Nov 14, 2024
Executive Committee Report
Wow, Donald Trump has done it again! The 45th former president has been re-elected as the 47th president elect after missing out on office last time, inciting a violent revolt and facing numerous lawsuits. This goes to show America truly is the land where dreams can come true, or perhaps it is indicative off something else entirely? Going forward it will be interesting to see what effect the promised increase in tariffs will have on venison and every other product New Zealand exports to America.
At a national level we welcome the return of the DINZ board to full strength, as confirmation of John Tacon’s appointment was recently announced (DINZ eNews Special Edition 23 October 2024). As an Executive Committee we will continue to champion producers’ voices while working alongside our producer reps as they strive to ensure the success of our industry at large.
Staying more local, our part of Hawke’s Bay has had a grand total of 42 ml of rain since the beginning of August when we were waterlogged and dreaming of a bountiful spring. Reality has seen us balancing pasture demand with animal demand and the use of more supplements than normal. The other side of the island and down south seem to be getting multiple weather events and the west coast recently flooded, so all in all a pretty mixed bag.
Those finishing venison animals will be relishing the schedules this season compared to past ones and be hoping for ongoing stability as we head into the New Year. Interestingly, while at Next Gen this year, Matt Carol’s presentation highlighted the volatility in venison pricing is no worse than any other primary product over a 30 year period. The extremes were less than the milk pay out in particular, but measured up against other red meats favourably.
We finished cutting our MA stags over a week ago; this year seemed to be a bit earlier and more condensed than previous seasons? As the feed quality has diminished we have continued to add supplements to enable the two year olds to express their genetic potential. Velvet weights have been slightly up and quality has been pleasing, with minimal damage to date. Hopefully we will be seeing some cash sooner than later as the access to China becomes normalised and trade resumes. As you are all velveting, keep at the forefront of your minds the privileged position we are in being able to harvest our own velvet and the responsibility that comes with that. It is important we are diligent in maintaining the high standards of the RCS at all times. This ensures the integrity of our velvet harvesting protocols, handling, storage, and animal welfare while protecting our social licence. On that note, we welcome David Morgan as the NZDFA appointment to the National Velvetting Standards Body.
Here in Hawke’s Bay we are preparing for a quieter velvet competition on the 19th of November, judging only, as we are hosting the North Island velvet competition on the 30th of November. We will combine our local viewing and prize giving with the North Island to ensure the branch fully supports the North Island. It will be good to catch-up with some of you from outside the province and see some outstanding velvet. I imagine most other branches will be preparing for their local velvet competitions with the best of the best on display in Invercargill in December. I encourage you all to support your local competitions as they are a fantastic social outing that will do wonders for your mental health which is arguably more important than the velvet and rarely focused on in the rural sector.
Evan Potter
