2018
Reducing Deer Damage to Corn using Forage Soybean as Biological Fencing
Contributor/Checkoff:
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
Field management
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Jason Wight, University of Maryland
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Institution Funded:
Brief Project Summary:

Wildlife damage – particularly from deer – has become a top challenge for many soybean farmers, especially in fields near woodlands. Surveys estimate that deer cause crop losses of $100 million annually. Traditional deer management strategies for farmers include hunting, fences and repellent. This project explores an alternative management strategy, biological fencing. Forage soybeans have potential to be used as a ‘deer fence’ on the borders of fields to protect yield in the majority of the field. Objectives are to compare yield losses between unfenced and biologically fenced soybean plots and to investigate the causes of deer preferences for specific soybeans.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, Extension agents

Information And Results
Project Deliverables

Final Project Results

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.