Deer Damage Costs New Jersey Farms Far More Than Crops

A study of 27 New Jersey farms finds hidden deer-related costs often outweigh direct crop losses for local growers.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Organic Food

Wide view of a rolling New Jersey farm field with trampled crop rows, woodland edge, and a few distant deer under overcast daylight. — Deer damage cost 27 New Jersey farms nearly $1.3 million in 2019, with hidden losses from abandoned fields and extra input costs often exceeding direct crop losses. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should New Jersey spend more on managing deer populations near farms and suburbs?

A study from Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station estimates that deer damage cost 27 New Jersey farmers nearly $1.3 million in 2019. The estimate, drawn from farmer interviews, suggests hidden costs often exceeded direct crop losses for New Jersey growers, and the findings are intended to inform state deer-management policy.

Why it matters

Deer pressure on farmland affects the local food supply, the viability of farms that grow fresh produce, and the land that supports it. The researchers say continuing development has fragmented the landscape, which makes deer management harder and leaves farmers with fewer tools.

The estimate comes from interviews with 27 New Jersey farmers conducted between October 2020 and March 2021, documenting costs for 2019. The study reports that hidden costs, such as abandoned fields, replanting, and increased fertilizer and herbicide use, were in many cases greater than direct crop losses, but the sample is small and not statewide.

The players

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

The outreach arm of Rutgers University that provides agricultural and natural-resource research and education to New Jersey growers and residents.

New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station

A New Jersey state research institution that conducts agricultural and environmental studies that inform farm practices and public policy.

The details

Farmers described deer damage that goes beyond eaten crops, including abandoned fields, an inability to grow preferred crops, replanting, rotation changes, and weed competition. They also reported higher fertilizer and herbicide use, soil damage, and extra management costs. Densities on participating farms ranged from 60 to 239 deer per square mile, well above the roughly 10 per square mile the study cites as consistent with healthy social, economic, and ecosystem outcomes.

2019: The year for which deer damage costs of nearly $1.3 million were estimated.
October 2020 to March 2021: The window in which farmer interviews for the study were conducted.
1960s: The period when farmers say deer damage stories began to grow as deer numbers increased.
November 3, 2026: The date the study report was published.

Health Landscape

Deer population growth in New Jersey since the 1960s has been paired with continued development that fragments farmland and forest, limiting how effectively wildlife can be managed. The study places farm losses inside that longer trend, arguing that the cost of deer pressure has been underrecognized in state-level planning.

If you buy New Jersey-grown produce or support local farms, the study points to a pressure on the food supply that is easy to overlook. Anyone with an interest in local, fresh food should understand that deer management is part of how that food gets grown.

The takeaway

Farm losses from deer can be larger than the damage visible on crops, so the hidden costs matter for food supply planning. Readers who buy from local farms can ask growers and their local extension office what deer management looks like in their area.