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Deer Damage and Crop Loss in Agribusiness

It's not just crop growers who have to be concerned with the damages caused by deer. Livestock growers feel the effects of the Bambi invasion nearly as heavily as do those farmers raising cash crops. Deer not only chew through feed crops and water supplies, they bring down fences and introduce disease to livestock.

How extensive the damage is remains to be seen, but the West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture, Gus Douglass, has requested cooperation from the agriculture community and urban residents to determine the levels of damage caused by deer throughout the state. The state will measure direct crop losses; property losses; increased costs to deter deer, and; changes to what farmers plant in order to attract fewer deer. 

The study* will attempt to uncover the true level of damage caused by deer in the state, and hopefully will help with deer management programs going forward. But farmers in all states where deer live have their own issues with controlling the animals. If deer are a problem in your farm operations, consider the following preventative measures:

• Fencing. For fencing to be an effective deer deterrent, it has to be high enough to prevent deer from jumping over it. While most experts contend that deer choose to go under or through a fence rather than jump it, if they're hungry, they'll jump. Deer can jump up to ten feet high.  Researcher at Montana State University has shown that fences that are 6 feet high can be an effective deterrent to keeping deer and elk from crops.  Here is a resource for cost effective methods to modify existing fencing here. 
• Electric Fencing. Electric fences can be an inexpensive way to deter deer from destroying your crops. Fencing off small fields is a cheap way to decrease the deer damage. However, deer probably won't be deterred by the shocks of an average setup unless it's through the nose. Many farmers will place peanut butter baits on the fence, giving deer a jolt when their noses touch the bait.  
• Repellents. Used regularly, this can be an expensive option, but modern repellents are successful in keeping deer damage to a minimum.  Dogs can also be a very effective repellent – if confined to the property, the smell of their urine when marking the property works well, with the added bonus of rabbit, mice, and groundhog eradication. 
• Noise. Alarms, and automated lights are just a few ways to scare deer from the property.  However, to be most effective, they should be random, and motion activated.
• Deer management programs. Work with your local game commissioners to discuss and resolve deer control issues. Many commissions offer special hunting licenses for areas of heavy damage.

Deer damage crops, trees, plants and flowers and the damage is increasing every year as populations continue to climb.  Disease and parasites which infect deer can affect livestock.  West Virginia is conducting a Deer Damage study*.  Farmers across the nation have issues with deer.  What deterrents or deer control methods have you used?  Which ones have you found to be effective, and which ones haven't?  How much crop/livestock loss to you attribute or factor in to deer and other pests?

*Read the study details: http://www.wvagriculture.org/news_releases/2010/5-13-10.html

About the Author

Agribusiness and Farm Insurance requires special knowledge of both the business side of operations as well as home and property coverage. The only thing our Agribusiness and Farm Insurance department writes is just that - Agribusiness and Farm Insurance. We know the industry inside and out. We know which carrier will provide the best product in your or your client's particular circumstance.

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What's black streak?

5 Simple Ways to Get More Out of Twitter

I am often asked about how to use Twitter effectively without spending a ton of time. While there are ways to automate some of your Twitter activity, an even better option is to participate strategically while you are there in order to get the maximum benefit in minimum time.

The very first thing I advise my clients is to understand why you are even using Twitter.  What is your strategy and what is your end goal?  Are you trying to get more blog readers?  Build your newsletter list?  Find joint venture partners? Tweeting randomly and aimlessly isn't going to be very effective.

Second, you'll want to spend a good amount of time interacting. There is nothing wrong with letting others know what's going on with you or your business. Just be sure to intersperse your tweets with some two-way conversation. This builds community and keeps things balanced and interesting.  You don't want to be a "hit-and-run tweeter" who swoops in, tweets and leaves!

Third, I tell people to follow the "10/1 rule"--10 non-promotional tweets to every 1 promotional one.  You don't have to hit people over the head.  I saw a good example of this recently where a pet accessories seller regularly tweeted a "bizarre animal fact of the day."  It's a way of promoting indirectly while still providing your community with value and interesting (and memorable!) tidbits of info.

Fourth, you want to find and follow people in your target market so that they are able to hear your message. Twellow.com and Wefollow.com are Twitter directories you can search by category. They're essentially the Yellow Pages of Twitter.  If your business is local, a great way to find other local Twitter users is to use nearbytweets.com.  You can use this site to search by both location and keyword.  A lot of people like to use tools like this to set up "tweetups" which are basically local meetups of Twitter users in your area.  These can be great for networking.  Another technique if you are already following some people in your target market is using whoshouldifollow.com or mrtweet.com.  Both of these sites recommend you new people to follow based on whom you are following already.

Finally, don't let your fear that you have nothing interesting to say stop you from tweeting. People want transparency and authenticity. They want to connect with real people.  You probably have a lot more interesting things to say than you give yourself credit for.  If you are still stumped for what to tweet, here are some suggestions:

*Share links--some can be to your own stuff, but mostly link to others'

*Go to Twitthis.com and grab the bookmarklet to drag to your toolbar.  This allows you to share content that's on any site outside of Twitter and post it to Twitter without even having to login

*Ask and answer questions-this often triggers conversation and helps you engage with others

*Use Twitpic.com to upload a picture, Utterli.com to post an audio tweet, or 12seconds.tv to post a video clip-these types of tweets add variety

*Re-tweet others, thank someone for re-tweeting you, be supportive, tell a joke, share a fact, offer a tip, comment on someone's twitter picture or background, congratulate someone, live-tweet an event, invite others to an upcoming event of your own, share an inspiring quote, solicit for guest bloggers, suggest someone to follow on #followfriday, post a poll...you get the idea.

The list is endless!  At first glance, it may seem like this is a lot to do.  In reality, you could implement these strategies a couple times a day or even just a couple times a week.  It's the cumulative effect you're going for--which will pay off in the end!

About the Author

Christine Gallagher, MLS, MSIS, founder of CommunicateValue.com, teaches small business owners and professionals how to conquer the overwhelming aspects of online and social media marketing to increase business and maximize profits. For FREE tips on how to build profitable relationships, leverage technology and create your own successful online business, visit http://CommunicateValue.com