JAGER
Senior Member
In my opinion, the GON forum has come a long way in the past two years. Not just the forum itself, but the varied background of people who post here. We have enjoyed a few in-depth debates and covered several controversial topics over the past year. Hopefully, we respect each other enough to intelligently discuss the subject below.
I would like to bring two recent observations to the forum’s attention. I would also like to address the problems and offer a solution if you read to the end.
First:
I would like to share a video segment from the “Georgia Farm Monitor”. The Monitor is the only national and state weekly news/information television program dedicated to Georgia's largest industry, which is agriculture. Their staff travels the state to cover stories of interest to farmers and consumers for their weekly 30 minute program. Here is their website http://www.farm-monitor.com/ if you would like to view channels and air times.
Pay particular attention to the farmer experiencing the crop damage. What do the farmer and the UGA County Extension agent believe is the solution to the problem? More importantly, what do they feel is NOT the solution?
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Our office was contacted three weeks ago by Mark Wildman, the reporter covering the story. They are using our old thermal video footage on file at the television station for this story. Unfortunately, Mr. Nobles (farmer) lives three hours from us and the damage had already been done. He is not the only farmer in Georgia who is feeling the pinch this year and Bleckley County is not the only agricultural area seeking government intervention. The economy and lower commodity prices in 2009 will only make this problem more public.
Second:
I am writing this on the airplane as I return from the 13th Annual Wildlife Damage Management Conference in Sarasota Springs, New York. This conference takes place every two years to promote better understanding of the challenges of managing human-wildlife conflicts and to provide a forum for the wildlife control industry to discuss research, skills and knowledge of wildlife damage management practices.
The conference was attended by the US Department of Agriculture, US Fish & Wildlife, National Park Service, various state Wildlife & Fisheries and various University Research and Extension Centers. In other words, this conference was attended by the state and federal entities which farmers and Farm Bureaus are asking to solve their feral hog problems.
One of the speakers at the conference was from the Invasive Animals Research Center in Australia. He discussed their research and development of a new feral hog “toxin” tested in Australia which uses specific chemicals to target pharmacological weakness of hogs. He shared the results of their ground and aerial bait methods and positive results from the past two years of research. 100% of the hogs were dead within 64 minutes of ingesting the bait and most travelled less than 50 yards from the bait area. The results of the study suggest this is an effective, humane, target-specific, safe and cost effective toxin for feral hog control.
Also, biologists from the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colorado are developing contraceptive hog baits which contain a hormone which makes sows infertile. All sows vaccinated with this drug in 2004 and 2006 are still infertile today. The results of the study suggest this drug is an effective, humane and safe contraceptive for feral hogs.
Current Problems:
Farmer Perceptions- Some farmers “perceive” hunting, dogging and trapping are unproductive hog control methods. Some farmers “perceive” hunters do not kill enough hogs. Some farmers “perceive” hunters only push hogs to their neighbor’s farm. Some farmers “perceive” hunters and trappers relocating hogs are a major part of their crop damage problem. Some farmers “perceive” the only solution will come from government intervention or new technologies.
Hunter Perceptions- Some hunters “perceive” there is NOT a crop damage problem in Georgia. Some hunters “perceive” the farmer is the problem because he won’t allow you to hunt his land. Some hunters “perceive” it is possible to eradicate hogs by hunting. Some hunters “perceive” you must leave a few sows so your kids will have something to hunt. Some hunters “perceive” you should never kill more than you can eat. Some hunters “perceive” there is not a feral hog problem.
USDA Perceptions- The USDA “perceives” they must develop a widespread toxin or contraceptive to resolve a wildlife conflict which is destroying agricultural productivity and hurting the national economy.
Solutions:
The main solution lies in changing the “perception” between farmers and hunters. EVERYTHING in life revolves around “perception”. It doesn’t matter what is right or wrong, it only matters how it is “perceived”. Let me give you an example. There is no scientific evidence which links consuming pork products to the H1N1 virus. Swine flu is NOT transmitted to humans through eating pork. Yet, the governments of China and Russia have already banned imports of pork from Mexico and the United States due to the global H1N1 outbreak. China annually consumes more pork than any other country in the world. So now our pork exports and national economy will be affected by billions of dollars because of a negative “perception”. It doesn’t matter what is really true or false, it only matters what the Chinese and Russian public “perceive”.
Businesses spend millions of dollars in marketing and advertising to give you a positive impression about their product or service. Your “perception” of the product or service determines whether you use it or not. Human nature makes it very easy to change your mind from positive to negative, but next to impossible to change from negative to positive. Emotion often plays a bigger part in the process than logic.
There might be several hunters from Bleckley County on this forum. So why did the “Georgia Farm Monitor” and Mr. Nobles call us from 140 miles away? Because it was their “perception” we could effectively solve their problem. What did they base this “perception” on? Was it references, referrals, pictures, comments, website, trust, reputation, credibility or past results? It was all the above.
The best hunters, doggers and trappers on this forum operate the same way. You must have a great reputation and provide the farmer or landowner with positive results or you would not retain permission to hunt/trap. So, I’m not claiming one method is any better than another and I’m certainly not stating all farmers feel the same way. I’m merely making an observation based on phone calls with irritated farmers who are experiencing the same problem as Mr. Nobles.
I always ask a series of questions to better understand their situation. Here are the results: Farmers who saw tied, cuffed, caught or live hogs had a negative “perception” about the method. Farmers who saw only one or two hogs (alive or dead) had a negative “perception” about the method. Remember, it doesn’t matter whether it is right or wrong, it only matters what they “perceive”. Unless the hog is dead, there is still the “perception” it can be turned loose again. Unless you are killing multiples, the “perception” is the method is not effective.
These farmers need help, but my thermal team is already too busy to be travelling all over the state. We would like to start referring local GON hunters, doggers and trappers to farmers in problem areas which are too far for us. But this will NOT be a blind referral. We will only refer those who use hunting, dogging and trapping methods which produce high-volume numbers of dead hogs.
We can discuss changing farmers “perceptions” with new methods, equipment or technology in another thread at a later date. I just wanted to share the “Georgia Farm Monitor” clip and WDM Conference presentations while I had some spare time between New York and Atlanta.
---JAGER
I would like to bring two recent observations to the forum’s attention. I would also like to address the problems and offer a solution if you read to the end.
First:
I would like to share a video segment from the “Georgia Farm Monitor”. The Monitor is the only national and state weekly news/information television program dedicated to Georgia's largest industry, which is agriculture. Their staff travels the state to cover stories of interest to farmers and consumers for their weekly 30 minute program. Here is their website http://www.farm-monitor.com/ if you would like to view channels and air times.
Pay particular attention to the farmer experiencing the crop damage. What do the farmer and the UGA County Extension agent believe is the solution to the problem? More importantly, what do they feel is NOT the solution?
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Our office was contacted three weeks ago by Mark Wildman, the reporter covering the story. They are using our old thermal video footage on file at the television station for this story. Unfortunately, Mr. Nobles (farmer) lives three hours from us and the damage had already been done. He is not the only farmer in Georgia who is feeling the pinch this year and Bleckley County is not the only agricultural area seeking government intervention. The economy and lower commodity prices in 2009 will only make this problem more public.
Second:
I am writing this on the airplane as I return from the 13th Annual Wildlife Damage Management Conference in Sarasota Springs, New York. This conference takes place every two years to promote better understanding of the challenges of managing human-wildlife conflicts and to provide a forum for the wildlife control industry to discuss research, skills and knowledge of wildlife damage management practices.
The conference was attended by the US Department of Agriculture, US Fish & Wildlife, National Park Service, various state Wildlife & Fisheries and various University Research and Extension Centers. In other words, this conference was attended by the state and federal entities which farmers and Farm Bureaus are asking to solve their feral hog problems.
One of the speakers at the conference was from the Invasive Animals Research Center in Australia. He discussed their research and development of a new feral hog “toxin” tested in Australia which uses specific chemicals to target pharmacological weakness of hogs. He shared the results of their ground and aerial bait methods and positive results from the past two years of research. 100% of the hogs were dead within 64 minutes of ingesting the bait and most travelled less than 50 yards from the bait area. The results of the study suggest this is an effective, humane, target-specific, safe and cost effective toxin for feral hog control.
Also, biologists from the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colorado are developing contraceptive hog baits which contain a hormone which makes sows infertile. All sows vaccinated with this drug in 2004 and 2006 are still infertile today. The results of the study suggest this drug is an effective, humane and safe contraceptive for feral hogs.
Current Problems:
Farmer Perceptions- Some farmers “perceive” hunting, dogging and trapping are unproductive hog control methods. Some farmers “perceive” hunters do not kill enough hogs. Some farmers “perceive” hunters only push hogs to their neighbor’s farm. Some farmers “perceive” hunters and trappers relocating hogs are a major part of their crop damage problem. Some farmers “perceive” the only solution will come from government intervention or new technologies.
Hunter Perceptions- Some hunters “perceive” there is NOT a crop damage problem in Georgia. Some hunters “perceive” the farmer is the problem because he won’t allow you to hunt his land. Some hunters “perceive” it is possible to eradicate hogs by hunting. Some hunters “perceive” you must leave a few sows so your kids will have something to hunt. Some hunters “perceive” you should never kill more than you can eat. Some hunters “perceive” there is not a feral hog problem.
USDA Perceptions- The USDA “perceives” they must develop a widespread toxin or contraceptive to resolve a wildlife conflict which is destroying agricultural productivity and hurting the national economy.
Solutions:
The main solution lies in changing the “perception” between farmers and hunters. EVERYTHING in life revolves around “perception”. It doesn’t matter what is right or wrong, it only matters how it is “perceived”. Let me give you an example. There is no scientific evidence which links consuming pork products to the H1N1 virus. Swine flu is NOT transmitted to humans through eating pork. Yet, the governments of China and Russia have already banned imports of pork from Mexico and the United States due to the global H1N1 outbreak. China annually consumes more pork than any other country in the world. So now our pork exports and national economy will be affected by billions of dollars because of a negative “perception”. It doesn’t matter what is really true or false, it only matters what the Chinese and Russian public “perceive”.
Businesses spend millions of dollars in marketing and advertising to give you a positive impression about their product or service. Your “perception” of the product or service determines whether you use it or not. Human nature makes it very easy to change your mind from positive to negative, but next to impossible to change from negative to positive. Emotion often plays a bigger part in the process than logic.
There might be several hunters from Bleckley County on this forum. So why did the “Georgia Farm Monitor” and Mr. Nobles call us from 140 miles away? Because it was their “perception” we could effectively solve their problem. What did they base this “perception” on? Was it references, referrals, pictures, comments, website, trust, reputation, credibility or past results? It was all the above.
The best hunters, doggers and trappers on this forum operate the same way. You must have a great reputation and provide the farmer or landowner with positive results or you would not retain permission to hunt/trap. So, I’m not claiming one method is any better than another and I’m certainly not stating all farmers feel the same way. I’m merely making an observation based on phone calls with irritated farmers who are experiencing the same problem as Mr. Nobles.
I always ask a series of questions to better understand their situation. Here are the results: Farmers who saw tied, cuffed, caught or live hogs had a negative “perception” about the method. Farmers who saw only one or two hogs (alive or dead) had a negative “perception” about the method. Remember, it doesn’t matter whether it is right or wrong, it only matters what they “perceive”. Unless the hog is dead, there is still the “perception” it can be turned loose again. Unless you are killing multiples, the “perception” is the method is not effective.
These farmers need help, but my thermal team is already too busy to be travelling all over the state. We would like to start referring local GON hunters, doggers and trappers to farmers in problem areas which are too far for us. But this will NOT be a blind referral. We will only refer those who use hunting, dogging and trapping methods which produce high-volume numbers of dead hogs.
We can discuss changing farmers “perceptions” with new methods, equipment or technology in another thread at a later date. I just wanted to share the “Georgia Farm Monitor” clip and WDM Conference presentations while I had some spare time between New York and Atlanta.
---JAGER
