# Browseban - Deer repellent supposed to reduce crop damage



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

I decided that deer repellants are a form of habitat management. At first I had this article over in the deer management forum.

Deer repellent supposed to reduce crop damage

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/statew...880.xml&coll=1

Sunday, April 02, 2006 By Bob Gwizdz

Farmers who have been losing a significant portion of their crops to deer damage now have an additional weapon in their arsenal: A Kalamazoo-based firm is marketing a deer repellent it says will reduce damage significantly. 

"It's no silver bullet," says Steve Middlemas, a product manager for Kalsec, Inc., a privately held firm that specializes in products for the food-processing industry. "I'm not saying it stops everything. But it reduces damage." 

Experiments on beans, carrots, sweet corn and other crops shows that Browseban will increase crop yields enough to more than pay for the cost of application, Middlemas said.

The product, which has been in the works since the late 1990s, has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use during the upcoming growing season. Middlemas says it could help reduce the need for farmers to shoot problem deer, which is a constant sore point between the sporting and agricultural communities. 

Browseban's main ingredient is found in hot peppers, Middlemas said, the same basic ingredient found in self-defense pepper sprays. The deer "have to taste it to realize they don't want it," he said. "After that, they can smell it." 

Browseban should be applied to crops every week to 10 days, Middlemas said, though it is vulnerable to rain in the interim. But it is perfectly safe for humans. 

"It's derived from a natural product," he said. "It does not move into the plant, it does not move into the fruiting body and it rinses off." 

Because it can be mixed with other products (such as pesticides or herbicides), Bowseban does not need a special application, Middlemas said. 

The product has been labeled for use on a variety of common Michigan vegetables. Middlemas said the company hopes to gain approval later this spring for its use on many other vegetables as well as for fruit trees. Eventually, Middlemas said, he thinks the product could effectively deter deer from browsing on flowers and ornamentals in suburban areas, but it has not been approved for those uses yet. 

"There's still some learning to be done," Middlemas said. "We're still in the testing phase on new crops and my feeling is that will go on for quite a while." 

For information, go to www.browseban.com.


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