WILDLIFE DAMAGE TO FIELD CORN IN 1993

Information on the amount and distribution of wildlife-caused damage t o agriculture facilitates sound decisions about appropriate management . In fall 1993, the amount of wildlife-caused loss of ripening field c orn in the top 10 corn-producing states in the United States was quant ified. Losses were assessed by comparing weights of undamaged ears and ears damaged by different types of wildlife. Comparison of standard d ried weights in laboratories provided a basis to estimate losses of ri pening field corn to wildlife. Other wildlife-caused losses were not q uantified; hence these are minimal estimates of all wildlife-caused lo sses of field corn. Loss to deer, birds and unidentified wildlife diff ered among states and was not uniformly distributed among fields. Wild life-caused losses averaged 1.7 bushels/ha (SE = 0.07) for an estimate d production loss in the 10 states of 35 million bushels valued al $92 million. Producers predicted fields with losses well; frequency (G = 45.3, 2 df, P < 0.001) and rates of loss (t = 2.0, P = 0.021) were gre ater where producers had expected losses. Policy-makers, agricultural producers and wildlife managers can use this information to formulate better solutions to wildlife-caused losses.