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.