Wolf delisting will mean changes for Wisconsin farmers

by Bob Hague

Removal of wolves from the endangered species list will change the way farmers deal with the big predators.

A compensation program for producers who lose livestock to wolf predation is now in place, but Signe Hotlz with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the federal decision to remove the wolf from the endangered species list in the Upper Midwest will make it easier for farmers to deal with losses, including trapping and killing of problems wolves. Landowners would also have some authority to deal with problem wolves themselves, under a permit system.

Jeff Lyon with the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation says farmers have come a long way, since wolves began to reestablish themselves in the state, in the mid 1970s. Lyon says wolf predation is a "very big" issue for livestock and dairy producers in northern Wisconsin. Farmers and other interested parties will be able to have their questions answered on May 8 in Wausau, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hosts a public hearing on the proposed delisting.

Wisconsin Radio Network