Jun 17, 2025
Post-conference, several field days have taken place around the country:
The Benefits of Multi-Species Livestock Farming (20 May)
This was held in South Canterbury at Tom and Samantha MacFarlane’s and was a collaboration between DINZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand. The field day was run with two systems in mind; breeding and then finishing, with a bit of a deer farming flavour to show the opportunities to bring deer into an existing sheep and beef farm system.
Wayne Allan – a local farm consultant with a good number of deer, sheep and beef clients – was one of the main speakers for the day. Wayne was able to talk gross margin figures for each of the stock classes in a breeding and a finishing operation, alongside management balance and fitting all three species into the seasonal pasture growth patterns.
Ginny Dodunski from Wormwise also joined the day to bring in expertise in the parasite management space, where having all three species can be very beneficial for parasite management. She was able to talk about specific management coming out of winter and into spring with crop management and early pasture growth, and also talked to a finishing system, where many young stock may be on a property and the benefits of multi species, while keeping in mind the importance of drenching when and where required.
Alongside Tom, two local deer farmers joined the day: Hamish Orbell, of Clayton Station, and Charlie Johns, of Coleridge Downs. They shared their experiences and knowledge from a few years of farming multi-species livestock. Together, they were all able to bring real and practical examples of the information that Wayne and Ginny shared.
Keep an eye out for an article in the next Deer Industry News for more in-depth coverage.
Ballance Farm Environment Awards - Southland Regional Supreme Winner Open Day (20 May)
It was a great turnout at Cam Nelson and Christina Vaughan’s farm (Nelson Farming Company) open day. They were great hosts and only too happy to talk about their commitment to environmental stewardship on their deer farm.
Topics discussed included wintering deer indoors, riparian planting, crop management and feed pad design.
“Cam is far too modest about his massive achievement. His attention to detail, passion for deer farming and long-term vision really stood out to me,” said Luka Jansen, DINZ Environmental Stewardship Manager. “DINZ is extremely proud to see a deer farmer win the Regional Supreme Award.”
In awarding the Regional Supreme Award, judges observed that the Nelson Farming Company exemplifies what can be achieved with a strong business plan, clear strategic focus, superior livestock performance, and strong environmental values.
“Their commitment to biodiversity is evident through well-considered native plantings that are thoughtfully integrated into their farming system, and their livestock management reflects in-depth planning, particularly around stock movement and wintering, to ensure a very high level of animal welfare.”
Weaning, Ticks and Velvet (6 June)
Around 20 brave Taihape-Ruapehu souls turned up to Andrew Peters’ woolshed on what was the coldest day of the year so far in Taihape. This was a classic deer farmer event, with Andrew outlining his approach to weaning (in particular, habituating hinds and weaners to moving through gates towards the deer shed) that resulted in low stress for the deer and farmer alike. Richard Hilson then spoke on animal health, covering ticks in depth – thankfully not a major problem in Taihape yet – before also leading a discussion Fusiformis (foot abscesses), again, thankfully not prevalent in the area this season. [Note: Information on ticks can and on foot abscess can be found here >>]
The group moved on to the old Waiouru deer sales yard, where a warming lunch was followed by updates and discussion on freshwater policy, NZDFA activities, and the velvet export licensing working group. A good day out, with a mix of practical on-farm advice and updates on beyond-the-farmgate issues.
