Call of the Wild: Reducing Predator Interactions With Livestock Farms Using Carcass Composting

Commodities

Practices

Livestock predation by wild carnivores in the North Central region has long created hardships for livestock producers. Improper carcass management is widely accepted as one of the primary attractants of predators to livestock farms. Small and beginning livestock farmers, however, often lack the tools to consistently and properly manage carcasses. This project proposes that proper carcass composting within a predator-proof fenced enclosure may be a practical option for resource-limited farmers to properly manage carcasses and deter predation. Although composting carcasses has long been used as a carcass disposal method, its effectiveness in deterring predators is not well understood. To achieve a better understanding of this dynamic, the objectives of the project are to compare the effectiveness of carcass composting with and without a predator-proof fenced enclosure on compost pile depredation by predators and to educate livestock producers on best management practices to properly compost livestock carcasses. The study will be conducted from March  2025 to March 2026 in northern Minnesota on beef cattle farms. The study will utilize two management treatments, at four locations, repeated over two seasons to correspond with spring and fall calving and to account for predator behavioral changes throughout the year. Mature beef cattle carcasses (n=16) will be composted individually and randomly assigned to one of two treatments: predator-proof enclosure or no enclosure. Compost piles will consist of a layer of corn stover; a layer of clean, dry pine shavings; and one cattle carcass and be covered with 61 cm of a manure mixture.  Compost piles assigned to predator-proof enclosures will be fenced in following USDA-APHIS design specifications, including fencing with 1.9 mm woven wire at a height of 1.9 m. A 50.8 cm woven wire horizontal apron will be affixed to the bottom of the vertical woven wire to prevent predator digging. Predator, wildlife, and scavenger interactions will be monitored using remote cameras installed at each treatment at each site. The expected outcomes of the project are to create awareness among livestock farmers of how proper carcass disposal methods are a predator deterrent and provide livestock producers with the knowledge and skills to properly dispose of livestock carcasses.

The project objectives are to: 

1. Create awareness among small- and medium-scale livestock farmers of proper carcass management to prevent wildlife scavenging. 
2. Evaluate the effect of open and enclosed (i.e., predator-proof fence) cattle carcass compost systems on wildlife scavenging.
3.  Educate and equip livestock producers with best management practices and skills to properly compost livestock carcasses to prevent wildlife scavenging.