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Southwestern Pennsylvania farmers tell Game Commission deer damage threatens livelihoods, seek immediate help
Summary
Multiple Washington County speakers described severe crop losses from deer, urged expansion of certified hunter pilot and changes to depredation permits, and asked the commission for faster relief and indemnity-style support.
Farmers and county Farm Bureau representatives told the Pennsylvania Game Commission on Wednesday that widespread deer damage in Southwestern Pennsylvania is causing significant crop and forage losses and is threatening farm livelihoods.
Bill Black and Lisa Wherry, speaking for Washington County Farm Bureau, described extensive damage to corn, soybeans, vegetables and hay. Wherry said footage she received showed about 100 deer in a soybean field that “wiped that field out.” She urged the Game Commission to expand tools to address immediate crop damage, including broader deployment of the Certified Hunter pilot program, regulatory changes to agricultural depredation permits such as wider allowance for baiting, and consideration of indemnity-style compensation for farmers who lose crops.
The speakers said existing programs — including the Certified Hunter pilot and outreach between agencies and legislators — are helpful but not sufficient for the severity and immediacy of damage they are facing. Wherry, who said she raises sheep and hay, said damage to hay fields will limit winter feed for ewes and that some farmers face losing crop-insurance eligibility after repeated years of loss. Bill Black described observing deer feeding deep inside fields and noted that small “Apache” farms with many small fields are especially vulnerable because deer feed at field edges then move inward.
Multiple farm-organization speakers, including Mitch Kerrick of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and Mike Kreiner of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, praised commission staff and volunteers for outreach and work to date but asked for faster, more targeted management options, including habitat investment on game lands to retain wildlife and regulatory changes to depredation permits. Kerrick recommended expanding the Certified Hunter pilot program and making the ag-depredation permit tools more effective. Kreiner urged the commission to weigh science, social factors and political implications when making rule changes and to communicate clearly with stakeholders.
Commission staff and commissioners acknowledged the seriousness of the complaints and said the commission is collecting data through its pilot programs and working with partners. Several commissioners asked staff to continue outreach and to provide additional data on pilot performance and depredation-permit outcomes. No formal action was taken during the public-comment segment; commissioners and staff asked for follow-up reports and indicated willingness to explore targeted regulatory changes and program expansions.
Speakers included representatives of local Farm Bureaus and agricultural organizations; their testimony highlighted immediate economic impacts on small-acreage farms and called for more responsive management tools.
