Farming of the Future. . .Happening Today
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Winter Rodent Patrol on the Farm
Photo by: Forest Hart
What changes a predator’s relationship with your farm? Relationships are two-sided, and human behavior has much to do with our relationships with predators. Here are two real life stories about just that.
This summer two different farmers here in Maine approached me regarding concerns for the safety of their chickens. And both their concerns were about mesopredator release, but they didn’t fully realize it at the time.
So what is mesopredator release? Let me tell you their real life stories, and it will become very clear.
The first farm is surrounded by forest, and on one side of her land she hears coyotes howling from quite a distance away, but never sees them. On the other side of her farm, a neighbor from out of state, who comes to his land from time to time, has made it a point to kill the coyotes that live in and around his land. In between these two coyote territories (each one on different sides of the farmer’s property) it appears that a fox has established their territory.
This farmer has never had issues with the coyotes, but she has with the fox. And this year, the fox is near wiping out her chickens.
But why is this year such a devastating year for her? Well the answer is: The neighbor next store killed all members of the coyote family that live on one side of her farm, with the exception of the female that had just given birth a few weeks before. The female was alone, trying to feed herself and her pups…something unheard of in coyote social life. The mother is always supported by the rest of the family and would never be forced to hunt at this time. The farmer saw her once, and never again. So it appears that she and her pups were killed as well.
Did the fox know this? You bet the vixen did! As long as the coyote family is there, she would tread lightly, not showing herself in their territory. Now she knew she had free reign, so she hunted what her mother taught her to hunt…chickens.
As long as the coyotes are present, the fox’s behavior is controlled, but when the coyote ceases to be there, then the mesopredator (the fox) is “released.” So when humans kill predators, they disrupt the very complex ordered system that nature has created for tens of thousands of years.
Why does the fox always seem to be connected with the “hen house?” A bit of history helps us to understand this. Here in the East, our wolves and cougars were killed, with none remaining by the end of the 19th century. But that never happened to the fox. If a fox was caught stealing chickens, it was shot. That did not teach that fox anything. But the foxes that remained alive continued to raid the hen house with ease, because farmers at that time did not in any way protect their chickens from predation. And so from generation to generation, the vixens have taught their kits what to eat and where to find it….chickens in the hen house. With coyotes present, the fox will be forced to hunt their wild prey once more.
The second farmer shared with me that the foxes think nothing of coming right into their open barn and walking off with her chickens. She told me that this year especially, all the farmers are losing many of their chickens to the fox, and it has not been this way before. Why? An individual in their neighborhood shot what she described as most probably the coyote father of his family. Mesopredator release!
Coyote and Rodent Patrol
Photo by: Tom Kornner, USFWS
Intelligent predators are teaching us much about how they respond to our human behavior. It is only for us to pay attention to what they are trying to tell us. Coyotes have not successfully survived for 5 million years on this American continent without responding effectively to the challenges that threaten their survival.
And know that each Coyote is a unique individual, and responds to the situations in their lives in their own unique way. This cautionary knowledge on our part will help each farmer take their time to understand this individual Coyote with whom they share their farm.
Michelle Canfield, who raises grass fed Lamb, wrote this about her experience with Coyote behavior:
“The more selection pressure they (Coyotes) face, the more they rise to the challenge and increase reproduction. So the last thing we want to do is go on a killing spree; because the population responds exactly opposite to what we’d prefer.”
Sharing with you now this excellent article from On Pasture:
https://onpasture.com/2019/08/26/coyotes-can-protect-your-livestock-from-predators/
Farming is a community affair, both with our human community and the larger community of life on your farm. A farmer’s inclusive behavior that welcomes the larger community of life makes for a healthy and biodiverse farm.
So welcome to this Webinar that shares all the ways a farmer can use to live well with carnivores with whom they share their land. And in return, you will learn all that carnivores offer to you in “free service.”
Photo by Katherine Davis Often an experience in Life changes our pre-conceived ideas forever. And when it comes to large predators, those pre-conceived ideas are so strong that they blind one from understanding what is happening right in front of one’s eyes.
But STOPPING….. and taking the time to LOOK AND UNDERSTAND, one can come to realize the absolute opposite of the pre-conceived ideas. And so it was for this rancher who started to really look at what his resident coyote was really about.
And what I admire most about this rancher, is that he wanted to publically share what he learned. He wanted to share it in a state and a culture that held deeply negative perspectives regarding our Native wild dog ~ Coyote. I believe that this is how we as humans slowly advance in our relationship with these important predators.
WE TAKE TIME TO UNDERSTAND AND THEN WE SHARE!
ed | Farming with Carnivores Network Aldo Leopold, wildlife biologist, forester and farmer was the author of the celebrated A Sand County Almanac. His words offer a perspective of enormous significance to the farming community
Leopold often used the words the Land Ethic. He wrote: The Land Ethic simply enlarges the boundaries to include soils, waters, plants and animals. And as a result he stated that the Land Ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow members.
And that respect is expressed in one’s behavior to the members of the community. So it means moving from past behaviors of control and kill of carnivores, to creating ways to farm where carnivores are viewed as essential members of the ecosystem…they are included in the Land Ethic.
We are living in a time of Transition, of learning new and positive ways to communicate with these intelligent and sentient beings. I find it interesting to consider that carnivores also are continuing to learn about us. Native Peoples did not farm with domestic livestock, they hunted for their food. But with the arrival of the Europeans, domestic animals presented a whole new experience for the carnivores on the American continent.
I would encourage you to read A Sand County Almanac.
Rodent Patrol
Dayton Hyde was a rancher way ahead of his time. He understood that his land was an ecosystem, and so he treated all Life present there as valued – that included the Coyotes.
He understood that if the Coyotes who lived on his land had a good life….a rich environment and plenty of wild prey… they would do him only good.
Here is an excerpt from Varmints and Victims in which author Van Guys writes of Hyde’s views ~
“Dayton Hyde, in recognizing that most ranchers created predator problems through poor range management techniques, such as neglecting to remove carrion or overgrazing, chose an alternative approach.
(Quoting Dayton Hyde) “The only thing I could do was manage my land for predators instead of against them and hope that someone, someday would look over my fences and realize that I had something special going for me.”
“By giving up poisoning, restoring marshes, and generally fostering healthy land, Hyde kept Coyotes fed year round on abundant small prey species, and had no trouble. “My Coyotes are good gentlemen” he informed a Senate Hearing in 1971. They are well fed, they are happy. They have done me not one harsh thing.”
Dayton Hyde
Dayton Hyde recognized that he was sharing his land with highly intelligent, social, sentient beings and he treated them as such.
We are learning from the leaders and then trusting in self to follow his lead.
Click on this link to read about these young farmers who are following his lead.
https://coyoteyipps.com/2023/03/12/the-new-watch-dogs-by-topsy-farms/
ed | Farming with Carnivores Network Anatolian Shepherd
This is how a farmer’s relationship with carnivores shall look like in the future, as more and more enlightened farmers understand how to share the land successfully!
Alpacas Warn Guard Dogs of Coyotes’ Presence on California Farm
Story by Pandora Dewan
As well as alpacas, the farm houses chickens, turkeys, goats, sheep, miniature cows and miniature horses, all of which are tasty prey for the coyotes.
“Coyotes are very common in our area,” Draper said. “Our ranch is surrounded by empty fields with high, heavy grasses where coyotes freely travel and use as denning areas. Coyotes are especially active this time of year because it is mating season…[the] coyotes are more bold and [are] expanding their territory.”
The guard dogs have learned to respond to the alpacas’ alert signals, and call to attention on hearing their alarm cries, as can be seen in the video.
“Our livestock guardian dogs keep the peace and the coyotes are happy to move on to easier prey while our animals stay safe,” Draper said. “It’s a great way for wildlife and farm animals to coexist because coyotes are risk averse and generally don’t want to suffer injury or death to take on large Anatolian Shepherds. A warning from our livestock guardian dogs is enough for coyotes to move on.”
Usually, the guard dogs will detect coyotes and other threats before the alpacas do. But, on rare occasions, the alpacas get there first. “The alpacas have an advantage with their long necks to see into the fields surrounding us and see a coyote traveling further off in the high dense grass when the livestock guardian dog may not otherwise detect it.
“The alpacas are an “early warning” system: they are seeing something far off before it is anywhere near approaching our fencing and becoming a real threat.”
This peculiar partnership has kept the Raventree Ranch’s animals safe for years.
“Our three livestock guardian dogs are Bo, Lily and Judge,” Draper said. “They are Anatolian Shepherds, a Turkish breed of livestock guardian dog. In six years, we have never lost a farm animal and no coyote has ever been harmed. They are excellent deterrents.”
Coyote ~ Apex Carnivore
Photo by: Janet Kessler
I had the opportunity to read concerns and possible remedies that our Maine Farm Bureau wrote about on their website. If you read the following carefully, you will find that the colonial world view is still very much alive and well. So the answer to wildlife that pose a concern to your farm is to kill them. It is not that these farmers wish to do this BUT that they know NO other way.
Read here some of what they wrote ~
“Many farms throughout Maine have experienced significant crop loss due to wildlife.”
“Our Farm Bureau agreed that farmers needed additional tools for effective deer management above and beyond what was presently available.”
“We gathered input from the farmers last Summer. We heard clearly again that while farmers knew they could SHOOT animals at any time they are damaging their crops, they didn’t want to be dressing out deer and cutting up meat, as required by law, in the middle of the night when they had to be back up at 4 AM to tend their crops. They also felt there was merit in leaving the deer carcasses in the fields to be cleaned up by coyotes. They didn’t believe they should have to pay to hire others to remove deer or other troublesome animals.”
“Also, they didn’t believe issuance of doe permits were very effective at managing deer populations; and they were concerned that federal protections for Canada geese, which have become a major problem, would prohibit farmers from employing LETHAL CONTROL procedures.”
“We learned there are additional avenues under present law that we could presently avail ourselves of. For example, we could simply field dress deer and the game wardens will pick them up, and we could leave the entrails to attract coyotes. “
“It turns out that many beaver control restrictions have been relaxed in Maine, allowing farmers to SHOOT them in most instances if the Wildlife Agency is notified in advance. It also turns out also that the federal restrictions on shooting Canada geese have been relaxed, allowing farmers to SHOOT them except during periods of migration.”
The Ultimate Tools available to vegetable farmers is the Coyote, bobcat, fox, and their fellow Avian predators…hawks, eagles and owls.
Note the two comments regarding Coyotes…just letting Coyotes clean things up. So this important apex predator, who is able to control populations of deer, beaver and Canada Geese on your farm…is just viewed as the cleanup crew.
The Farming of the Future is about viewing your farm as an ecosystem, where all the members need to be present. It is not about killing. It is not about controlling. It is about letting the wisdom of how the Earth works happen. ALLOW THE CARNIVORES TO DO THEIR WORK!
KateLynch Photo by: Kate Lynch
YES! You want to keep a Coyote family on your farm. When you offer them a home on your fields and forest, they will give back to you a hundred fold.
Why? Your farm is an ecosystem that needs ALL its members, and that includes the carnivores…most especially the Keystone ~ Coyote.
Dayton Hyde, author and a rancher way ahead of his time wrote:
“I thought of other species on the ranch. Without flickers, badgers, trout, deer, or chipmunks, the ranch still would have flourished. But if I took away the Coyotes, the whole system fell apart. In fact, if I were to design a kit for the beginning rancher, a pair of Coyotes would have to be included.”
I would like to introduce you now to two young farmers who continue his legacy.
I will let them speak for themselves in this short film clip ~
Coyote Family
Photo by: Janet Kessler
As a carnivore biologist in Maine, I enjoy visiting our farms and supporting our farmers in their efforts to coexist peacefully with our carnivores.
I have many stories about farmers and farmers tell me many stories. But this one is especially poignant, as it manifests the many intricacies of relationships in the ecosystem of a farm.
So during my visit to a farm in western Maine this farmer introduced me to her farm animals…chickens, ducks, horses and new piglets. She told me of a COYOTE whose territory included her farm, and a FOX who lived in the forest on the other side of her farm. She never had any issues with the Coyote, as he actually assisted her by doing rodent patrol on her farm.
The FOX was kept away from her chickens by the presence of the Coyote. So the Coyote was unknowingly protecting her chickens…just by his presence.
Then an individual from away moved in next to her farm and began killing the entire Coyote family present there. And what ensued was tragic for the farmer…. The FOX, now recognizing that Coyote was no longer present, felt safe coming to her farm and killing her chickens.
What is so significant about this whole scenario…..is that the farmer understood what happened in the relationship between Coyote and Fox and the human neighbor. Human interference by killing important carnivores can have a myriad of negative consequences.
Now that her Coyote neighbors were gone, her only alternative to protect her animals from the fox, was to purchase a Guardian Dog….which she has done. Before that……Coyote was what you might call her Guardian Dog…
Geri Vistein
Carnivore Conservation Biologist