CULLMAN, Ala. – Farming often involves dealing with unwanted wildlife, which can cause significant damage to crops and livestock. To address these challenges, the Cullman County Extension Office and the North Alabama Agriplex are co-hosting the Wildlife vs. Farm Life – Military Veteran & Beginning Farmer workshop. This free event will take place on July 11, from 6-8 p.m. at the Cullman County Extension Office, located at 402 Arnold St. NE in Cullman.
The workshop is designed to equip farmers, particularly military veterans and beginners, with practical methods to manage wildlife conflicts on their farms.
“Wildlife conflict management is an expectation for most farming operations, whether it’s deer in the green beans or raccoons in the chicken coop. Alabama Extension takes this as an opportunity to educate farmers about how to mitigate these challenges through biological control, deterrents and other methods,” explained County Extension Coordinator Kira Sims.
Regional Extension Agent in Forestry, Wildlife and Natural Resources Norm Haley, will be the guest speaker at the workshop. Haley brings a wealth of experience in teaching the management of wildlife, providing participants with expert insights into effective strategies.
The idea for this workshop series originated from the numerous inquiries the Cullman County Extension Office receives each year about managing wildlife in gardens and farms.
“Because this is also a challenge farmers face, we decided to take our wildlife conflict program and direct it towards farms. The primary goal is for farmers to walk away with practical methods to manage conflict they may have with the wildlife in and around their farms. This starts by understanding why the animals are there, then determining how to discourage them from the spaces where they are not wanted,” Sims explained.
This month’s workshop will be held at the Cullman County Extension Office, a slight deviation from its usual location at the Agriplex.
“Hopefully participants will gain practical methods to mitigate the wildlife conflicts they experience on their farm, which should reduce losses (and stress) and create a more productive environment. Whether you grow produce or raise livestock and poultry, there will be beneficial and practical information to implement,” expressed Sims.
Participants can register online for this free workshop, and a light supper will be provided. The link to register can be found on the Wildlife vs. Farm Life event page on Facebook or at https://cullmanrecreation.recdesk.com/Community/Program. It is recommended to register by July 10, to ensure food accommodations. For any other registration or accessibility needs, contact Kira Sims at kira.sims@auburn.edu or call 256-737-9386.
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