uthors Lindsa ung Environmental Polic anager , on Pearse Producer anager , atāura , eer farming is generall located on the outhland Plains or the high countr areas in northern and Ōreti , estern outhland, as sho n in igure B here is a concentration of large farms in the e nau arima , Basin and a large number of s ecialist deer ro erties occur in and around the nvercargill area s aiau , deer farming is based on the annual roduction of meat and other animal roducts it shares man iordland slands similarities ith shee and beef farming deer farm is usuall run as either a s ecialised deer farm or as a art of a mi ed dr stock farm eer have different seasonal feed re uirements to shee and beef and the three stock t es are often seen as com lementar , des ite the investment needed for Matāura , , deer fencing Ōreti , arima , aiau , Matāura , Ōreti , arima , aiau , ource Pearson and ouldre
ver recent ears, an increasing number of large shee and beef farms in outhland have included deer in their farming mi ost deer farms estimated to be over are no mi ed dr stock o erations – t icall ith shee and or beef cattle, but dair gra ing and cro ing are also seen Mixed drystock operations have expanded farmers’ options for sustained rofitabilit in red meat su l and are an alternative to traditional dr stock farming eer farms reviousl tended to be focused on either breeding or finishing, but more recentl there has been a shift to ards both o erations on the same farm
eer farming is a relativel ne industr , com ared to other astoral land uses nternationall , outhland is the ioneer region for large scale commercial deer farming Southland’s deer industr currentl has the second largest herd in Ne Zealand, and it is considered the most advanced, through the su l of high ualit genetics, animal s ecialist su ort services, stock trans ortation ource Pearson and ouldre and rocessing verall, the Ne Zealand deer industr is the largest and most advanced of its kind
in the orld n total, deer farming covers around , hectares of land over ro erties ollo ing advice from eer ndustr Ne Zealand NZ , deer ro erties ere categorised for the outhland Land se a as s ecialist deer deer , mi ed deer deer , mi ed shee , beef and deer deer able B sho s the distribution of deer ro erties in outhland b fresh ater management unit using these categories for more information on s refer to Part ection Before the s deer ere raised on aristocratic estates in Euro e for hunting, or housed in small enclosures in sia for velvet roduction
uthors Lindsa ung Environmental Polic anager , on Pearse Producer anager , atāura , eer farming is generall located on the outhland Plains or the high countr areas in northern and Ōreti , estern outhland, as sho n in igure B here is a concentration of large farms in the e nau arima , Basin and a large number of s ecialist deer ro erties occur in and around the nvercargill area s aiau , deer farming is based on the annual roduction of meat and other animal roducts it shares man iordland slands similarities ith shee and beef farming deer farm is usuall run as either a s ecialised deer farm or as a art of a mi ed dr stock farm eer have different seasonal feed re uirements to shee and beef and the three stock t es are often seen as com lementar , des ite the investment needed for Matāura , , deer fencing Ōreti , arima , aiau , Matāura , Ōreti , arima , aiau , ource Pearson and ouldre
ver recent ears, an increasing number of large shee and beef farms in outhland have included deer in their farming mi ost deer farms estimated to be over are no mi ed dr stock o erations – t icall ith shee and or beef cattle, but dair gra ing and cro ing are also seen Mixed drystock operations have expanded farmers’ options for sustained rofitabilit in red meat su l and are an alternative to traditional dr stock farming eer farms reviousl tended to be focused on either breeding or finishing, but more recentl there has been a shift to ards both o erations on the same farm
eer farming is a relativel ne industr , com ared to other astoral land uses nternationall , outhland is the ioneer region for large scale commercial deer farming Southland’s deer industr currentl has the second largest herd in Ne Zealand, and it is considered the most advanced, through the su l of high ualit genetics, animal s ecialist su ort services, stock trans ortation ource Pearson and ouldre and rocessing verall, the Ne Zealand deer industr is the largest and most advanced of its kind
in the orld n total, deer farming covers around , hectares of land over ro erties ollo ing advice from eer ndustr Ne Zealand NZ , deer ro erties ere categorised for the outhland Land se a as s ecialist deer deer , mi ed deer deer , mi ed shee , beef and deer deer able B sho s the distribution of deer ro erties in outhland b fresh ater management unit using these categories for more information on s refer to Part ection Before the s deer ere raised on aristocratic estates in Euro e for hunting, or housed in small enclosures in sia for velvet roduction
The main deer species farmed in New Zealand are red deer, but o er time other arieties and other species e.g. wapiti and astern red deer ha e been crossbred and are also farmed . n Southland, access to nearby wapiti in Fiordland, has led to their crossbreeding with red deer. The Southland deer industry is second only to anterbury as the most important region for el et
production, both for olume and quality.
eer farms are usually classified in terms of production and they are a mi of enison, el et, and or trophy antler production systems. lthough most farms are self contained breeding and finishing units, there are also specialist operations concentrating on either breeding or finishing. The different mi of age classes in each production system presents different en ironmental risks on farm because of the si e and seasonal, se or age related beha iours of the deer refer to art Section . . The main characteristics of these production systems are as follows
nimals are typically slaughtered at months of age. There will be a capital stock breeding herd of hinds, and a smaller group of selected breeding stags older animals , which are used to pro ide animals for either slaughter or replacement.
The focus is on stags that produce hea y antlers with a good configuration – stags are retained for many years as the antler weight grown each year increases with age . There will be a selected breeding herd of hinds. oung female deer not needed for breeding and young males not being kept for el et production, are either on sold to other farms or processed for enison. lder breeding hinds and el et stags are also culled for enison.
The focus is on establishing breeding lines of high genetic alue for el et predominantly , enison or trophy antler markets. The progeny offspring of stags is sold to production farms or breeders, usually at years of age for elite males, or at months of age for elite females. the Matā el et and enison production also occur on the same farm.
cross the country, the deer industry’s main focus is on enison production roughly of deer the New Zealand deer industry’s farms , and it is likely that a similar distribution is found in Southland. Table outlines a deer production calendar that describes the main deer stock class acti ities and production systems more entrenched than in other regions, and is influenced by Landcorp Farming Ltd.’s large deer throughout a year. t highlights the peak season for chilled enison from September to No ember red on the calendar . The production calendar gi es an indication of the comple ity and di ersity of deer farming. The traditional ariation between peak and trough in enison prices is becoming less pronounced, possible because of increased e ports to the nited States, where there is not the Southland quickly became the centre of New Zealand’s commercial deer same seasonal demand for game meat as urope. The calendar ust co ers the acti ities of a deer The deer industry’s growth in the region production system – many deer farms also include sheep and or beef enterprises, which introduce e tra layers of comple ity into the farming acti ities. . Southland’s processing capacity is apiti freely interbreed with red deer and produce iable offspring. apiti and red deer ha e been considered as the same species both with chromosomes until analysis of mitochondrial N resulted in classification to two different species. There are quite distinct morphological and physiological differences but are genetically compatible and only naturally separated by geography tlantic cean . For all practical purposes they are considered as the same species. Some farmers prefer not to keep stags in a herd for too long because aggression issues can arise between younger and older ones. t can be reduced by keeping stags within similar age ranges.
The main deer species farmed in New Zealand are red deer, but o er time other arieties and other species e.g. wapiti and astern red deer ha e been crossbred and are also farmed . n Southland, access to nearby wapiti in Fiordland, has led to their crossbreeding with red deer. The Southland deer industry is second only to anterbury as the most important region for el et
production, both for olume and quality.
eer farms are usually classified in terms of production and they are a mi of enison, el et, and or trophy antler production systems. lthough most farms are self contained breeding and finishing units, there are also specialist operations concentrating on either breeding or finishing. The different mi of age classes in each production system presents different en ironmental risks on farm because of the si e and seasonal, se or age related beha iours of the deer refer to art Section . . The main characteristics of these production systems are as follows
nimals are typically slaughtered at months of age. There will be a capital stock breeding herd of hinds, and a smaller group of selected breeding stags older animals , which are used to pro ide animals for either slaughter or replacement.
The focus is on stags that produce hea y antlers with a good configuration – stags are retained for many years as the antler weight grown each year increases with age . There will be a selected breeding herd of hinds. oung female deer not needed for breeding and young males not being kept for el et production, are either on sold to other farms or processed for enison. lder breeding hinds and el et stags are also culled for enison.
The focus is on establishing breeding lines of high genetic alue for el et predominantly , enison or trophy antler markets. The progeny offspring of stags is sold to production farms or breeders, usually at years of age for elite males, or at months of age for elite females. the Matā el et and enison production also occur on the same farm.
cross the country, the deer industry’s main focus is on enison production roughly of deer the New Zealand deer industry’s farms , and it is likely that a similar distribution is found in Southland. Table outlines a deer production calendar that describes the main deer stock class acti ities and production systems more entrenched than in other regions, and is influenced by Landcorp Farming Ltd.’s large deer throughout a year. t highlights the peak season for chilled enison from September to No ember red on the calendar . The production calendar gi es an indication of the comple ity and di ersity of deer farming. The traditional ariation between peak and trough in enison prices is becoming less pronounced, possible because of increased e ports to the nited States, where there is not the Southland quickly became the centre of New Zealand’s commercial deer same seasonal demand for game meat as urope. The calendar ust co ers the acti ities of a deer The deer industry’s growth in the region production system – many deer farms also include sheep and or beef enterprises, which introduce e tra layers of comple ity into the farming acti ities. . Southland’s processing capacity is apiti freely interbreed with red deer and produce iable offspring. apiti and red deer ha e been considered as the same species both with chromosomes until analysis of mitochondrial N resulted in classification to two different species. There are quite distinct morphological and physiological differences but are genetically compatible and only naturally separated by geography tlantic cean . For all practical purposes they are considered as the same species. Some farmers prefer not to keep stags in a herd for too long because aggression issues can arise between younger and older ones. t can be reduced by keeping stags within similar age ranges.
2
2
ur e ut nd nd se ri ‘short to as often referred are wapiti and deer both red and deer in tterns e t suited re reedin t eri d d y en t s se s n e t ti n e durin de nd ind t es y e r du ti n ut t e sture t e untry t e rest t n eri ds Southland’s re i ns t er in r it distin uis urs t t it e tures rti u r s ut nd in r in eer et een nd e t res ei t r s re re t n e t res e t res t n re re r s ei t e t res nd et een because it skewsthe “farm area” scale e uded is r erty r est t e e t res t t si e y r erties deer t e nu er s s i ure e t res st ein re i n t e in r est t e it r e e tre e y re r erties ess deer nd u e t res t n re st nd t n e t res ess re r erties t ese rity st e ne r erty t n re nsist y usiness r ut nd t inds tri ers en t e use t e in i i r du ti n nd n entr tin e et is untry reedin nd in re sin y eer r in is r ti ed in nd use i ity sses re er t rt e ti n t u Using Environment Southland’s Land (2015), Land Southland’s are Use there Environment Map Using din s i est i ed e tensi e rt s er ti ns t e tensi e reedin e deer re t ents etiti n r t r du ti e nd r du ti e t r etiti n
inters re te en es r n in en ir n ent e e ts er n er n er er e e ts en ir n ent n in r en es re te inters e e erti e in utu n utu n in erti e e
r s re ess t n e t res ust er r s re e e d ters nd u er re es t e in ri er ri er in t e re es u er nd e d ters e day breeders’ (where decreasing day decreasing (where breeders’ day n esti ted esti ted n deer r erties in in r erties deer
eer farming in Southland has particular features that distinguish it from how it occurs in other regions Southland’s winters create challenges for managing environmental effects over longer periods than the rest of the country, but the pasture production cycle matches hind demand during peak lactation he seasonal day lengths (photoperiod) are well suited to breeding patterns in deer, and both red deer and wapiti are often referred to as ‘short day breeders’ (where decreasing day length triggers hinds to become fertile in autumn)
eer farming is practiced in all land use capability classes (refer to art Section 2 ) although increasingly breeding and velvet production is concentrating in the hill and high country because of competition for flat, productive land he headwaters and upper reaches of the main river catchments are home to e tensive deer breeding operations as part of e tensive mi ed livestock holdings
Using Environment Southland’s Land Use Map (2015), there are an estimated 210 deer properties in Southland (a farm business may consist of more than one property) he vast ma ority of these properties are less than 500 hectares, and almost half are less than 0 hectares handful of deer properties are e tremely large, with the largest in the region being almost ,000 hectares igure 1 shows the number of deer properties by si e (total hectares) (the largest property is e cluded because it skews the “farm area” scale) 100 farms are less than 0 hectares, ust over 100 farms are between 0 and 500 hectares, eight farms are more than 500 hectares
Source Southland Land Use Map, pril 2015
inter is a challenging time with conditions being wetter and cooler than the rest of the country, s at the end of September 2 the deer industry generated 2 million revenue nationally . and lasting longer (100 1 0 days of tough climate conditions are reasonably common) eer are round percent of this revenue was earned from venison percent from velvet and percent wintered on brassica crops (swedes or kale), and increasingly fodder beet, generally by break or from co products and hides leather. or Southland e port based revenue is estimated at block feeding he use of support blocks is reasonably rare in deer farming, with the e ception of million for venison and velvet antler with an additional 2 million in livestoc sales for both Landcorp arming in the e nau asin Most deer farms are self contained units, although there store stoc deer sold to another farm for finishing) and the stud deer industry. may be some owners that have more than one property Modern deer farms are generally situated where the landscape provides a mi of flats and hill country, and farm management classes (e g lthough regional figures are not available, Southland’s share of revenue is li ely to be greater than breeding and finishing) can be achieved on the one property its 2 percent share of the national herd. ith two specialist venison processing facilities and one multi species processing facility more venison is processed in the region than elsewhere indsay ed deer farmers in Southland use dual purpose stag sires for capital (breeding) stock hinds to ung pers. comm. 2 ). s these operations process deer from outside of the region Southland produce offspring with good antler and growth end points The region’s deer stud breeders also has proportionally more downstream employment and added value compared with other regions in supply favourable deer genetics, particularly in velvet antler, trophy antler and high uality capital New Zealand. stock hinds The presence of andcorp arming td. and other large corporate farmers in the region means n addition to red deer, Southland is the main region in ew ealand for wapiti farming and has a Southland also recruits, trains and employs the bulk of the country’s deer farm staff and managers. strong base of wapiti genetics hese multi purpose large deer interbreed with European red deer, Silver ern arms and lliance roup both employ a large number of venison slaughter plant staff producing fast growing crossbred venison progeny (offspring) that are slaughtered at 12 months of estimated at about obs over the pea time) s illed in processing both farmed and wild high age for the lucrative European chilled venison market, fetching the same venison prices as red deer uality high specification e port venison . n comparison to red deer, wapiti are bigger and grow faster, but are less disease resistant apiti The deer industry’s founders have strong Southland connections and the region makes a large are suited to gentler land use capability classes, and red deer perform better in hill country contribution to the national deer industry through leadership and development via both the New Southland leads the country in meeting the strong demand for wapiti terminal sires and well bred Zealand eer armers ssociation and eer ndustry New Zealand. Two e amples are Southland wapiti males are also used for a niche velvet antler market deer farmers’ proactive response to the bovine tuberculosis Tb) issue which was a particular
challenge for the emerging industry and their active involvement with the g esearch nvermay eer esearch entre and the niversity of tago isease esearch aboratory. hile deer farming is a smaller pastoral industry, it provides an additional source of revenue for Southland also leads the country in deer sector servicing through livestoc company representation farmers and the region, while diversifying the agricultural sector Southland’s farmed deer herd is and large specialised veterinarian practices. deer specialist veterinary networ is based around estimated to sit at around 200,000 head , which is roughly 2 percent of the national deer herd the original practitioner in et South. The networ is recognised internationally for their s ills and (second only to anterbury with 28%). The region accounts for about 22 percent of New Zealand’s services in deer embryo transfer and artificial insemination as well as providing veterinary venison production, 5 of the venison processing, and 20 percent of velvet antler production he supervision of the velvet antler removal programmes. ore generally the region is a ma or deer industry’s presence in Southland is disproportionately larger than in most other regions, and contributor to the national high uality deer genetics pool and the anuary sales period attracts reflects a number of favourable features for deer farming in Southland (some of which are described buyers from throughout New Zealand for elite young sires and capital stoc breeding hinds. above, and others are listed below) Southland is also home to the largest deer specialist transport companies and is the national hub for he deer farming livestock system covers most of the mid to upper catchment land use capability wild venison recovery via helicopters. There are several ma or trophy par operations and other classes and uses in Southland nce widespread, specialist venison finishing farms are now rare as lin s to international hunting clientele who also engage in adventure tourism fishing and specialised deer farming’s relative profitability to other land uses has diminished on the gentler and more tourism interests. productive land ompetition for land from dairy gra ing, some milking platform conversions, and
high performance sheep breeding and finishing, have out performed deer breeding and finishing on these land classes he decline of the once thriving Lorneville weaner deer sales market is a symptom of the reduction in specialist venison finishing farms inishing is now occurs on the breeding farm
This figure includes the processing of venison and some processing of velvet but most is e ported as fro en raw product). n New Zealand there are a total of eight specialist venison processing facilities and four multi species processing facilities approved to process venison. Stats – Livestock umbers by egional ouncil lthough total national ill figures are available ill figures by plant or region are not because of commercial sensitivities.
inter is a challenging time with conditions being wetter and cooler than the rest of the country, s at the end of September 2 the deer industry generated 2 million revenue nationally . and lasting longer (100 1 0 days of tough climate conditions are reasonably common) eer are round percent of this revenue was earned from venison percent from velvet and percent wintered on brassica crops (swedes or kale), and increasingly fodder beet, generally by break or from co products and hides leather. or Southland e port based revenue is estimated at block feeding he use of support blocks is reasonably rare in deer farming, with the e ception of million for venison and velvet antler with an additional 2 million in livestoc sales for both Landcorp arming in the e nau asin Most deer farms are self contained units, although there store stoc deer sold to another farm for finishing) and the stud deer industry. may be some owners that have more than one property Modern deer farms are generally situated where the landscape provides a mi of flats and hill country, and farm management classes (e g lthough regional figures are not available, Southland’s share of revenue is li ely to be greater than breeding and finishing) can be achieved on the one property its 2 percent share of the national herd. ith two specialist venison processing facilities and one multi species processing facility more venison is processed in the region than elsewhere indsay ed deer farmers in Southland use dual purpose stag sires for capital (breeding) stock hinds to ung pers. comm. 2 ). s these operations process deer from outside of the region Southland produce offspring with good antler and growth end points The region’s deer stud breeders also has proportionally more downstream employment and added value compared with other regions in supply favourable deer genetics, particularly in velvet antler, trophy antler and high uality capital New Zealand. stock hinds The presence of andcorp arming td. and other large corporate farmers in the region means n addition to red deer, Southland is the main region in ew ealand for wapiti farming and has a Southland also recruits, trains and employs the bulk of the country’s deer farm staff and managers. strong base of wapiti genetics hese multi purpose large deer interbreed with European red deer, Silver ern arms and lliance roup both employ a large number of venison slaughter plant staff producing fast growing crossbred venison progeny (offspring) that are slaughtered at 12 months of estimated at about obs over the pea time) s illed in processing both farmed and wild high age for the lucrative European chilled venison market, fetching the same venison prices as red deer uality high specification e port venison . n comparison to red deer, wapiti are bigger and grow faster, but are less disease resistant apiti The deer industry’s founders have strong Southland connections and the region makes a large are suited to gentler land use capability classes, and red deer perform better in hill country contribution to the national deer industry through leadership and development via both the New Southland leads the country in meeting the strong demand for wapiti terminal sires and well bred Zealand eer armers ssociation and eer ndustry New Zealand. Two e amples are Southland wapiti males are also used for a niche velvet antler market deer farmers’ proactive response to the bovine tuberculosis Tb) issue which was a particular
challenge for the emerging industry and their active involvement with the g esearch nvermay eer esearch entre and the niversity of tago isease esearch aboratory. hile deer farming is a smaller pastoral industry, it provides an additional source of revenue for Southland also leads the country in deer sector servicing through livestoc company representation farmers and the region, while diversifying the agricultural sector Southland’s farmed deer herd is and large specialised veterinarian practices. deer specialist veterinary networ is based around estimated to sit at around 200,000 head , which is roughly 2 percent of the national deer herd the original practitioner in et South. The networ is recognised internationally for their s ills and (second only to anterbury with 28%). The region accounts for about 22 percent of New Zealand’s services in deer embryo transfer and artificial insemination as well as providing veterinary venison production, 5 of the venison processing, and 20 percent of velvet antler production he supervision of the velvet antler removal programmes. ore generally the region is a ma or deer industry’s presence in Southland is disproportionately larger than in most other regions, and contributor to the national high uality deer genetics pool and the anuary sales period attracts reflects a number of favourable features for deer farming in Southland (some of which are described buyers from throughout New Zealand for elite young sires and capital stoc breeding hinds. above, and others are listed below) Southland is also home to the largest deer specialist transport companies and is the national hub for he deer farming livestock system covers most of the mid to upper catchment land use capability wild venison recovery via helicopters. There are several ma or trophy par operations and other classes and uses in Southland nce widespread, specialist venison finishing farms are now rare as lin s to international hunting clientele who also engage in adventure tourism fishing and specialised deer farming’s relative profitability to other land uses has diminished on the gentler and more tourism interests. productive land ompetition for land from dairy gra ing, some milking platform conversions, and high performance sheep breeding and finishing, have out performed deer breeding and finishing on these land classes he decline of the once thriving Lorneville weaner deer sales market is a symptom of the reduction in specialist venison finishing farms inishing is now occurs on the breeding farm
This figure includes the processing of venison and some processing of velvet but most is e ported as fro en raw product). n New Zealand there are a total of eight specialist venison processing facilities and four multi species processing facilities approved to process venison. Stats – Livestock umbers by egional ouncil lthough total national ill figures are available ill figures by plant or region are not because of commercial sensitivities.
The deer industry, no established for over years, is ell advanced into its succession phase. The odern deer farming is a drystoc enterprise that can e integrated into sheep and or cattle o er a ne t generation of deer farmers is assuming farm o nership, and continuing ell established deer ariety of land se capa ility classes hile farming different types of li estoc on the same farming enterprises. property is more challenging, the alance of differing seasonality and feeding, and eha io ral demands can ma imise o tp ts from good ality past re management, and is etter achie ed amily o ned and operated farms remain the dominant business o nership model in Southland. sing more than one stoc class Since the s there has been a trend throughout e ealand of e iting drystock enterprises, and in particular deer farming, and turning to other pastoral land uses. hile this trend has also been a he widespread se of sheep, and or cattle and cropping, or com inations of all of these acti ities recent feature in Southland, the industry is more entrenched in this region than else here. introd ces more layers of comple ity eyond the three deer prod ction systems enison, el et, and st d s a res lt, it is diffic lt to characterise a ‘typical’ deer farm and the aria ility was Southland has more specialist deer farms operations here at least of income is derived from pro lematic for the modelling of the deer case st dy farms in deer activity than other parts of the country, although larger holdings are most likely to be mi ed livestock operations. Corporate farming is typical on larger holdings, as is seen with Landcorp’s or deer farms that specialise predominantly in deer i e ha e limited other farming systems , interests in Te nau. number of large farms are held ithin families, but have corporate ma imising past re ality and meeting seasonal ariations can e achie ed y sing larger mo s of structures, and are run by advisory boards ith farm managers and staff. el et antler stags as ‘cattle y pro y’ to clear and control poorer past re
The deer industry appears to be in a stabilising period as farms retain hinds for breeding. n the near orage crops grown as a s pplement for late s mmer lactation, or as a f ll or partial winter ration, future it is e pected that the regional herd ill increase ith a change back to increased velvet are s ita le for the three ma or li estoc classes deer, sheep, and eef hese crops may need antler production and a reversal of five years of decline in herd si e. slightly different feeding management systems than past re, t they ha e pro en effecti e in o thland owe er, winter feeding systems ased on crops ha e important en ironmental management iss es for hea ier stoc s ch as some deer and cattle on poorly drained soils
he deer ind stry e ports percent of its enison, el et antler, and co prod cts incl ding s ins and leather, edi le offal and the tails, pi les and tendons fa o red in traditional oriental medicine enison is mainly e ported to rope and the , while el et is mainly e ported to sia, with orea and China dominating the mar et hile the e port foc s gi es deer farmers an economic ret rn nder c rrent prices, there is little e idence to date to s ggest that c rrent e port c stomers and end cons mers will pay additional premi ms for s staina ly prod ced prod cts his constraint re ires deer farmers to nderta e mitigations o tlined in ‘at cost’ – in other words, the cost is orne y the farmer witho t it generating additional re en e
he deer ind stry is engaged in a new mar et de elopment initiati e, s pported y all fi e enison processing companies t is now com ined with an on farm prod cti ity impro ement programme assion rofit his prod cti ity p sh is similar to impro ements in the sheep and eef ind stry in etter feed, animal genetics for growth, impro ed animal health, etter irth rates and s r i al to sla ghter ith de elopment of new high priced mar ets, the p sh see s to impro e on farm performance and to contin e to di ersify high al e mar ets he se en year million in estment is nderwritten y a rimary rowth artnership id with the inistry for rimary nd stries Conser ati e estimates s ggest that an additional per ilogram of enison is a aila le for capt re from prod cti ity growth, and premi m ret rns from traditional and new mar ets
here is a small high end demand for chilled enison in the e port retail and resta rant trade in traditional European markets, but the industry’s f t re foc s is to e tend its mar et reach into new Source Southland eer armers ssociation enison mar ets , north western rope and Chinese mar ets he l of enison is still
The deer industry, no established for over years, is ell advanced into its succession phase. The odern deer farming is a drystoc enterprise that can e integrated into sheep and or cattle o er a ne t generation of deer farmers is assuming farm o nership, and continuing ell established deer ariety of land se capa ility classes hile farming different types of li estoc on the same farming enterprises. property is more challenging, the alance of differing seasonality and feeding, and eha io ral demands can ma imise o tp ts from good ality past re management, and is etter achie ed amily o ned and operated farms remain the dominant business o nership model in Southland. sing more than one stoc class Since the s there has been a trend throughout e ealand of e iting drystock enterprises, and in particular deer farming, and turning to other pastoral land uses. hile this trend has also been a he widespread se of sheep, and or cattle and cropping, or com inations of all of these acti ities recent feature in Southland, the industry is more entrenched in this region than else here. introd ces more layers of comple ity eyond the three deer prod ction systems enison, el et, and st d s a res lt, it is diffic lt to characterise a ‘typical’ deer farm and the aria ility was Southland has more specialist deer farms operations here at least of income is derived from pro lematic for the modelling of the deer case st dy farms in deer activity than other parts of the country, although larger holdings are most likely to be mi ed livestock operations. Corporate farming is typical on larger holdings, as is seen with Landcorp’s or deer farms that specialise predominantly in deer i e ha e limited other farming systems , interests in Te nau. number of large farms are held ithin families, but have corporate ma imising past re ality and meeting seasonal ariations can e achie ed y sing larger mo s of structures, and are run by advisory boards ith farm managers and staff. el et antler stags as ‘cattle y pro y’ to clear and control poorer past re
The deer industry appears to be in a stabilising period as farms retain hinds for breeding. n the near orage crops grown as a s pplement for late s mmer lactation, or as a f ll or partial winter ration, future it is e pected that the regional herd ill increase ith a change back to increased velvet are s ita le for the three ma or li estoc classes deer, sheep, and eef hese crops may need antler production and a reversal of five years of decline in herd si e. slightly different feeding management systems than past re, t they ha e pro en effecti e in o thland owe er, winter feeding systems ased on crops ha e important en ironmental management iss es for hea ier stoc s ch as some deer and cattle on poorly drained soils
he deer ind stry e ports percent of its enison, el et antler, and co prod cts incl ding s ins and leather, edi le offal and the tails, pi les and tendons fa o red in traditional oriental medicine enison is mainly e ported to rope and the , while el et is mainly e ported to sia, with orea and China dominating the mar et hile the e port foc s gi es deer farmers an economic ret rn nder c rrent prices, there is little e idence to date to s ggest that c rrent e port c stomers and end cons mers will pay additional premi ms for s staina ly prod ced prod cts his constraint re ires deer farmers to nderta e mitigations o tlined in ‘at cost’ – in other words, the cost is orne y the farmer witho t it generating additional re en e
he deer ind stry is engaged in a new mar et de elopment initiati e, s pported y all fi e enison processing companies t is now com ined with an on farm prod cti ity impro ement programme assion rofit his prod cti ity p sh is similar to impro ements in the sheep and eef ind stry in etter feed, animal genetics for growth, impro ed animal health, etter irth rates and s r i al to sla ghter ith de elopment of new high priced mar ets, the p sh see s to impro e on farm performance and to contin e to di ersify high al e mar ets he se en year million in estment is nderwritten y a rimary rowth artnership id with the inistry for rimary nd stries Conser ati e estimates s ggest that an additional per ilogram of enison is a aila le for capt re from prod cti ity growth, and premi m ret rns from traditional and new mar ets
here is a small high end demand for chilled enison in the e port retail and resta rant trade in traditional European markets, but the industry’s f t re foc s is to e tend its mar et reach into new Source Southland eer armers ssociation enison mar ets , north western rope and Chinese mar ets he l of enison is still
e ported as ro en produ t, but in reasin ly markets are demandin a hi h end hilled produ t ica io s or he seaso s gges ha e iso price e pec a io s wi e simi ar o he ran e produ ed rom u ust to o ember rodu tion in later months o the season is ro en to pre io s seaso , wi h s a gh er m ers remai i g he same or po e ia re ce perce , meet the e istin northern hemisphere enison market demand in the ollo in season eca se o a s owi g i capi a s oc hi s a gh er m ers a some s ag re e io or e e pro c io he e e a er mar e is pre ic e o e s a e as mar e s ope p i hi a a ew oppor i ies i orea co i e o see e e a er or he hea h oo mar e re erre pro c s pp is s ppor e a i ss ra ce o oo sa e , a s ro g pro e a ce, co r o origi eer armin has many opportunities or the uture hey ran e rom the de elopment o e port eri ica io a a ow high a ima hea h s a s markets or el et and ree trade a reements ith outh orea and hina to the re ersion rom he cha e ge i o h a is compe i io wi h o her agric ra i s ries or he ge er, high deer en ed dairy support and dairy inter ra in ba k to deer eaner inishin , and or breedin pro c i e a i e asses o , which has see a ec i e i arge e iso i ishi g and inishin any outhland arms ha e e istin deer in rastru ture and lo er nitro en loss rom proper ies deer armin may lead to land use han e ba k to deer in some areas
he deer industry’s stren th lies in su ess ul arm su ession, ne skills and interest rom ‘ e t eneration’ armers, and skilled and trained sta he ma or enison pro essors, llian e roup td and il er ern arms, ha e onsolidated their o n pro essin apa ities and made a ommitment iro me a ris s o eer arms are i ere rom hose ace air , sheep a ca e armers to the industry, parti ularly throu h their in ol ement in the rimary ro th artnership assion to eer eha e i ere , a are s ro g socia compe i i e i heir a ra eha io r eer rofit pro ramme or the produ tion and marketin o enison he programme’s is sho n throu h eha io r ca ha e speci ic e ec s o he arm e iro me , i c i g o soi a wa er, he ris o on arm initiati es, su h as “ d an e arties”, which are ell supported roups o moti ated deer i ige o s ege a io amage i he hi a high co r , or amage crea e hro gh o ers oc i g armers ho ind inno ati e methods or te hnolo ies or in reased pro it and inspire han e e e o mi e i es oc arms hi e hese eha io rs are we ers oo eer armers, o arm ma ageme or hese eha io rs is o cap re we i rie ma ageme mo e s, s ch s ell as ontinuin to supply o established markets or el et antler, the industry anti ipates as he res s prese e or he case s eer arms i o his repor ee o e ontrolled, steady in rease in produ tion or ne produ ts in the rapidly e pandin healthy ood iewe wi h his impor a imi a io i mi market, in both urrent and ne e port markets urther e pansion o the industry ill add more riti al mass and output rom the sa er summer limate and pasture rop produ tion potential o he e o a oi i g e iro me a amage is i ers a i g eer eha io r – wha ac i i ies outhland and ta o ith less e e ts rom El ino on breedin hinds and la tation demands occ r, where, whe a wh he socia co i io s o arm ca i er mar e rom he wi , which ca co ic wi h ma ageme ee s a imes, par ic ar ri g ma i g, ca i g a wea i g ho gh ma ageme , com i i g goo ma ageme prac ices, ge e ic se ec io or goo emperame , a e iro me a ow e ge, re ces wa e eer eha io rs a co ro s e iro me a ris s he s ch a ma ageme approach occ rs i ea s o posi i e o comes or eer, armers a a ra reso rces
he ma or e iro me a iss e i e i ie armers, a co irme research c owe e e s, , is soi erosio a o g e ce i es his iss e is ca se eer wa i g p a ow e ce i es i respo se o eha io ra s ress e g wea i g, or cha gi g mo age a socia s r c res or is r a ce his eha io r is ow i he context of this research as ‘ e ce pacing’ com i a io wi h a erse wea her, i ca ic ecome a ma ageme iss e o par s o a arm, wi h i crease soi erosio a phosphor s oss a ache o he se ime , pas re amage, a ec i i g wa er a i
a ra eer eha io r i c es p a i g o a s a oose soi , wa owi g a campi g i areas ha ca ecome are, a he ca p g soi s i we wea her a proper , arge m ers o o g eer i ge i a ra p a , sparri g a grea er eha io ra compe i i e ac i i he his a ra p a occ rs o ero i e hi oc s, are gro or amp we areas, i ca he ea o i e e erosio or pas re soi amage i o ac i e ma age
our e outhland eer armers sso iation
e ported as ro en produ t, but in reasin ly markets are demandin a hi h end hilled produ t ica io s or he seaso s gges ha e iso price e pec a io s wi e simi ar o he ran e produ ed rom u ust to o ember rodu tion in later months o the season is ro en to pre io s seaso , wi h s a gh er m ers remai i g he same or po e ia re ce perce , meet the e istin northern hemisphere enison market demand in the ollo in season eca se o a s owi g i capi a s oc hi s a gh er m ers a some s ag re e io or e e pro c io he e e a er mar e is pre ic e o e s a e as mar e s ope p i hi a a ew oppor i ies i orea co i e o see e e a er or he hea h oo mar e re erre pro c s pp is s ppor e a i ss ra ce o oo sa e , a s ro g pro e a ce, co r o origi eer armin has many opportunities or the uture hey ran e rom the de elopment o e port eri ica io a a ow high a ima hea h s a s markets or el et and ree trade a reements ith outh orea and hina to the re ersion rom he cha e ge i o h a is compe i io wi h o her agric ra i s ries or he ge er, high deer en ed dairy support and dairy inter ra in ba k to deer eaner inishin , and or breedin pro c i e a i e asses o , which has see a ec i e i arge e iso i ishi g and inishin any outhland arms ha e e istin deer in rastru ture and lo er nitro en loss rom proper ies deer armin may lead to land use han e ba k to deer in some areas
he deer industry’s stren th lies in su ess ul arm su ession, ne skills and interest rom ‘ e t eneration’ armers, and skilled and trained sta he ma or enison pro essors, llian e roup td and il er ern arms, ha e onsolidated their o n pro essin apa ities and made a ommitment iro me a ris s o eer arms are i ere rom hose ace air , sheep a ca e armers to the industry, parti ularly throu h their in ol ement in the rimary ro th artnership assion to eer eha e i ere , a are s ro g socia compe i i e i heir a ra eha io r eer rofit pro ramme or the produ tion and marketin o enison he programme’s is sho n throu h eha io r ca ha e speci ic e ec s o he arm e iro me , i c i g o soi a wa er, he ris o on arm initiati es, su h as “ d an e arties”, which are ell supported roups o moti ated deer i ige o s ege a io amage i he hi a high co r , or amage crea e hro gh o ers oc i g armers ho ind inno ati e methods or te hnolo ies or in reased pro it and inspire han e e e o mi e i es oc arms hi e hese eha io rs are we ers oo eer armers, o arm ma ageme or hese eha io rs is o cap re we i rie ma ageme mo e s, s ch s ell as ontinuin to supply o established markets or el et antler, the industry anti ipates as he res s prese e or he case s eer arms i o his repor ee o e ontrolled, steady in rease in produ tion or ne produ ts in the rapidly e pandin healthy ood iewe wi h his impor a imi a io i mi market, in both urrent and ne e port markets urther e pansion o the industry ill add more riti al mass and output rom the sa er summer limate and pasture rop produ tion potential o he e o a oi i g e iro me a amage is i ers a i g eer eha io r – wha ac i i ies outhland and ta o ith less e e ts rom El ino on breedin hinds and la tation demands occ r, where, whe a wh he socia co i io s o arm ca i er mar e rom he wi , which ca co ic wi h ma ageme ee s a imes, par ic ar ri g ma i g, ca i g a wea i g ho gh ma ageme , com i i g goo ma ageme prac ices, ge e ic se ec io or goo emperame , a e iro me a ow e ge, re ces wa e eer eha io rs a co ro s e iro me a ris s he s ch a ma ageme approach occ rs i ea s o posi i e o comes or eer, armers a a ra reso rces
he ma or e iro me a iss e i e i ie armers, a co irme research c owe e e s, , is soi erosio a o g e ce i es his iss e is ca se eer wa i g p a ow e ce i es i respo se o eha io ra s ress e g wea i g, or cha gi g mo age a socia s r c res or is r a ce his eha io r is ow i he context of this research as ‘ e ce pacing’ com i a io wi h a erse wea her, i ca ic ecome a ma ageme iss e o par s o a arm, wi h i crease soi erosio a phosphor s oss a ache o he se ime , pas re amage, a ec i i g wa er a i
a ra eer eha io r i c es p a i g o a s a oose soi , wa owi g a campi g i areas ha ca ecome are, a he ca p g soi s i we wea her a proper , arge m ers o o g eer i ge i a ra p a , sparri g a grea er eha io ra compe i i e ac i i he his a ra p a occ rs o ero i e hi oc s, are gro or amp we areas, i ca he ea o i e e erosio or pas re soi amage i o ac i e ma age
our e outhland eer armers sso iation
o e eer arieties ng ish an ro ean re s rea i a o f a o s are connecte to ater o ies the effecti e create oint so rce ischarges for faeca atter nitrogen hos hor s an se i ent ther arieties a iti their cross re rogen an astern re s a o ess fre ent uthors atthew ewman enior conomist , arla uller ricultural conomist , a o eer o not a o at a air farmin is well suited to Southland’s flat land, fertile soils and favourable climate for pasture he t o ain n trients ea ing eer far s that create ater a it iss es are nitrogen an ro uction, articularl from cto er to ril air farmin e an e ra i l since an now hos hor s an t ica these n trients ta e ifferent ath a s hos hor s ten s to esca e the occu ies , hectares mil in latforms an a itional su ort lan , as shown in i ure far in r noff e ents hen it is attache to soi artic es s ch as in irt ater ring rainstor s he ma orit of this lan is an se lass , which is s rea across four FMU’s ou hl five an ashe into ater o ies itrogen esca es ain assing thro gh the soi an eaching ercent of the total lan use for air in outhlan is irri ate outhlan is now the thir lar est into the ater ta e in the for of nitrate air re ion in ew ealan , ehin the ai ato an anter ur
n genera nitrogen oss fro eer far s occ rs at si i ar rates to shee an eef far s eer excrete s a t concentrate rine e osits so i e shee the ha e re ati e o nitrogen oss rates hose eer far s ith higher nitrogen osses ten to ha e s ecific characteristics s ch as irrigation cro ing an or air gra ing the resence of catt e an certain soi t es
hos hor s an se i ent osses are c ose connecte an occ r ain thro gh soi erosion t ica on hi co ntr far s eer ha e artic ar eha io rs that increase the ris of soi erosion an can res t in consi era e a o nts of se i ent an hos hor s entering ater if not e anage eer farms can have ‘critical source areas’, which are locations or acti ities rone to a higher rate of hos hor s oss than the rest of the far ence acing stoc ca ing co etiti e eha io r an a o ing a create critica so rce areas for hos hor s oss eer n str e ea an n
n a ition to n trients an se i ent acteria fro eer faeca atter as in icate . coli a so affect ater a it he iss e i t ica res t fro ng e osite irect into ater o ies an fro ng eing ashe into ater o ies – either as r n off or fro a o s that are connecte to ater
ore infor ation on en iron enta iss es in e to ater a it is a ai a e in The New Zealand Deer Farmers’ Landcare Manual (2012)
ource earson an oul re
he first lar e air her was esta lishe in outhlan in an the air in ustr has maintaine a resence since air farms were ori inall locate on the lower outhlan lains which ha heavier soils an re ular rainfall ma in them hi hl ro uctive ver the ne t centur air farmin e an e slowl in line with local eman t was relativel small com are to other astoral lan uses in outhlan an other air re ions in ew ealan