|
|
| |
Environmental Stewardship for
Farmers - 12
|
|
Wildlife on your Farm
Wildlife and farming: Are they compatible?
Agriculture is second only to forestry as a land use in North Carolina. Crops are grown
and animals are raised on more than six million acres, or 19 percent of the land in our
state. Agriculture involves intensive management of soil, water, animals, and crops to
produce food and fiber.
Many kinds of wildlife have become less abundant with the modernization of farms.
These declines in wildlife populations and losses of wildlife habitat usually are not due to
conscious choices by landowners, but rather as unintended consequences of actions taken
by farmers striving to make a living on their farms. There is hope that these declines can
be reversed. Innovations in cropping systems, like no-till and strip-till, and increased soil
and water conservation offer opportunities to increase farm wildlife while retaining
profitability.
Wildlife resources can provide many benefits to a landowner, including personal
satisfaction from protecting wildlife, recreational opportunities for both the farmer and others
he or she may choose to allow access, and income from leasing hunting and fishing rights.
At the same time, wildlife may interfere with farm operations in several ways, and not
just by damaging crops. Farmers often face headaches stemming from hunter problems or
restrictions—real or perceived—related to the presence of threatened or endangered
species. A positive, proactive approach to conserving or restoring wildlife resources can turn
potential problems into benefits for the landowner, family and friends, the public, and, of
course, the wild animals themselves. Wildlife professionals can help landowners assess and
use their resources to achieve realistic and positive wildlife objectives from the land.
|
North
Carolina
Farm*A*Syst Publications
|
How can we help?
We have prepared this publication to help you evaluate the challenges
and opportunities associated with wildlife conservation on your land.
We know that the operation of a farm can affect the environment in a
wide range of ways depending on production practices. Reading this
publication and answering the questions will allow you to evaluate your
agricultural practices in relationship to natural resource conservation.
It also will help guide you in getting appropriate help from wildlife
biologists, foresters, and soil and water conservationists. Each section
deals with a different topic. Accompanying each topic is a question. Your
answers will help you reap maximum benefits from the time and effort
you invest in managing wildlife resources.
- If you answer a or b, you already are managing your land well
for wildlife resources.
- If you answer c or d, wildlife resources probably are not
contributing their full potential to your farm.
- If you answer c or d, you may want to consider improving the way
you manage wildlife on your farm so that both you and the wildlife
may derive greater benefits from your farming.
Are wildlife and the environment protected
and enjoyed through your farm management?
Every landowner has a stewardship responsibility to protect air,
water, soil, plants, and wildlife resources on his or her land. We have the
pleasure of, and share the responsibility for, caring for the land for
neighbors, future generations, and ourselves. Aldo Leopold, the father of
modern wildlife management, called this obligation "the land ethic." Being
a good conservationist need not be at odds with making a living from
farming or forestry. Through careful planning and management,
landowners can increase soil fertility, water quality, crop and timber profits, and
wildlife resources all at the same time.
Wildlife ideas for your farm: Can they help?
Whatever the current situation on a piece of property, owners should
keep the following ideas in mind:
- Wildlife has three basic requirements: food, cover, and water.
However, each species has unique requirements, so one combination
of food, water, and cover will not benefit all species.
- All three requirements need to be met for wildlife to thrive. If one
is missing, improving one or both of the others likely will not
benefit wildlife resources in the long term.
- Today, habitat loss and fragmentation are the leading causes of
most wildlife species declines. The total acreage of available habitat
for many species continues to decrease, making the remaining
fragments increasingly valuable. Therefore, when given the opportunity to
connect islands of wildlife habitat, do just that.
The relationship between your land and your neighbor's land is
important. Not only do air and water flow across boundaries, but
wildlife and fishery resources often are influenced by conditions on
both sides of property lines. Considering the landscape from the
perspective of the wildlife species you wish to increase or decrease can
help you manage wildlife successfully. Increasing the amount of edge (areas where habitat types, such
as fields and wooded areas, meet) may increase the numbers of one
or more species (for example, deer) while decreasing the numbers
of other wildlife (for example, some songbirds, meadowlarks). The more diverse the plant community, the more wildlife
species your farm is likely to support. The more diverse the plants and animals in an area, the healthier
it is, both for wildlife resources and for agriculture.
One way to start to assess your wildlife resources is to visit the
nearest Cooperative Extension Service Center and talk with an Extension
agent who can refer you to wildlife, forestry, and soil and water
conservationists.
|
Are Wildlife and the Environment
Protected and Enjoyed through your Farm Management?
|
1. How committed are you to wildlife on
your farm?
Wildlife on the farm can be a source of great value and pride, or it
can be a hindrance and aggravation. Likewise, other people who seek
to enjoy wildlife may provide friendship and financial rewards, or
they may interfere with farm operations, costing time and money. No
matter how you feel about wildlife, the public places great value on the
resource, which can have significant influences on you and your farm.
|
1. Circle the statement
that best describes how you value wildlife resources
on your farm.
a. I consider wildlife and its uses in all of my crop, livestock,
and forest management programs, and wherever feasible I
incorporate habitat for wildlife.
b. Each year, I manage some of my land for wildlife.
c. I allow people access to wildlife on my farm; however, I do
not consider wildlife habitat when I make land management
plans and decisions.
d. I make no provisions for wildlife or access to wildlife resources. |
2. How can planning for wildlife resources improve the benefits
you and others obtain from this resource?
Wildlife of many kinds live on every farm in North Carolina simply because of the diverse land and
water resources across the state. Farm owners and managers can increase wildlife benefits and reduce
costs through planning and well-timed actions. A team of public natural resource agency professionals and
private consultants can assess the wildlife potential of your land, develop options, and help guide
their implementation.
|
2. Circle the statement that best describes how you incorporate wildlife and its use into
your management plans.
a. I incorporate the year-round needs of specific kinds of wildlife into my farm Soil and Water
Conservation Plan and my Forest Stewardship Plan.
b. Although I do not integrate wildlife considerations into all aspects of my land management, I do
manage some areas as wildlife habitat.
c. The people who use my land for hunting have established a few food plots for game animals.
d. Wildlife exists on my land without any special considerations. |
3. Does wildlife damage a significant amount of your yearly
farm production?
Although the public is often ill-informed about the extent of damage wild animals cause on farms,
wildlife managers recognize that wildlife can damage crops and may reduce farm income. Methods are
available to reduce or eliminate wildlife damage on farms.
|
3. Circle the statement that best describes the extent of damage caused by wildlife on your farm.
a. Wildlife has damaged my crops in the past. I have consulted wildlife management experts and have
taken steps to prevent damage from reaching unacceptable levels.
b. I do not consider the damage caused by wildlife to be significant, nor does it affect my overall farm income.
c. When wildlife damage is excessive I get permits to remove or scare off the offending animals.
d. Wildlife constantly threatens my farm profitability.
|
4. How do you relate to people who
visit your farm to enjoy wildlife?
The fields, forests, and water resources of farms produce wildlife
and attract people who want to enjoy wild animals. As our
population continues to grow, the demand for high quality recreational
opportunities on privately owned land will increase. Landowners who
recognize and manage the recreational potential of their land can
gain friends, increase profits, and reduce the problems associated with
land ownership. Routine liability for injuries and property damage can
be shifted to the users when access is managed and users are required
to purchase recreational liability insurance. Large blocks of rural
property can support specialized recreational businesses, providing
substantial opportunities for more income.
|
4. Circle the statement that
best describes the way you manage the recreational
opportunities provided by the wildlife resources on your farm.
a. I have assessed the recreational potential of my land and
have established a recreational business that generates profits
from wildlife while protecting my family and farming and forestry
operations.
b. I have leased access to my land to groups that have
accepted personal and property liability through contractual
agreements and proof of insurance.
c. I allow people access by permission; however, I remain
responsible for controlling problems.
d. I deny recreationalists access to my land. |
5. How do you treat rare, threatened,
and endangered wildlife on your property?
Due to an ever-expanding human population, decreasing acreage
of wild lands, and greater habitat fragmentation, an increasing number
of wildlife species are added to lists of threatened, endangered, or
species of concern annually. However, there is some good news:
each year, one or two species are removed from one of these lists due
to measures humans have taken that enabled the animals to
reach sustainability. Some landowners feel that helping an endangered
species is one of the greatest natural resource contributions an
individual can make. These people take pride in providing habitat to
increasingly rare species and relish each opportunity to help wildlife—many
species of which inhabited their land long before anyone "owned" it.
|
5. Circle the statement that best describes your response
to the presence of endangered or threatened wildlife species
on your farm.
a. I have threatened or endangered species on my property and
have developed my Conservation Plan with those species in mind.
b. I am not sure whether I have threatened or endangered
species on my property, but because conservationists have suggested
that such species may be present, I have made allowances for
those that may be present.
c. I do not know or want to know whether rare, threatened, or
endangered species are on my land.
d. I refuse access to my land by biologists. |
6. Do you protect the water quality of streams
or creeks that cross your property?
The vegetated area along the edges of a stream is called the riparian
buffer. Riparian areas featuring permanent vegetation cover in the form of
swamps, marshes, and forested corridors protect water quality and provide
extremely productive habitats for fish and wildlife. Intensive livestock,
row-cropping, and forestry activities in riparian zones may degrade both water quality
and wildlife productivity. Landowners who maintain extensive and healthy
riparian zones on their farms can earn income from hunters and wildlife
observers. In addition, they will protect water quality. Conservation
incentive programs are available to help landowners establish wetland plants and
protect streambanks.
|
6. Circle the statement
that best describes how you manage riparian areas
on your farm.
a. I leave at least 50 feet of vegetation bordering
all creeks, streams, or ponds. I have consulted wildlife, forestry, and water
quality experts to assure that the vegetation will
encourage maximum species of wildlife and protect water quality.
b. I leave undisturbed no less than 30 feet of
undisturbed riparian area along the edges of creeks,
streams, and ponds.
c. I farm or log as close to rivers and streams as I can.
d. I modify or use riparian areas as necessary to
facilitate my farming and logging.
|
7. How do your tillage practices
influence wildlife resources?
In the long run, no-till, strip-till, and other conservation tillage
practices can result in increased profits from crops as well as
improved wildlife habitat. Conservation tillage leaves plant residue on the
soil surface and plant roots in place. It causes more than 90 perent
less soil erosion than conventional tillage. Insects, soil invertebrates,
and microbes digest dead plant matter, releasing nutrients to support new crop growth,
increasing organic matter in the soil, and
improving soil structure to improve aeration and
water filtration. Wildlife species that depend
upon insects, such as the bobwhite, can rear their broods on conservation tillage fields.
When combined with other farm and forest conservation practices, conservation tillage makes
the entire farm more productive for wildlife.
|
7. Circle the statement that
best describes your use of conservation tillage practices.
a. In accordance with my Farm Conservation Plan, I practice
no-till and have done so for several years.
b. I am integrating conservation
tillage into my farming practices.
c. I am aware of conservation
tillage but do not use it.
d. I doubt if no-till will provide
any farming benefits.
|
8. How does your use of pesticides
and genetically altered crops influence wildlife?
Pesticides are used to control insect, nematode, fungal, and
weed pests on farms. Most commercial producers depend on them to
protect farm profitability. With the exception of herbicide use to
create and maintain cover for wildlife or to facilitate conservation
tillage, pesticide use limits wildlife on farms. In the worst cases,
pesticides kill wildlife or sicken it, which can lead to death by predation,
disease, or exposure. These effects are reduced greatly when an
Integrated Pest Management strategy is used. Newer
pesticides, especially the pyrethrins, are not likely to harm mammals, birds,
or other land vertebrates when applied correctly. The removal of
weeds and plant debris or residue through herbicide use essentially
eliminates whole fields as brood-rearing areas for quail and other
ground-nesting game birds. Modern transgenic crops, designed to be
tolerant of overspraying with herbicides, could result in removal of
critical habitats and reduction of wildlife populations.
The informed and environmentally concerned manager can
select crop production systems that will be profitable while still
safeguarding or even improving wildlife, water quality, and soil fertility.
For example, residue from row crops can be left in the field over
the winter or a cover crop can be no-till drilled into crop residue in
the fall. In the following planting season, the green vegetation can
be killed with an herbicide, and the new crop can be no-till planted.
The growing crop can be scouted for weed and insect problems, and
pesticides can be applied to problem areas, saving money, time,
and wildlife.
|
8. Circle the statement that
best describes how you use pesticides on your farm.
a. I avoid use of pesticides on my farm.
b. I use pesticides sparingly,
according to Integrated Pest Management guidelines, and I
carefully avoid pesticide use at field edges to protect nesting wildlife.
c. I use pesticides at the first indication of weeds, insects, or disease.
d. I apply pesticides before any damage to my crops occurs,
according to a fixed schedule.
Bobwhite Quail
|
Related Publications
The Woodland Owner Notes and Working with
Wildlife series provide useful information on wildlife management. They are available
through local Cooperative Extension Service Centers or Extension Forestry,
NC State University, Box 8003, Raleigh, NC 27695-8003, Tel:
919-515-5636, Fax: 919-515-6883, web site: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/forest/
Woodland Owner Notes topics include
- An Information Guide to Forest and Wildlife Management
- Wild Turkey Management
- Wild Turkeys and the Woodland Owner
- Deer Management
- Plant Trees and Wildlife Cover Under the Conservation Reserve
Program
- A Landowner's Guide to Working with Recreationists
- Forest and Wildlife Stewardship
- Liability and the North Carolina Landowner
The Working with Wildlife Series includes
- WWW-02 Gray Squirrel
- WWW-03 White-tailed Deer
- WWW-04 Songbirds
- WWW-05 Wild Turkey
- WWW-06 Wood Duck
- WWW-07 Cottontail Rabbit
- WWW-08 Bobwhite Quail
- WWW-09
Ruffed Grouse
- WWW-10 Black Bear
- WWW-11 Raccoon
- WWW-12 Mourning Dove
- WWW-13 Wildlife Terms
- WWW-14 Snags and Downed Logs
- WWW-15 Managing Edges for Wildlife
- WWW-16 Building Songbird Boxes
- WWW-17 Woodland Wildlife Nest Boxes
- WWW-18 Low Cost Habitat Improvements
- WWW-19 Pools for Amphibians
- WWW-20 Hummingbirds and Butterflies
- WWW-21 Bats
- WWW-22 Owls
- WWW-23 Managing Beaver Ponds
- WWW-24 Herbaceous Plants for Wildlife
- WWW-25 SIP Widlife Opportunities
For another series, Wildlife Damage
Notes, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service Center or visit the Cooperative
Extension Service wildlife web site at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/wild/wildlife/.
Topics include
- Beavers
- Voles in Commercial Orchard and Ornamental Nurseries
- Voles in Horticultural Plantings
- Snakes
- Waterfowl Habitat in Prior Converted Wetlands in North Carolina
- Identification and Assessment of Wildlife Damage: An Overview
- Obtaining Assistance to Control Wildlife Damage
- Wildlife Diseases and Humans
- Rodents (Beavers, Chipmunks, House Mice, Muskrats,
Nutria, Cotton Rats, Norway Rats, Tree Squirrels, Voles, Woodchucks)
- Carnivores (Bobcats, Feral House Cats, Coyotes, Feral
Dogs, Foxes, Raccoons, Skunks, Weasels, Wolves)
- Other Mammals
(Bats, Deer, Moles, Opossums, Wild Pigs,
Cottontail Rabbits, Shrews)
- Birds (Bird Dispersal Techniques, Blackbirds, American
Crows, Gulls, Hawks and Owls, Pigeons, House Sparrows,
Starlings, Swallows, Waterfowl, Woodpeckers)
- Reptiles and
Amphibians (Alligators, Frogs and Toads,
Nonpoisonous Snakes, Rattlesnakes, Turtles)
|
Supplies and Materials
The following North Carolina Wildlife Resources
Commission publications can be found at the NCWRC web site (http://www.state.nc.us/Wildlife/Topics/animals.htm)
or requested by
contacting the NCWRC, 1722 Mail Service Center, Raleigh,
NC, 27699-1722, Tel: 919-733-7291, Fax: 919-733-7291,
E-mail: Grayjs@mail.wildlife.state.nc.us:
- North Carolina Wood Ducks—Natural History and
Management
- Planting Food Plots for Small Game
- Pesticides & Wildlife
- Tarheel Wildlife on the Farm
- Commercial Sources for Wildlife Planting Materials
- North Carolina Rabbits—Natural History and Management
- Waterfowl Habitat on Prior Converted Wetlands in North Carolina
- Native Warm Season Grasses for Virginia and North Carolina—Benefits for Livestock and Wildlife
|
To Find Your State Division of Water
Quality Location
|
|
|
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences . NC State University
School of Agriculture . NC A&T State University
Prepared by
Dennis A. Hosack
Wildlife/Agriculture Liaison Biologist
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
United States Department of Agriculture -
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Peter T. Bromley
Department Extension Leader
Department of Zoology
Janet Young
Layout and Design Specialist
The concept for these materials was adapted from materials produced by the National
Farm*A*Syst Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
North Carolina's Farm*A*Syst and Home*A*Syst Program is coordinated by Deanna
L. Osmond, North Carolina State University. Technical editing was provided by Judith
A. Gale. Denton O. Baumbarger, Carl W. Betsill, David T. Cobb, Albert G. Henry, Richard
L. Noble, James A. Rice, and Terry L. Sharpe provided technical reviews.
This project has been funded with Section 319 grant monies from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency through the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural
Resources, Division of Water Quality.
Published by
NORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Employment and program opportunities are offered to
all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State
University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.
AG-566-12
E00-38864
|
|
This document was updated on 9/13/00 by Janet Young.
|