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Farmers face animal destruction

Hello Trumbull County. I hope you are all enjoying the first few days of fall. Corn silage harvest is underway and will be wrapping up soon, and then the combines will start rolling to harvest soybeans and corn for grain.

As farmers head out to the field during harvest, they will have an excellent view of their crops from the cab of the tractor that they may not otherwise see throughout the year. Sometimes it’s great to see how tall the crops are, and other times you get to see where a bear destroyed a big section of corn.

Farmers always contend with wildlife in their fields. Deer love to eat soybeans, groundhogs love to dig in between rows, and turkeys and geese will eat seeds out of the ground. On occasion farmers also get to deal with non-wild animals on their property that can do some significant damage. Livestock can cause a lot of damage in a short period of time in crop fields. What they don’t eat will be stomped into the ground and destroyed.

Recently, my Sunday morning coffee was interrupted when our neighbor stopped in to ask if we had cows loose. Sure enough, someone that looks an awful like the person writing this article forgot to put the chain back on a gate. Fortunately, our one steer didn’t go too far, didn’t cause any damage, and stayed out of the road. Other livestock owners are not as fortunate and can spend an entire day trying to get cows or horses back into their fences with the help of a lot of friends.

The Ohio Revised Code Section (951.02) is very clear that the responsibility for keeping livestock contained is the owner of the livestock. Ultimately, if our steer got into the road and caused an accident or ate 5 acres of soybeans our family would have been liable for the damages. If you start thinking about the cost of replacing a car or reimbursing a farmer for a few hundred bushels of grain, you may want to invest that money up front in your fences to contain your livestock. But that will only work if you remember to lock the gate.

When we think of livestock running at large there is a tendency to think of cows and horses first because they can do a lot of damage. Smaller animals like goats, poultry, and sheep can also cause some significant damage if allowed to run in the roads. It seems that I have seen more chickens, ducks, and guineafowl in the road over the past month than ever before. Just like cows and horses, if you own poultry, you are responsible for keeping them on your property.

I often get calls in my office from county residents that want chickens asking why local zoning prohibits chickens. On the other side, I also get calls about how to report chickens causing damage because they are allowed to run loose. Chickens can cause thousands of dollars in damage to flower beds and landscaping when they scratch to find insects. It’s not too hard to connect the dots between the zoning requirements and probably a few bad apples in the past that were not respectful of their neighbors.

If you are struggling with weeds, we will be having a free Weed Control Field Night 6:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at Jim Brown Seed Sales in Bristolville. Come learn about weed control issues in Northeast Ohio, and how to manage your fields this fall and next spring to a weed free season. The event is free, but we do ask that you RSVP by calling 330-638-6783.

We have a lot of new farmers in Trumbull County, and many others that want to start farming but are not sure how to get started. Our office will be offering a series of farm business prep class that will help you develop a business plan, enterprise budgets, understand farm taxes, and other business-related topics. Even if you’ve been farming for a few (or many) years, these classes may be a good refresher. There will be three two-hour Zoom classes offered on Wednesday evenings in November. Cost for all three sessions is $60 and will allow you to access the recordings. Call 330-638-6783 or visit Trumbull.osu.edu for more information.

Beers can be reached at beers.66@osu.edu.

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