Agricultural Bird Deterrent News

When It Comes to Sweet Corn, Birds Can’t Get Enough of Your Crops

May 12, 2022
Sweet corn is one of the predominant crops in the Midwest, and is popular with both people and animals. Unfortunately, there are many species of migratory birds that feed on local crops including sandhill cranes, European starlings, and red-winged blackbirds. In 2019 the USDA published a study showing that blackbirds... Read More

Saving Grapes: Autonomic Lasers for Winery Orchards

April 21, 2022
By: Vanessa Williams, Animal Behaviorist & Canine Handler For as long as humans have been enjoying wine, we have been competing with birds for the fruits of our labor. Ripening grapes are a bird delicacy, filled with the energy and hydration needed to bulk up for winter and migrate long... Read More

How To Effectively Keep Hungry Birds Away from Fisheries

April 19, 2022
If it can be grown, people grow it: crops, orchards, livestock, and even fish. And the things that people grow do not go unnoticed by hungry birds. Whether for sport or for food, fisheries and aquaculture are no exception. In fact, fish-eating birds like herons and cormorants can devastate fish... Read More

How To Protect Spring Crops from Hungry Migrating Birds

March 29, 2022
When it comes to planning for the spring crop, an ounce of bird prevention is more like a bushel of cure. With so many birds migrating north to their nesting and breeding homes, your seeds and freshly planted crops may be taken for an all-you-can-eat buffet. Whether they are just... Read More

Flu Season & the 2021 HPAI Risk Alert: Avian Flu

December 7, 2021
Not everything that comes with the holiday season in the Midwest is a matter of good cheer, unfortunately. It’s flu season as well. The Flu: What Is It? Influenza is a rapidly evolving multi-strain virus first described by Hippocrates in 400 BCE. There are two main types: A and B.... Read More

Getting the Flock Out: Bird Management Innovations in Agriculture

July 27, 2021
Starlings are voracious, consuming the most nutritious parts of livestock feed. After the feast, they perch in the rafters above the cows and their bacteria filled droppings rain down into food, water, and animal pens. For as long as humans have tended crops and raised livestock, birds have taken advantage... Read More

Lasers for Bird Management: New Study Shows 98% Effectiveness

April 7, 2021
Handheld and autonomic lasers have long been popular methods of bird management; a new study from Wageningen University shows just how effective they are. Waterfowl and other pest birds can threaten crops, endanger livestock with diseases such as avian flu, and cause damage to facilities. Lasers have long been used... Read More

The Impact of Birds on the Dairy Industry

December 15, 2020
For better and for worse, birds are an important part of agriculture. They eat many insect pests, provide rodent control, and even pollinate some flowers. They also cause a lot of damage by consuming crops and feed and spreading diseases to livestock. For farmers, the risks of certain bird populations... Read More
Dairy Industry

Say No to Scarecrows: Keep Birds from Destroying Crops

July 8, 2020
The scarecrow has a long and colorful resume that goes back 3,000 years and includes stints in both agricultural support and seasonal décor. Traditionally associated with garden-casual attire like floppy hats and straw hair, the modern version takes many creative forms. At a historic farm in rural Pennsylvania recently, the... Read More
Keeping Birds from Destroying Crops

Lasers Prove to Be New Tools for Bird Control

November 1, 2017
In this article we examine how Rushing Waters Fisheries, Wisconsin’s largest trout farm, partnered with Wisconsin-grown Migratory Bird Management to address their specific pest bird challenges as well as similar challenges facing and potential solutions to support Wisconsin’s aquaculture industry. Rushing Waters Fisheries lies nestled on 80 acres of forest... Read More
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