Jan 30, 2025
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.
Taihape couple bringing back deer
Kirstin Churchward and husband Matt succeeded her parents on their Taihape property and were keen to reintroduce deer to the operation.
Kristin Churchward’s parents, Fraser and Shona Gordon, were among the first in the central North Island to farm deer on their 630-hectare property east of Taihape, starting with 40 hinds they trapped in the early 1980s. They eventually deer fenced about one-third of the property, which largely carries sheep and beef.
At its peak, the farm carried up to 800 breeding hinds, with the focus on venison production. Churchward’s parents eventually let the deer go about 15 years ago. She said ticks affecting the deer spurred the decision to exit deer, although so far that hasn’t been an issue since they’ve been reintroduced.
She and husband Matt have succeeded her parents on the property, and were keen to reintroduce deer to the operation, utilising the existing infrastructure and diversifying income.
The farm currently carries 130 breeding cows, 50 weaner heifers and 4000 ewes, and this year 250 weaner red deer have been added to the mix, sourced from local deer farmer Peter Stratton. Kristin said they’ve invested $20,000 repairing and improving the existing deer fences and lanes, saving some money through Matt doing the fencing. Their next project is to improve weigh scales in the deer shed.
They financed the investment through their cattle, keeping a number of bull calves entire and selling them off Mum at weaning.
“The deer will fit in really well with our sheep and cattle. We plan to send the animals off to slaughter in January and February.”
She said they are still to decide whether they will establish a deer breeding herd or continue to source weaners each year. “We want to keep the system simple at this stage, so don’t want to be dealing with sire stags.”
They are not using all of the deer-fenced paddocks for deer at the moment but are keen to keep their options open to expand numbers. Next year they will drop ewe numbers and possibly increase to 400 head of deer.
“I grew up with deer on this farm, and Matt and I have both had a taste of running deer in other jobs. It’s great to have them back here.”
The local deer farming community has been very helpful and supportive, said Kristin. “They want to see us succeed.”
New convert in deer farming heartland
Having observed the deer industry from the outside for a while, David Earl says he’s been impressed by the passion and engagement of deer farmers.
David Earl hadn’t farmed deer before and doesn’t deal with the animals in his day job as a stock agent, but living in the heart of deer farming country in South Canterbury he’s had plenty of contact with the industry over the years.
He’s recently bought an 84-hectare dryland block near Geraldine, a mix of flat and rolling country with some steeper back faces. And although the farm hasn’t had deer on it for 10 years, it has all the fencing and infrastructure needed.
“I know a few deer farmers in the area and have some as clients. That got me interested in the industry, so when this property came up, it was great opportunity to get involved,” Earl said.
He’s currently running dairy grazers on the property but has also bought 115 two-, three- and four-year-old velveting stags, hoping to eventually build numbers up to 220. He’s happy to keep on buying in stags rather than breeding his own replacements.
Having observed the industry from the outside for a while, Earl said he’s been impressed by the passion and engagement of deer farmers. But he’s also confident in the prospects for deer farming.
“Long term, it’s one of the most profitable sectors,” he said, adding that it will be important for the country’s breeding herd to build up to help support newcomers such as himself.
The property is well set up for deer, with the steep faces ideal territory for the stags during the roar. There are no major waterways, so no particular issues with stock exclusion. They are on a local scheme for stock water.
One of the attractions for Earl has been the low labour requirements for farming deer. He lives 10 minutes away with his young family but plans to do most of the work himself with the help of casual labour and contractors when needed.
“We’ve got a good local vet who has plenty of experience in deer, and I have a great network of friends in the industry.”
Earl is in it for the long haul. He plans to add more trees and shrubs to the farm as finances allow and hopes his three children – the oldest is 12 – will share his enthusiasm for the animals and get involved in the deer operation as they grow.
Deer pass muster for eager newcomer
David Keiser, a South African-born surgeon, has lived in New Zealand since he was in his teens, and while pursuing a career in medicine, he’s always been interested in farming here too.
Was it the economics stacking up? The stunning farm environment? The attraction of such a majestic animal? Christchurch-based David Kieser would probably cite all of these reasons and more for his excitement about joining the deer industry.
The South African-born surgeon has lived in New Zealand since he was in his teens, and while pursuing a career in medicine, he’s always been interested in farming here. His family in South Africa – he grew up in Johannesburg – have a game farm, and Kieser said this probably underlies his “deep-seated attraction” for animals like deer.
“They seem to thrive in the New Zealand environment, and are not hard on the land, so that was a big plus for me as well,” he said.
His first investment in New Zealand farming was a sheep and beef joint venture with a neighbour, that performed very poorly, so this year Kieser’s attention was turned to consolidating the farm to focus on the freehold Grasmere, a 550-hectare property near Arthur’s Pass.
Although the perimeter had some deer fencing, the internal boundaries were initially two-wire fences, and sheep fences, used first for dairy grazing, and then sheep and beef.
That was never the long-term plan, however, and with farm manager Hamish Taylor, Kieser has embarked on an ambitious farm development programme. Taylor has installed over 30km of deer fencing since April, and two centre pivots have been installed on the summer-dry property.
With the help of PGG Wrightson deer specialist Graham Kinsman, about 75 velveting stags have so far been sourced, along with about 185 hinds for breeding replacements. Kieser is keen to eventually build up the hind numbers to 250-300, with up to 1000 stags. Kieser believes that farming approach will suit the mostly flat farm, which has a hill block suitable for fawning.
The deer will be complemented by about 200 sheep and 100 cattle.
“Markets are fickle, so we will keep our options open to change the balance between stock classes,” he said.
The deer shed on the property has been brought up to specification for deer velveting, with only some polyurethaning waiting to be done as the 2024 velvet season approached.
There was no housing on the property, so Kieser also bought the adjacent Grasmere lodge. That will still be run as a tourist lodge, with the added attraction of animals like Highland cattle, pigs, llamas and poultry. Kieser is wanting to showcase New Zealand’s premier deer farming industry, using the lodge as the platform.
Although the family is based in Christchurch, Kieser said they love going up to the farm, which is 75 minutes away. He usually manages to get up there with wife Sandra and their four young children about once a fortnight.
There is something of a link between deer velveting and his day job as a surgeon, and Kieser is keen to get certified as a deer velveter.
“I’m just interested in learning all about the velvet industry, including processing and the potential medicinal benefits.”
Keen young couple gain industry foothold
Taylah Barrett and Joe Abernethy are getting their foothold on the family farm of Abernethy’s parents, Ruth and Miles, in the Mataroa area, west of Taihape.
If you wanted to see a great example of a new generation getting underway in deer farming, Taylah Barrett and Joe Abernethy would be a good place to start. The young couple are getting their foothold on the family farm of Abernethy’s parents, Ruth and Miles, in the Mataroa area, west of Taihape.
The 1300-hectare property, which is in two blocks, carries sheep, beef, and about 700 venison breeding hinds plus sires. All of the deer are on the smaller 240ha block, but there is deer fencing and deer sheds on both blocks.
Abernethy works as a shepherd on a nearby sheep and beef farm, and Barrett has a day job working at the PGG Wrightson store in Taihape. The couple have both grown up on farms and around deer farming. One of Barrett’s brothers also farms deer and her father Jimmy works on the property of prominent local deer farmer, Robbie Bruce.
While they have good family connections in the industry, Barrett and Abernethy are charting their own course in deer. They are more keen on the velvet side than venison and made their start by purchasing 14 mixed-age velvet stags from Bruce. The next step was to buy 12 in-fawn hinds with velvet genetics, which they acquired through another local, Dougal Satherly.
They came out slightly ahead in the fawn gender lottery, with seven of the 12 being male and thus eligible for velvet production, while the female fawns can be retained as breeding replacements.
Barrett and Abernethy are excited to be making their start as deer farmers in their own right. Abernethy said that although his parents have always been venison farmers, they are watching the young couple’s budding velvet herd with interest and are considering diversifying some of their production into velvet as well.
His mother Ruth is a veterinarian and registered to harvest velvet antler, which also fits well with their enterprise.
They are keenly aware of the need for good genetics and are fortunate to be part of a close-knit and supportive deer farming community. With the encouragement of local industry leaders like Andrew Peters and Mark McCoard, Barrett and Abernethy attended the recent Next Generation programme for young people in the industry.
Barrett said they learnt plenty more about the industry during the two-day programme. The best outcome for them was the networking and making new friends and connections in the industry, including other locals who they hadn’t realised were farming deer.
“The deer industry does this networking really well,” she said.
It’s a busy time for the couple, who are both also representative rugby players. Barrett is reserve halfback for the Manawatū Cyclones, finalists in this year’s Farah Palmer Cup, and Abernethy is a loose forward/lock for Whanganui in the Heartland Championship.
And while both their teams have been doing well this season, their eyes are also fixed on the long-term prize as they make their mark in the deer industry.
This article first appeared in Farmers Weekly.
