Agricultural Bird Deterrent News

Protect Your Sweet Corn Crop from Hungry Birds

May 8, 2024
Corn. As far as the eye can see. Much of America’s growing lands are dominated by the stuff – which is used to feed our livestock,  fuel our vehicles, and fill our dinner plates. While sweet corn accounts for a small fraction of the nation’s corn crop (only 1%!), it... Read More
Red Winged Blackbird

How to Reduce the Risk of Bird Flu on Dairy Farms

April 2, 2024
Last week, the USDA confirmed cases of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), more commonly known as bird flu, in dairy cows in three states – Kansas, Texas and Michigan. Presumed positive tests were also found in herds in New Mexico and Idaho. The USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL)... Read More
Cows on a dairy farm

Spring Nuisance Bird Management for the Agriculture Industry

March 12, 2024
For farms, spring is the time to prepare for the year’s initial planting. It’s also the time when migratory birds return north during their spring migration, and resident and/or colonial birds look to establish nesting. From February through May, migratory birds – such as Canada geese and snow geese –... Read More
Pair of Canada geese

State of Poultry & Avian Flu: February 2024

February 6, 2024
The 2023-2024 winter flu season has seen a resurgence in bird flu aka Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 cases. With the panzootic flu strain reaching the end of its second full year and deaths still being regularly recorded in domestic flocks, wild birds, and mammals, producers and processors must... Read More
Worker inspecting chickens for avian flu

Vineyard Reduced Crop Damage by 91% Through Automated Lasers

November 14, 2023
Vineyards – like many other types of farms – have long struggled to protect their crops from pest birds. Traditional solutions, like netting, work to some effect, but often fall short of expectations. Due to these shortcomings, more vineyards are turning to a new form of innovative technology to reduce... Read More
Vineyard

How to Eliminate Bird Conflicts on Dairy Farms

October 24, 2023
Birds have been a nuisance on farms since the dawn of agriculture. While pest bird culprits, their agricultural targets, and deterrence strategies have changed over the millennia, the threats birds pose to farms remain largely unchanged. Dairy farms are particularly – and consistently – hard hit by birds, resulting in... Read More
Dairy farm

October 2023 Avian Flu Update

October 10, 2023
The current strain of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has upended the global poultry industry – and resulted in the deadliest bird flu outbreak in history. Since the flu arrived in the United States in early 2022, poultry farmers and wildlife conservationists have scrambled to contain cases. A lucky... Read More
Checking chickens for avian flu

Bird Basics: Crows & Ravens in Agriculture

September 12, 2023
American crows and common ravens are often mistaken for one another. Both are members of the crow (or Corvidae) family, and have large, solid black bodies with sharp, slightly curved beaks. But, while the birds have a strikingly similar appearance and share a lineage, they are distinct species – and... Read More
Crow resting on a bay of hale

How to Protect Crops from the Double Whammy of Droughts and Birds

August 15, 2023
Over the past months, extreme weather patterns have impacted nearly every corner of the globe – and the Midwest is not immune. The region as a whole is currently in a drought. Despite early August rains, some areas in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri are still in the midst of... Read More

Birds & Apple Orchards: A Blessing and a Curse

July 21, 2023
Apple cider is a wonderful autumn treat, especially when you taste it directly at the source from an orchard’s own fresh apples! Birds can play a useful role in an apple orchard, but they’re also a source of some significant risks. A key benefit of having birds around apple orchards... Read More
Basket of apples with a crow