Commission votes to keep anti-predation program

Quay County commissioners said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s predator damage management services have been a good investment, protecting an estimated 3,200 head of livestock worth more than $1 million in 2017.

Commissioners approved continuing the program at a $37,500 cost to the county.

“This program has the overwhelming support of the livestock owners of the county,” said Sue Dowell District 1 commissioner.“Year after year the livestock owners donate funds to help pay for the salary of the wildlife specialist’s services.”

USDA District Supervisor Jon Grant and area wildlife specialist Aric Costa presented the renewal request for the program to the commissioners during Monday’s regular meeting.

Grant said In the absence of predator damage management, research has shown that predator losses for calves, adult sheep, and lambs would be approximately 3 percent, 5.6 percent, and 17.5 percent respectively. He said based on those estimates, $37,900 in livestock predation losses was prevented.

“The services provided to this program are a great benefit and advantage to the county’s livestock owners,” said Franklin McCasland, commission chair.

The $37,500 contract funds 48 percent of Costa’s salary, with the other 52 percent is supplemented by federal and state funds, said County Manager Richard Primrose.

Primrose said area livestock owners have also been very supportive of continuing this program and have donated each year to help with the funding of the services.

Grant said the USDA’s program also provided protection from feral swine damage of more than $43 million in agriculture, public and private property and natural resources.

Grant said last year the program logged 14.9 helicopter hours in the county for the tracking and eradication of feral swine. He said the cost of the helicopter use was $15,000 but that came out of the feral swine program.

Dowell said there is a need for aerial tracking, eradication of coyote threats in the county, and asked if the helicopter can be used for that purpose.

Grant said the helicopter is too expensive for that purpose, but a fixed wing aircraft could be used for the eradication of coyotes.