. The deer are

overpopulated because of their levels of reproduction. The deer population eats our crops,

which takes away from our profit because we have to grow the plants again. “In total,

responding farmers expended an estimated 67,855 paid labor hours and spent $620,073

annually on attempting to control losses due to deer” (Rutgers).

We have come up with a plan to keep their population size down but we need some funding

in order to do it. We want to keep these organisms in their natural habitat without

threatening them. Our solution to this problem is to use Deer-Away, a deer repellent. It is

quite expensive when compared to Deer-Out but it may be more effective. “The rotten egg

smell simulates decaying protein and the animals believe there is a predator nearby.  One

application lasts up to 3 months” (Havahart). We do not want to have too much of a human

impact on the deer so that is why we think this solution would be best. We could apply the

deer repellent if need be. We would like to ask the state government to provide the money

to buy it.

Farmers have reviewed other options as well such as, putting up wireless deer fences,

growing unfavorable plants around the crops, and putting covers on top of the crops. We

read that a fence is the most effective method to keep the deer away but, it would cost a

lot (Attra). We feel that the repellent is the best solution to this major problem in our

forest community because it neither harm them nor takes a lot of work.

 

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Farmers & the Dell - farmer - EHHS

              Ask                                                                       11/17/2009            8:37:00 AM

     What are other options for you all to get money if the government decides they do not

     want to pay for the deer repellant? What if the Deer repellant doesn't work? What is

     your next solution for the problem?

 

  From:   CI Moderator

              Ask                                                                       11/14/2009             1:39:00 PM

     Interesting statement; I’m not sure everyone appreciates some farmers love their farm

     and wildlife too.  You say you need some funding to control deer.  If $260,073 is

     already being spent annually, how much more is needed?  State governments are not

     likely to give out more money these days, do you have any other ways to raise the money?

 

POV

SandyRidge Farmers- Jefferson H.S

                                                                                                                            11/16/2009

As farmers in West Virginia we have many problems with deer.  We lose many crops each year and we put a lot of money into planting and repairing our fields.  We give out permits for hunters so we are a little less populated, but it really doesn’t help as much as we thought.  When we are planting we fence around the fields to help prevent the deer getting into our corn, soy beans, and wheat.  When we raise hay the deer come and eat it before it can even grow, so we get a bad harvest and we can’t sell the hay.   One main crop we have is corn, but most of our fields were annihilated by two or three herds of deer.  We hired animal control for the deer population.  They killed over  150 deer, but didn’t do much impact.  I think some ways to solve most of the problem is each year give out about 3 hunting permits per acre and see if that helps. 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Farmers & the Dell - farmer - EHHS

              Ask                                                                       11/17/2009            8:40:00 AM

     When will the hunters with the permit hunt the deer? In deer season only? Or year

     round?