DNR seeks to buy deer farm

[Go Big Red!]

DNR seeks to buy deer farm

By Nicole Strittmater • For the Wausau Daily Herald • March 13, 2011

The state of Wisconsin is moving toward buying an 80-acre game farm in Portage County that was once home to dozens of deer infected with chronic wasting disease.

The property, known as the Hall Farm, became notorious for having the highest incidence of CWD-positive deer of any game farm in North America.

A document released by the Department of Natural Resources says the state negotiated a sale price of $465,000, down from a listed price of $524,900.

The transaction must be approved by the Natural Resources Board, which will take it up March 23.

Stan Hall operated but was not the owner of the farm, according to a DNR news release. He operated the property as a whitetail deer farm until 2006, at which time it was closed down because of an outbreak of CWD. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through an agreement with the owner, depopulated the farm's deer herd, and 60 of 76 animals euthanized tested positive for the fatal disease, according to the report. Eighty-two deer from the farm tested positive for CWD from 2002 to 2005.

The majority of the property, located in southern Portage County, is enclosed by a fence intended to keep the wild deer in the area away from the land. CWD prions, which can infect deer, can survive for years in the soil, said Kurt Thiede, land administrator for the DNR.

"Based on our current scientific knowledge, the prions are known to persist for at least three years and potentially longer, as many as 16 years," he said. "Being that there were just so many deer that tested positive -- 80 percent -- the contamination of the soil is our main concern."

The current management agreement between the owner and the USDA expires in May, and DNR wildlife officials feel the only way the public can be assured the fence will be maintained is by purchasing the property. Stewardship funds will be used to purchase the property from Patricia Casey, according to the release.

Thiede said the owner is a willing seller, and the Natural Resources Board needs just to approve it. If the DNR purchases the property, its intent is to conduct research there. Outdoor activities, such as hunting and hiking, would be prohibited. The DNR would ensure that no soil is removed from the property and transported to other locations unless authorized.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[deadeye]

Lets see, set up a deer farm, introduce CWD to the area, then sell the land to the DNR for $5812 an acre.  Sounds like a good deal for someone. 

[Go Big Red!]

   Funny how that works isn't it.