With December and January hosting stag sales across the country, Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) had several team members at various sales and were mostly encouraged by the sale results.

Farmers throughout New Zealand are throwing their lot in with deer as a profitable diversification option that complements other stock classes, says Deer Industry New Zealand. The organisation profiles a handful of new farmers and those returning to the industry on properties already boasting the necessary infrastructure.

Kwangdong Pharmaceutical, one of Deer Industry New Zealand’s partners in South Korea, recently delivered some encouraging results, with the company launching its world-first health functional food (HFF) product: a product for prostate health, featuring New Zealand velvet.

2025 sees Deer Industry New Zealand's integrated farm planning (IFP) programme build, with workshops kicking off in several regions; Kāpiti/Horowhenua and Masterton are both offering up two full-day workshops in February on freshwater planning, while Gore and Te Anau offer the same content but split across three half-day workshops. The workshops, run by Ballance Agri-Nutrients and facilitated by the Ballance Farm Sustainability team, have been set up to aid farmers with their building of integrated farm plans.

Velvet market conditions remain challenging in the midst of this complex season. While the major market access issue was remedied, meaning MPI could issue export certificates from 31 October, some buyers used the issue this season to drive down prices. DINZ continues to hear rumours of concerning behaviour by some in the market, purporting a further softening of prices could occur.

2024 in the rearview | Meet and Greet: Steve Annan | MyOSPRI upgrade delayed | Young Deer Farmer of the Year | Special Report: Udder success | European venison marketing highlights | Velvet: Triple success for Linton farmer | NZDFA: Young guns in action | NZDFA Branch Chairs meeting drives valuable two-way conversations | Thumbs up for farm environment plan workshops | Malignant Catarrhal Fever | Boost returns from venison farming | Venison beating bison meat? | Industry champ moves on | Recipe: Venison sausage roll wreath