GENOA - Because whitetail deer can be destructive to landowners and farmers who make their living from the land, area residents are getting some expert advice on how the herds can be controlled.

Deer find their meals in the homeowners' gardens and trees, and they especially enjoy the various crops grown by farmers.

It is for this reason that many agricultural occupations are negatively effected by the overgrowth of the deer population.

"The deer will feed on different crops at different times of the year," said third-generation farmer John Grover during the final stage of a workshop about the impact that deer have on area woodlands and agricultural areas, Saturday morning in Genoa. "It is hard to say how much crop is lost each year due to the deer.

The workshop was a three-part series hosted by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County, and included specialists in the field from Cornell University, the state Department of Conservation, and Cornell Cooperative Extension educators.

In the first two parts of the workshop, individuals learned about the adverse effects that deer can play in the environment and how to gain control of the populations.

"It is the landowners and the farmers who seem to be impacted the most by these deer populations," said Cornell Cooperative Extension Environmental Educator Renee Jensen. "The negative impact in the potential ruin to crops and trees. In the workshops we have explored the various ways to help maintain the populations and deter the deer from the crops."

For more, read Sunday's Citizen