Unique challenge chews at family

Jul 23, 2026

Most Midwest farmers have experienced crop damage due to deer. But how many farmers have experienced crop damage due to elk?

Will and Kelsey Peasley and his parents, David and Tammy Peasley, are cattle and organic-crop farmers near Black River Falls.

When asked what will be the biggest challenge on the farm this year, Will Peasley said, “Besides the weeds, dealing with the herd of elk that keep eating our corn, alfalfa and pasture.

“Being organic, there are grazing requirements. When there are 35 head of elk consistently in your pasture, it makes me very uncomfortable pasturing my cattle out there. It’s my problem now but if they shift, because they are a herd animal, it becomes another farmer’s problem.”

He said the problem is exponential.

“Three years ago the herd was around 15, and two years ago it was around 30,” he said.

Now he figures about 70 elk roam in herds between his farm and two others.

He showed Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff his 8-acre field, which he planted in organic corn in 2024. When the herd of 35 elk appeared in July, he said the WDNR gave him a paintball gun to deal with it.

“(But) with the work on the farm and five small children, I have no time for harassing (elk),” he said. “The 8 acres were a total loss. The damage program caps at $10,000 so anyone with real damage is getting a fraction of what they lost. We transitioned from being self-sufficient, growing all our own corn, to now for the last two years being a purchaser.”

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Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.