Don't Fence Me In
Rappahannock High School
11/1/2007
6:53:00 AM
Throughout the country deer have had a major
impact on farmers by eating and destroying
crops. Different mechanisms have been established to
get ride of deer, but none of them have
stopped the over abundance of the deer population.
Deer population has risen rapidly in the
past ten years; therefore, the deer impact on crops
has risen. The crop prices have increased
so much that corn prices increased form $1.85 to
$2.04. Farmers need to unite in the situation
and solve problems together. Either by assembling
more hunters on farmland or creating a
fenced in wildlife deer perverse, which would have
plentiful amounts of food the deer issue,
would be solved. Deer are browsers, which
are animals that nibble on buds and shoots of
newly formed growth. By rolling or trampling, deer
are the cause of damage to crops and trees
in their habitats. The deer’s urine also kills some
crops and plants because it is toxic. Deer
have caused such an impact to their environment
(i.e. forests) that the forests will not return to
their natural state in our lifetime. The crops most
targeted by deer are corn, wheat, alfalfa,
flowers, grasses, mushrooms, soybeans, and rye. At a
time where food is limited, crops are a
major source for the deer. Deer have cost farmers
about $900 million dollars in crop damage
in one year in the United States. If this
problem doesn’t stop farmers will raise prices,
because of the large damage of their crops. One way
that a farmer can stops the population is
allowing hunters to hunt on their property. Hunters
should decrease the deer population causing
crops production toe more successful. Another way
for farmers can stop crops abuse is
fencing in their crops, which would make the crops
unable to be trampled of eaten upon. The
major problem with fencing is the huge cost of the
fence. For 650 pieces of 6 feet by 330
feet would cost a farmer about $140,000. The cost
is expensive, but it would have a positive
impact on the farmers, which would benefit their
livelihood. Farmers and landowners have
bought “Crop Damage Stamps” allowing hunters to hunt
not during deer season. This will help
bring the deer population down even when hunting
season is not in season. To make more
farmers participate would be to form committees to
come up with a uniform way of bringing
the deer population down and increasing crop
production. Another beneficial way to get more
farmers to participate in decreasing the deer
population is to have a protection of deer
habitat. It is obvious the deer are looking for a
large food supply, and it would help the farmers
and the deer in the end.
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Iowa/Publications/Annual_Statistical_Bulleti
n/2006/06_121.pdf http://www.post-
gazette.com/sports_headlines/19991002moyerfeat9.asp
http://www.gamecallsnew/huntingtips/deerfood.htm
http://www.lincolnshiredeergroup.co.uk/deer_impact.htm
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/opations.html
http://us-dc1-
orderstore.yahoo.net/ymix/Metacontroller.html?ysco_key_event_id=&ysco_key_store_id=dee
rbusterscom§ionId=ysco.cart
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