RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Farm Bureau says a program to control coyotes and reduce agricultural losses is needed. The Virginia Cooperative Coyote Damage Control program works to help farmers resolve so-called predation problems. The Farm Bureau cites the experience of Chuck Shorter, a Montgomery County farmer who has lost sheep, goats and cattle to coyotes. Shorter says specialists with the coyote control program have helped him with his coyote problem by setting traps and providing other assistance. The program is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services division. In fiscal year 2014, coyote kills involved 285 sheep, 81 calves and 32 goats. Those figures represent a 39 percent increase in reported sheep predation and a 69 percent increase in calf kills.
