Essay
Part of this bill says that farmers can be reimbursed for crop damage done by elk. This is a good thing because elk are big creatures and can do lots of different types of damage. They can eat the crops or just trample them in general making those crops unprofitable. This gives farmers the opportunity to get paid for it even if it is damaged.
Farmers may also be reimbursed for any fence damage done by elk. The fences for farmers are very important because it keeps out unwanted animals and protects the crops. Elk may try to jump these fences making it easy for them to wreck or even destroy the fences.
In this bill it’s helpful that there are agents and corporations to help farmers and to give them these reimbursements. A grant offered by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture called the Elk-Stored Crop Damage Prevention Grant is helpful because it’s money set for expected crop damage done by elk every year. Many times elk damage more than just standing crops, they also damage stored crops. Elk move in herds so if they get to your crops they do lots of damage since there are so many of them.
A downside to this is that it’s very hard to prove if your crops were damaged by elk, and not just another animal. Many farmers may try to prove that it was done by elk so that they can be paid back for the damage done. If this action was done by another animal you wouldn’t really be able to tell.
“Compensation for Crop Damage Caused by Elk | Minnesota Department of Agriculture.” State.mn.us, 2016, https://www.mda.state.mn.us/business-dev-loans-grants/compensation-crop-damage-caused-elk. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
“Elk Damage Management - Wildlife Damage Management.” Extension.org, 30 Aug. 2019, wildlife-damage-management.extension.org/elk-damage-management/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
“Elk Stored Crop Damage Prevention Grants | Minnesota Department of Agriculture.” State.mn.us, 2019, https://www.mda.state.mn.us/elk-stored-crop-damage-prevention-grants. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.