OHIO FARM BUREAU COLLABORATES
By | Amy Beth Graves FREE LANCE WRITER, OHIO FARM BUREAU POSTED JANUARY 8, 2020
WITH OHIO CATTLEMEN
a seNse of dread overcame Bill Wickerham as he walked around the corner of the barn. Worried about two newborn calves, he’d left work early to check on them. lined up on the fence posts were several black vultures watching a calf. after scaring them off by shooting into the air, he went to check on the other calf. the sight was unnerving. at least 20 black vultures were just a few feet from the calf, creeping closer.
Bill Wickerham
as both a cattleman and wildlife specialist for the local soil and Water Conservation District, Wickerham knows how big a threat black vultures can be to a livestock producer. Because black vultures are federally protected under the migratory Bird treaty act, farmers aren’t allowed to shoot them without first obtaining a permit from the u.s. Fish and Wildlife service.
“had I not intervened, I’m quite confident that I Bill Wickerham would have lost that calf. Black vultures are a big problem here. typically they prey on defenseless calves and lambs, killing them,” said Wickerham, Being told they can’t shoot a bird that’s killing an adams County Farm Bureau member who has a their livestock — their livelihood — without first cow-calf operation in southern ohio, an area that applying for a permit is a common complaint is increasingly seeing more black vultures. among area farmers. most producers feel they
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