Answering the call of the wild

When Missouri confirmed its first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a captive whitetail deer in 2010, wildlife officials and deer producers faced an unsettling question: What would the spread of this fatal neurological condition mean for the future of the state’s deer populations? 

As CWD continues to transform Missouri’s whitetail deer industry, affecting everyone from captive breeders to hunters, Rachael Monnig of Salisbury, Mo., is working to develop disease-resistant deer that could strengthen herds and help shape the species’ future.

For the past 16 years, Monnig, her husband, Brad, and their two children, Slade and Whitley, have built a thriving farm centered on whitetail deer and a diverse collection of exotic livestock. Built on a love of animals, Cedar Ridge Family Farms started as a hobby for Monnig and eventually became a way for her and Brad to learn something new together. Today, the farm is home to an impressive variety of species, including whitetail deer, sika deer, axis deer, blackbuck antelope, oryx antelope, kangaroos and prairie dogs. 

“We love farming and raising crazy animals,” she said. “It’s rewarding to watch the babies come, and it’s a fun challenge to grow a big and beautiful buck.” 

Although Monnig leads the operation, each family member has a role, whether it’s feeding animals, checking fences, assisting during fawning season, or handling countless daily chores. Those responsibilities begin long before the workday, and they don’t end when Monnig leaves the farm. She also works full time as a bookkeeper for Salisbury MFA Agri Services, balancing a professional career with the responsibilities of operating her growing farm.  

“My favorite part is doing it with my family,” Monnig said. “We struggle with loss and are sad when selling an animal—a very hard part of farming—but that makes us stronger.”

From an early age, Monnig developed a deep commitment to the health and well-being of animals. Growing up, she raised bottle calves and goats, an experience she says prepared her well for managing young deer. For example, while each species has its own nuances, Monnig said that her blackbuck antelope are the hardest to care for as babies.

“Getting them to take the bottle is a challenge,” she explained. “They’re just wilder and more stubborn. They can have lockjaw when you first start bottle feeding them.”

While each species has its unique needs, all the deer receive the same specially formulated ration from MFA that Rachael calls her “Betty Crocker Mix.” It contains soybean meal; corn; oats; dical (dicalcium phosphate); vitamins A, D, E and K; calcium; amprolium; selenium; molasses; soy oil; and garlic, with alfalfa and minerals added by Monnig.

“We feed them grain every day or every other day,” she said, “depending on how much grass and hay they’re consuming.”

To ensure her herd carries the best genetics, Monnig maintains a strictly closed herd and does not physically buy or bring in new deer, relying on laparoscopic artificial insemination for breeding.

“When we A.I., we try to do it right around Halloween or deer season, because that’s most natural for them,” she said. “That does make a difference in your conception rates.”

Finding a veterinarian willing to work with deer is another challenge for Monnig. She prefers to dart her deer with tranquilizers instead of using a traditional handling system, which she said can cause stress and create huge risks for injury. 

“For cattle, you can give them many different types of vaccines or you can treat them for specific things because that information is readily available,” she explained. “You can call a vet, and they’ll know what to do with regular livestock. With deer that’s not the case.”

Monnig spends a lot of time with her herd, which keeps them docile and helps in the event that she and Brad need to dart an animal for veterinary care. From the very beginning, her herds are desensitized to humans, making herd management easier.

“Anything you can do to keep your animals tame and friendly helps a ton when you need to get the vet out to see them,” Monnig said.

However, according to Monnig, the biggest responsibility associated with raising exotic animals isn’t feeding, fencing or animal health but the extensive paperwork required to legally own them. 

Missouri strengthened regulations for captive deer breeding after the state’s first case of CWD was confirmed in a captive deer in Linn County. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, CWD is always fatal to deer, and the agency’s goal is to keep prevalence below 5% in affected populations.

CWD, colloquially known as “the zombie deer disease,” is caused by abnormal proteins called prions that damage the brain and nervous system over time. Infected animals gradually lose weight, exhibit changes in behavior, experience loss of coordination, and ultimately die due to the effects of neurological damage. There is currently no cure or vaccine, making prevention and herd management the industry’s most effective tools.

To help keep the infection rate low in Missouri, wildlife agencies such as the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Department of Agriculture have implemented disease-prevention measures through permits and regulations for captive cervid breeders. With MDC, breeders of both native and non-native deer species must hold the appropriate Class III Wildlife Breeder Permit. Through MDA, producers must enroll CWD-susceptible species in the USDA/MDA CWD Herd Certification Program, conduct annual herd inventories, report and test certain deer that have died, track animal movement, carry official identification such as ear tags and maintain veterinary oversight.

“All your paperwork has to be up to date and correct for MDC and the Department of Agriculture,” Monnig said. “You’ll get checked frequently. It’s important to dot your i’s and cross your t’s.”

As part of these CWD-related restrictions, Monnig faces limits on pen size and what stock can go in them. This year, following an inspection, MDC officials told her she could not expand her whitetail deer herd into an empty pen built two years ago. 

“When you can’t add on more animals, that hurts. It limits what you can and can’t do,” Monnig said. “It was not a good day when they were here.”

These types of limitations have reduced the number of captive whitetail producers, she added.

“A lot of the people we got our start from are out of the business now,” Monnig said. “When there’s a CWD case in the wild within 25 miles of you, the regulations restrict what you can do with your herd.”

Even with these control measures, Monnig is able to sell her whitetail deer to other breeders and preserves in Missouri, but, due to state regulation, cannot market them through a sale barn. Both buyers and sellers of whitetail must have the proper permits and prerequisites completed before any kind of trade, purchase or transaction is made. 

CWD is not the only disease affecting the whitetail population, both in the wild and on deer farms. Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) and bluetongue continue to challenge deer populations across much of the country. Both are viral diseases spread by tiny biting midges and can cause severe illness and significant mortality in whitetail deer herds. 

Like CWD, there are no simple answers when these diseases occur, and there is even less time to fight these diseases. But unlike CWD, Monnig’s whitetail herd has been negatively impacted by EHD. 

“When you lose half of your herd to one of these illnesses like we did in 2018, that hurts,” Monnig said. “At the time, I wanted to get completely out of it, but it gave me a new purpose beyond doing it for fun.”

Because no genetic markers for resistance to EHD or bluetongue have been identified, Monnig hopes continued advances in vaccine development will lead to broader protection against all strains and help prevent such devastating losses in the future.

When it comes to CWD, however, she and other breeders are combatting the illness with a proactive approach that goes beyond rules already in place. Monnig is selectively breeding white-tailed deer with naturally occurring genetic variants associated with increased CWD resistance to produce stronger, more resilient herds. Cedar Ridge currently has two piebald does and a piebald buck that carry these genetic resistance markers, thanks to descent from a sire called Urban Legend, although the unique coat marking of white-and-brown fur is not associated with CWD resistance. 

For these whitetails and the rest of the Cedar Ridge herd, selective breeding is a long-term process that requires patience. Genetic improvement is measured over years rather than seasons, and every fawn represents another opportunity to strengthen the herd, a philosophy that guides the entire operation.

“Deer farmers are funding breeding programs to build resistance because we want to keep deer farming,” Monnig explained. “Everybody worries that ‘My grandkids aren’t going to be able to hunt whitetail deer.’ I believe they will. If there’s a resolution out there, we deer farmers want to be part of it.” 

READ THE ARTICLE AS PRINTED IN THE FLIPBOOK VERSION OF THE MAGAZINE.

READ OTHER ARTICLES IN THE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER TODAY'S FARMER.