Home Grown: Animals on the farm

We’ve all heard the song, “Old McDonald had a Farm,” but what about the farmers in Yuma that use natural wildlife and their pets to improve agriculture?

In today’s Home Grown, we learn from one animal and agriculture expert on how these two can work together in harmony.

Dairy cows, goats, chickens and more each have a special purpose on a farm.

But, even barn owls and cats can have jobs to keep farms running smoothly.

Dr. Paula Rivadeneira , with Old Souls Yuma and an extension specialist in Food Safety and Wildlife at the University of Arizona, said each animal has a purpose and can go hand-in-hand with farming.

“One of the major things that I work on with farmers has to do with this idea of co-management which is that you can have wildlife near your field and meeting food safety at the same time, I love working with livestock because they are not only amazing critters and such an important part of Arizona agriculture, but the whole idea of having this closed-circuit of being able to use the manure on our crops in a composted technical way is really awesome,” said Rivadeneira .

Some animals, like birds, can be seen as a nuisance and danger to crops, but in reality, they can be a helpful pest control system.

“They worry about getting them into the field but the really cool thing about birds is that a lot of them eat bugs, and so it really would be ideal if they could maintain this habitat for birds, so they could just swoop in, eat the bugs and leave,” said Rivadeneira .

Though animals have been thought to cause infection of crops, Rivadeneira said that is not always the case.

” A farmer’s thought was, of course, let’s get rid of the wild habitat wild animals will go away. It ends up that that ‘s not what happens. The wild animals see it as such a great resource that once you get rid of their habitat they enter the fields more often and that’s a huge food safety risk, ” said Rivadeneira .

By making a safe ecosystem for animals to enjoy, farmers and consumers will be able to enjoy safe and healthy produce.

“What we are trying to encourage them to do now is actually enhanced the habitat around their fields, make it a wonderful ecosystem where the animals will hang out, and they won’t come into the field,” said Rivadeneira .

In Arizona, cattle, goats, and others play a big role in the state’s animal agriculture market.

“We have a lot of cattle, so we have some feedlots, we have some cow-calf operations, we have poultry farms I know that goats are big here in Yuma, so we have all kinds of animal agriculture here and it’s really a huge benefit and it’s a really significant industry to the state of Arizona , ” said Rivadeneira .

One benefit to Arizona farming is the research they are able to achieve in this climate.

“They want to try these new ideas and see how it is that we can keep the animals out and still maintain their idea of being good stewards of their land,” said Rivadeneira .

With Old Souls, Rivadeneira is able to use her love for animals in a way that benefits special needs pets.

“Animals love you no matter what and these guys because of their special needs I feel like they are even more affectionate and grateful to be here,” said Rivadeneira .

Old Souls helps keep animals in their owner’s home, even those who have a hard time paying vet bills or taking care of their animals, because, even though we may not always be there for our animals, they are always there for us.

“If we can help people to keep animals in their home that’s what we want to do,” said Rivadeneira .

For more information on how you can become a foster home, volunteer or donor to Old Souls.