Alberta beef producers are being asked to tally their costs related to wildlife interaction and damage.
A survey, available at www.surveymonkey.cm/s/beefsurvey, is designed to compile data on the expenses related to feed losses, livestock predation and other damage incurred by wildlife to Alberta farm and ranch operations.
The survey is open for input and will remain so until March 5.
It is a joint project of Alberta Beef Producers and the Miistakis Institute, a non-profit corporation affiliated with Mount Royal University.
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Kim Good, project manager at Miistakis, is managing the survey.
“What we would like to see happen is ways to improve co-existence. It’s busy landscape out there, and generally agriculture can be pretty complementary for wildlife, and particularly beef producers, so we want to get a really good, solid handle on the challenges that they are dealing with, and ways that that can be helped,” said Good.
The goal is to support Alberta’s beef industry while maintaining healthy wildlife populations, according to an ABP news release on the project.
Good said 210 to 240 responses from each of ABP’s nine zones will be needed to make the survey statistically valid.
The survey asks producers to identify the types of wildlife they encounter, indicate the type and cost of damage wildlife has incurred, if any, and note any actions they have taken to mitigate that damage.
It also asks what percentage of total income loss they are willing to tolerate due to wildlife.
Good said response to that question will be particularly interesting.
“I don’t know very many people in general who don’t like to see wildlife. Everybody’s in that boat. But when it starts to impact your well being and your daily lives, then it becomes a challenge.”
ABP passed resolutions at its 2013 annual meeting directing its executive to explore options for ecological goods and services payments for producers.
Printed copies of the survey are available from ABP by emailing reception@albertabeef.org or by calling 403-275-4400.
Results are expected to be available in early summer if response rates are sufficient.
