DEER INDUSTRY NEWSISSN 1176-0753 - Deer Industry New Zealand

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                                                                                                       ISSN 1176-0753

DEER INDUSTRY NEWS
Issue 69 • December 2014/January 2015 • Official magazine of Deer Industry New Zealand and the NZDFA

                         Best wishes to all our readers
                       for Christmas and the New Year

                   Understanding good tucker: p8

Also in this issue:

     •    Clayton: Innovation station
     •    Alliance Group’s Pure South venison
     •    The exotic world of Maral deer
     •    Dr Colin Mackintosh: A career in deer
     •    Branch Chairmen’s Conference
 Issue No 68 • October/November 2014                                                                            1
DEER INDUSTRY NEWSISSN 1176-0753 - Deer Industry New Zealand
Woburn Abbey                                                        Warnham Park

    NZ’s oldest & Finest stud is
  having its 30th and last elite sale
         JOIN US in this milestone achievement
       1.30PM, 4th January 2015 at Bangor, Darfield
                 FEATURING: Two year sons of the outstanding sires
            NORTON II AT 8 YEARS                            BLOOMSBURY AT 6 YEARS

             BIG CHIEF AT 5 YEARS                               HERBRAND AT 9 YEARS

                PLUS: Mars, Haywood, Sackville, Callum, Bartholemu
                      and new sires Gibson, F40 and Big Chief*
                                 FOR ALL ENQUIRIES
        PGG WRIGHTSON                  VENDOR: CLIVE JERMY                    RURAL LIVESTOCK
Graham Kinsman – 027 422 3154               03 317 9167                   Simon Cox – 027 209 7665
 Ron Schroeder – 027 432 1299               021 924 317                  Craig North – 027 473 0864
  Brian Newall – 027 595 6448        stanfield@vodafone.co.nz          Adam Whaanga – 027 418 3438
 Brian Duggan – 027 432 4212          www.stanfielddeer.co.nz            Peter Guard – 027 432 5885
              INDEPENDENT Paul Lampp – 027 422 6477 and Neville Clarke – 027 598 6537
                                                                                   * Owned by John and Anne Scurr.
DEER INDUSTRY NEWSISSN 1176-0753 - Deer Industry New Zealand
editorial

Playing to our strengths
Deer farming is still a relatively young industry in New Zealand and Alliance Group has been operating in the venison
market for only 15 years. For me, it’s exciting to work with a sector that is still evolving.
One area I particularly enjoy is working with people in the                                                                                    One of the key barriers
sector. Deer farmers are high-performance farmers, forward                                                                                     is the productivity. It’s
thinking, business focused and open to new ideas.                                                                                              not a high productivity
Inevitably, a young industry has its challenges. Peak                                                                                          sector compared with
demand from the major European markets is during the                                                                                           other livestock. A ewe
prime game season of September and October. That’s the                                                                                         can have twins or
best time to pick up premiums for chilled meat but not the                                                                                     triplets, but that doesn’t
best for supplying venison from New Zealand. Conversely,                                                                                       happen in the deer
when our venison season is at its height, the European                                                                                         industry.
demand is at its lowest.                                                                                                                       There’s a lot of science
Another challenge latterly has been the land use change to                                                                                     behind the industry with
dairy – which has seen many venison farms pushed back                                                                                          research into forage and
into the hills. It’s a deer’s natural habitat, but it’s tougher,                                                                               farming systems and
colder, makes it harder to finish animals and also brings                                                                                      we’re glad to have been
                                                                                                                                                                         Terry O’Connell.
increased feed costs.                                                                                                                          able to help through the
                                                                                                                                               Deer Progeny Test (DPT)
It’s a credit to the nature and resilience of deer farmers that                                                                                project. Through the DPT, we are assessing the product off
they have worked together to address these challenges. For                                                                                     the farm and regularly feeding information back to farmers
instance, those who are good at finishing stock will buy                                                                                       so decisions can be made from those results.
animals from someone who is geographically higher up.
                                                                                                                                               We’re also working to expand chilled sales into new
Addressing the timing for markets is a two-way street. The                                                                                     markets that do not depend on the European game season
industry is working on many initiatives to increase supply                                                                                     – currently Germany takes 33 per cent of New Zealand
into the vital September–October period; everyone in the                                                                                       venison. We are exploring other opportunities, including
sector is familiar with “faster, earlier and heavier”.                                                                                         doing a lot of work with the US and Canadian markets.
Deer farmers are always looking for improvements to their                                                                                      We certainly have many selling points. The great strengths
operations. The genetic input over the past 20 years has                                                                                       of New Zealand grass-fed venison are its mild taste and
been staggering. The work done by DINZ and initiatives                                                                                         consistent quality. We know the meat we supply will give
such as Deer Industry Focus Farms and Advance Parties are                                                                                      our customers a premium eating experience every time and
valuable.                                                                                                                                      we can position it as a superior product.
                                                                                                                                               When we take overseas customers for deer farm visits –
                                                                                                                                               such as Jonathan Wallis’s Minaret Station – the incredible
Contents                                                                                                                                       locations and pristine environment leave a major
  Editorial: ............................................................................................................................. 3   impression.
  On farm:                                                                                                                                     Venison is a great fit for our business. We don’t have any
       Smart thinking at Clayton Station .............................................................................. 4                      one customer who takes solely venison, so we can build the
       Getting to the guts of the matter at Quartz Hill ......................................................... 8                            Pure South Venison brand without reinventing the wheel.
  General news:                                                                                                                                Total New Zealand production is about 420,000 animals
       Obituary: Bob Robertson ............................................................................................. 7                 but this is predicted to drop to 385,000 this season before
       South Canterbury/North Otago velvet competition ................................................22                                      stabilising . Alliance Group processes about 30 percent of
       The exotic world of maral deer..................................................................................24                      the New Zealand total.
       Dr Colin Mackintosh: A career in deer........................................................................27
       Flying start for Top of the South Velvet Competition ...............................................30                                  As long as venison can be cost effective, we believe there
                                                                                                                                               will be a market and we want people to stay in the sector
       Coming events ...........................................................................................................42
                                                                                                                                               and expand.
  Industry news:
       Pure South venison on tables around the world ......................................................14                                  If we keep doing what we are good at, deer farmers keep
       Venison dishes amongst culinary finalists ...............................................................18                             doing what they are good at, and we all remain committed,
  Market Report:                                                                                                                               then we will achieve the results we are aiming for.
       Venison ......................................................................................................................19        Terry O’Connell, Alliance Group Marketing Manager,
       Velvet ........................................................................................................................20       Venison, Lamb and Sheep Meat
  NZDFA Branch Chairmen’s Conference:
       Challenges and opportunities ahead: Coup .............................................................31
       Venison marketing session .......................................................................................33                     Deer Industry News is published by Deer Industry New Zealand six times a year in February, April,
                                                                                                                                               June, August, October and December. It is circulated to all known deer farmers, processors, exporters
       Positive outlook for velvet season ............................................................................35                       and others with an interest in the deer industry. The opinions expressed in Deer Industry News do
       The not-so-secret agents ..........................................................................................36                   not necessarily reflect the views of Deer Industry New Zealand or the NZ Deer Farmers’ Association.
       Grassroots environmental stewardship ....................................................................38                             Circulation enquiries: Deer Industry New Zealand,
       Tough message on red meat sector ..........................................................................39                           PO Box 10-702, Wellington, Ph 04 471 6114, Fax 04 472 5549, Email info@deernz.org
       Update from OSPRI New Zealand .............................................................................41                           Editorial and advertising enquiries: Words & Pictures, PO Box 27-221, Wellington,
  DINZ news:                                                                                                                                   Ph 04 384 4688, Fax 04 384 4667, Email din@wordpict.co.nz
       Body condition score chart .......................................................................................32                    Cover: Jono’s breakfast, by Angela Blair (Bayer New Zealand Deer Industry Photo Awards, 2014).
                                                                                                                                               Image work: Rory Stewart.

Issue 69 • December 2014/January 2015                                                                                                                                                                                                              3
DEER INDUSTRY NEWSISSN 1176-0753 - Deer Industry New Zealand
on farm

   Smart thinking at Clayton Station
   ❚ by Tony Pearse, Producer Manager, Deer Industry New Zealand

   When the Orbell family bought the 4,102-hectare Clayton Station in 1967 there were just 12 paddocks and 5 blocks
   and no history of fertiliser use. Today the sheep, beef and deer operation is run on 158 paddocks and 25 blocks,
   dressed by 200 tonnes of fertiliser. That is big progress over a couple of generations but for Hamish, Anna and Ruth
   Orbell, there is plenty more scope for improvement. DINZ Producer Manager, Tony Pearse, went along to the final
   Focus Farm field day at Clayton Station and was impressed by the attitude and innovative approach of the hard-
   working young team on the property.
   Three and a half years’ good progress was reviewed at a                                    The field day featured three recent innovations at Clayton
   well-attended final day of the South Canterbury Focus                                      developed in response to productivity issues identified
   Farm involving Clayton Station (breeding) and Downlands                                    during the programme:
   Deer (finishing). Discussion focused on changes in feeding,                                 • self-feed silage pit and hind management
   environmental management and addressing opportunities                                       • hind breeding programme and environmental plans
   identified at the first field day. This article provides an                                 • matagouri spraying and hill country grain feeding in
   overview of the progress made at Clayton Station by the                                         late lactation using Advantage grain feeders.
   Orbell family.
   While some performance measures such as weaner                                             Productivity improvement
   weights have been static for the past three seasons (Table
   1), the numbers of tail-end and late weaners have been                                     Facilitator Nicky
   dramatically reduced. There is a significant opportunity                                   Hyslop discussed
   to make further advances, aided by the recent purchase                                     productivity
   of elite hinds and a new policy of breeding known-value                                    improvement on
   replacement hinds.                                                                         the property, both
                                                                                              historically and over
   Another opportunity identified is growing surplus high-                                    the past three years
   quality grass and using this more efficiently and profitably                               (Figures 1 and 2).
   in new wintering systems, a strategy enabled through                                       While this was not
   subdivision and cattle grazing. This will be discussed in                                  always straight forward
   more detail in the February Deer Industry News.                                            to measure – and
   Additional cash flow has been generated through contract                                   the industry doesn’t
   dairy heifer grazing.                                                                      routinely report
                                                                                              productivity as a
   Deer currently make up 20 percent of the station’s 25,000
                                                                                              benchmark – she said Nicky Hyslop (with microphone) and
   stock units (SU) (Table 1). There is scope to increase deer                                                              Hamish Orbell at the Clayton Station field
                                                                                              it is a valuable index
   numbers and that has been done to a limited extent, but for                                                              day.
                                                                                              against other industry
   Clayton Station this will require positive market signals and
                                                                                              standards and key
   confidence in longer term strengthening of venison returns.
                                                                                              performance indicators (KPIs). Important points from this
    YEAR            1967    1992     1996     2000     2011/12   2012/13   2013/14   2014     discussion were as follows.
                                                                                     Target     • The project and Clayton are focused on the impact of
                                                                                                     costs in achieving the increased productivity.
    Hind            100     826      1,000    1,000    1,00      1,291     1,261     1,400
    Numbers                                                                                     • An important KPI for productivity is the weight of
                                                                                                     product going out the gate to sale, relative to the
    R2 Hinds                                  161      120       227       186       170
                                                                                                     weight of livestock wintered. To achieve its deer
    R1 Hinds                                  230      300       270       232       300             productivity KPI, Clayton’s target in the deer breeding
    Velvet Stags            220      200      240      150       88        90        150             operation (and selling weaners in March to Downlands
                                                                                                     Deer) is 26.5 percent (Table 1). Hyslop cautioned that
    R2 Stags                                           106       66        116       50
                                                                                                     the real success in reaching targets like these can be
    R1 Stags                                  240      54        175       392       70              known only when the costs of production are factored
    Sire Stags              6        14       23       25        33        31        30              in.
    Deer SU         200     2,443    2,749    3,972    3,273     4,203     4,641     4,482      • Sheep productivity has benefited significantly through
                                                                                                     price rises over the past three years.
    % of Total SU   2%      10%      11%      15%      16%       22%       20%       20%
                                                                                                • All enterprises are now benefiting from the aggressive
    Productivity    1,582   17,505   26,472   37,026   30,388    47,895    60,095    52,125          development programme over the past 46 years.
    kg product
                                                                                                     Clayton now runs about 25,000 SU, up from 7,000 SU
    Productivity    14.5%   16.1%    19.6%    24.4%    26.0%     23.3%     27.9%     26.5%           in 1967. More importantly, per-head and per-hectare
    kg/kgLW                                                                                          production is also significantly higher.
    Wintered
                                                                                                • Revenue has increased from $1.53 million in 1999/2000
    Fawning %       50%     58%      75%      85%      90%       90%       85%       92%             ($57.90/SU) to $2.1 million in 2013/14 ($92.9/SU). The
    Weaning         40      42       45       48       53        54        54        58              average South Island high country return in 2013/14
    Weight (kg)                                                                                      was $86.98/SU.
                                                                                                • Costs have remained high because many of the
   Table 1: Deer numbers and productivity at Clayton Station, 1967–2014.                             activities are still part of a large
                                                                                                                                                continued on page 6
   4                                                                                                                              Deer Industry News
DEER INDUSTRY NEWSISSN 1176-0753 - Deer Industry New Zealand
DEER INDUSTRY NEWSISSN 1176-0753 - Deer Industry New Zealand
on farm
       Clayton: continued from page 4
           development programme which requires a strong team
           of young staff and a big investment in lime, fertiliser,
                                                                                   Deer stock policy
           stock feed and animal health. Total expenses are $55.0/                 The aim is to increase replacement hind weights and body
           SU ($1.25 million) relative to the South Island high                    condition score at mating to increase fawning percentage
           country average of $52.54/SU.                                           and quality (through genetics and feeding) and to increase
       •   Clayton’s expenses are targeted at productivity                         long-term weaning weights.
           enhancement. For deer this means improving genetics                     The deer operation has been reviewed over the past five
           and the quality and quantity of feed as they affect
                                                                                   years. The emphasis for the deer herd (currently 4,641 SU)
           lactation and weaner performance (weaning weight).
                                                                                   has been to produce sale weaners as part of a long-term
                                                                                   and well planned contractual arrangement with Downlands
                                                                                   Deer. Historically, 50 percent of the hinds have gone to an
                                                                                   English red maternal sire and 50 percent to a terminal sire.
                                                                                   There will be a shift to an expanded and re-balanced deer
                                                                                   unit involving velvet production and the establishment of
                                                                                   an elite herd for replacements (35 percent of total hinds).
                                                                                   Some replacement hinds will be purchased, preferably in
                                                                                   fawn. A core elite antler herd allows Hamish Orbell to retain
                                                                                   his keen interest in trophy antler production.
                                                                                   Table 2: Clayton Station progress against key performance indicators
                                                                                   2011–2014.

                                                                                    Measure          2011         2012           2013         2014         DINZ
                                                                                                                                                           Target
                                                                                    Scanning %       (30% hinds   (30% hinds     (100%
                                                                                    MA Hinds         scanned)     scanned)       hinds
   Figure 1: Financial performance at Clayton Station 1999/2000–2013/14,            R2 Hinds                                     scanned)
   including deer net income
                                                                                                     98%          98%            85% MA       97% MA       95%
                                                                                                     95%          92%            79% R2       76% R2       85%
                                                                                                                                 (lower due
                                                                                                                                 to snow)
                                                                                    Fawning %        90%          90% (MA+R2)    (Wean%)                   90%
                                                                                    MA Hinds         87%                         78–91%
                                                                                    R2 Hinds                                     76%
                                                                                    Weaner           52kg         53kg           54kg         53kg         65kg
                                                                                    liveweights:
                                                                                    10 March
                                                                                    Weaner liveweight gains (g/day)
                                                                                    Autumn                        194 (red)      150 (red)    125* (red)   280–300
                                                                                    Winter                        118 (red)      70 (red)     90 (red)     100
                                                                                    Spring                        ~327 (elite    250                       360–400
                                                                                                                  stags)
   Figure 2: Productivity by livestock class (total kg, left axis) and total for                                  ~186 (term.
   farm (kg/ha, right axis)                                                                                       stags)
                                                                                                                  ~111 (red
                                                                                                                  hinds)
                                                                                    Average          54kg         56kg           56kg                      65kg +10%
                                                                                    venison
                                                                                    carcass weight
                                                                                    (kg)

                                                                                   *sheep tapeworm found

                                                                                   Coming up
                                                                                   In the February 2015 Deer Industry News we will review the
                                                                                   SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats)
                                                                                   analysis that was done for Clayton Station at the beginning
                                                                                   of the Focus Farm programme, and show how the Orbells
                                                                                   and their team have responded. We will also take a closer
                                                                                   look at some of the innovative ways they have tackled
                                                                                   challenges such as improving the quality of water leaving
                                                                                   the farm, and some clever thinking “inside the box” to help
   It is a given that today’s development at Clayton Station emphasises            ensure animals receive the quality and quantity of feed
   environmental protection and water quality.                                     required to meet productivity targets.

   6                                                                                                                            Deer Industry News
DEER INDUSTRY NEWSISSN 1176-0753 - Deer Industry New Zealand
general news

Obituary: Bob Robertson
Bob Robertson lost his short battle with cancer on 16 November, just five weeks after being diagnosed.
                                                                The results of this work were reflected in awards in both the
                                                                National Velvet Competition and the National Hard Antler
                                                                and Rising Star Awards.
                                                                A keen hunter, Bob was one of only a handful of deer
                                                                farmers in the late 1980s to begin bringing overseas clients
                                                                to hunt animals on a game estate. A relatively new concept
                                                                for New Zealand then, Bob set out to break the SCI world
                                                                record, which he had done within the first year. He went
                                                                on to break the world record three times and he was very
                                                                proud when he broke the SCI World Record with a home-
                                                                bred stag, Prince Philip, in 2012.
                                                                Bob has produced a number of top stags supplied to the
                                                                industry in the past 30 or more years. He has also purchased
                                                                many high-priced stags from other studs over this time.
                                                                He was passionate about deer farming and will be
                                                                remembered for his enthusiasm and major contribution to
                                                                the New Zealand deer industry.
                                                                Bob was also well known outside the deer industry for his
                                                                ambitious and visionary business ventures.
                                                                His Infinity Group company led developments throughout
                                                                the South Island, including in Wanaka and Christchurch,
                                                                including a proposal to build a $150 million monorail
Bob took over the family farm in 1982 and began deer
                                                                linking Queenstown and Milford Sound.
farming shortly afterwards, changing the name of the farm
from Foveran Station to Foveran Deer Park.                      The group’s ongoing property developments include Marina
                                                                Terrace Apartments, 44 luxury apartments overlooking Lake
He was an entrepreneur and always thought big. He invited
                                                                Wanaka, and Ravenswood, a lifestyle development in North
potential investors to purchase deer that he would farm
                                                                Canterbury.
for them in return for a share of the progeny. It wasn’t long
before he had bought all of these deer and farmed them in       Bob also developed the new Pegasus township, north of
his own right.                                                  Christchurch, which was sold to Todd Property Group last
                                                                year.
Bob initially purchased helicopter-captured hinds from
Tim Wallis and then bought imported elk from Canada and         Paul Croft, who took over as Infinity Group general manager
red deer from Glaadt Park in Germany. These were farmed         when Bob became ill, described Bob as “a visionary force in
jointly on Foveran and deer sales began 32 years ago.           the local market for over a decade”, adding that in addition
                                                                to his high-profile business activities, many local people
Eventually Bob decided his passion was for red deer
                                                                and community organisations benefited from his generosity
farming and sold his entire elk herd, which included some
                                                                and support.
of the best genetics available in New Zealand at the time. By
this time he had purchased a large number of Glaadt Park        Former Queenstown Lakes District Council Mayor Clive
red deer in England. He embarked on an embryo transfer          Geddes said Bob would be most remembered for his ideas
(ET) programme and began importing the progeny from             and energy and for his support of the community he chose
there.                                                          to live in.
From small beginnings, Bob built his red deer herd up to        One of Infinity’s first projects in Wanaka was to build
3,000 head and from 1989 continued to improve the genetics      Lakeside Apartments, which “rebooted the development
of the deer on Foveran through ET programmes. During this       economy in Wanaka that had been in recess for some years”.
time he invested heavily in genetics from other studs to a      The deer industry extends its condolences to Bob’s partner
point where most top industry sires were represented in his     Anna and their two teenage children Ben and Kim.
herd and used in his ET breeding programmes. Bob was very
modest about these programmes, which were the biggest of        Sources: Barry Gard, The Press
their kind in the world.

Velvet scales - OK to ask                                       Mark Acland
Some velvet producers have asked DINZ about how to              As many in the deer farming community may be aware,
ensure buyers’ scales are accurate. DINZ has raised this        Mark Acland – a pioneer in the industry – passed away on 7
with several velvet buyers who report that they check their     September. An obituary for Mark is being prepared with the
scales each season. If you are selling velvet you are within    help of his friend and colleague, Sir Tim Wallis, and will be
your rights to ask a buyer for documentary proof that their     published in the February 2015 issue of Deer Industry News.
scales have been calibrated.

Issue 69 • December 2014/January 2015                                                                                          7
DEER INDUSTRY NEWSISSN 1176-0753 - Deer Industry New Zealand
on farm

   Getting to the guts of the matter at Quartz Hill
   ❚ by Phil Stewart, Deer Industry News Editor

   Good technical advice from nutrition adviser Greg Smith provided a focus for the September meeting of the
   Canterbury Advance Party at Quartz Hill Station. What goes on in the murky depths of a deer’s rumen provided a
   useful platform for a constructive session on nutrition, while Dan and Georgie Harper talked over getting the best out
   of a newly fenced hill block and also managing the transition of hybrid weaners onto fodder beet.
   There are nine farms in the Canterbury Advance Party,                      dressed) and the balance higher hill country. There is also a
   which is facilitated by consultant Wayne Allan.                            finishing block 9km away at Windwhistle.
   The day started with a quick report from each of the group’s               Several environmental challenges make things interesting,
   members. Most were troubled by the dry spring conditions                   including dry summers and autumns, cold winters,
   at that stage.                                                             frequent winds and a clay pan. Nonetheless it’s a successful
                                                                              operation combining Rakaia red deer with Angus and Angus
                                                                              cross cattle and about 4,200 Perendale ewes.
                                                                                                                     The Station runs 850 red
                                                                                                                     hinds and 300 velvetting
                                                                                                                     stags. About half the hinds
                                                                                                                     are mated to red stags
                                                                                                                     to breed replacements
                                                                                                                     and the other half go to a
                                                                                                                     terminal sire. The station
                                                                                                                     has traditionally been a
                                                                                                                     breeding-only operation,
                                                                                                                     running a weaner sale
   Many in the Advance Party group had been affected by a cool, dry spring.                                          each autumn, but in a big
                                                                              Dan Harper explains the strategy
                                                                                                                     change this year, they have
                                                                              behind using the hill block for the
   Several were interested in use of in-shed wintering systems,               Quartz Hill hinds.                     moved to finishing their
   noting that the systems and adaptations made to feeding                                                           own deer.
   and management had a considerably positive effect on                       In March this year there was a bit of a hiccup with an
   feed intake and growth rates. The economics of wintering                   outbreak of yersiniosis following weaning the hybrids, when
   systems were also discussed. While building a shed for the                 they were caught out by the same storm that caused serious
   job could be a viable option, factoring in depreciation could
                                                                              flooding in Christchurch. Only 10–15 animals were lost, but
   wipe out any direct benefits from the increased growth
   rates, it was agreed. The advantages of having a bank of                   many more were ill and needed antibiotic treatment with
   early spring pasture feed for the weaners at the end of the                Bivatop®. All of the hybrids were also given a course of
   in-wintering period were noted but not costed into this                    Yersiniavax® vaccine and no further deaths occurred after
   discussion.                                                                this. Colin Guild said he had overestimated the resilience
   Other points of note from the group included:                              of the weaner hybrids but was unsure whether they should
    • weaner growth rates were significantly checked by an                    continue vaccinating next year.
       extended wet spell                                                     Others noted that a feed check, which slowed gut
    • better nutrition of mixed age hinds on one property                     movement, and the stress of handling could precipitate
       was behind an 8 percent improvement in scanning to                     yersiniosis and several of the Advance Party group now
       98 percent                                                             routinely vaccinate.
    • a big range of weight gains within weaner mobs was
                                                                              Dan Harper said the hybrid weaners had been put onto
       causing concern on several properties
                                                                              fodder beet around the beginning of July and had been
    • a trial with chemical topping to improve feed quality
                                                                              doing well, putting on up to 166g per day in August. By early
       during late lactation had been successful; only part of
       a paddock had been done, but the area was growing                      September that had eased back to about 113g/day and they
       visibly better and producing great feed                                were soon to come off the crop.
    • a dry summer–autumn period and poor nutrition                           The Harpers were keen to know what the best strategy was
       had resulted in a 30 percent dry rate among first and                  for using fodder beet. The weaners had now plateaued and
       second calvers on one property.                                        needed to come off – supporting the conventional wisdom
                                                                              that 60–70 days is enough – and were being replaced on
   State of play at Quartz Hill                                               there by the velvetting stags (see update below).
   Quartz Hill Station is the family property of Colin and Hilary             The red weaners had been run on kale with baleage through
   Guild, and is being managed by their daughter and son-in-                  winter and, while they still looked good, Dan suspected they
   law, Georgie and Dan Harper. The 2,910 hectare property                    might have been getting sick of the diet and were ready to
   runs up to 970 metres. About 30 percent is cultivable rolling              move to something else.
   country, 20 percent is easier hill country (mostly top-
                                                                                                                              continued on page 10

   8                                                                                                                Deer Industry News
DEER INDUSTRY NEWSISSN 1176-0753 - Deer Industry New Zealand
ENSURE YOUR WEANERS
ARE READY FOR THE CHILLED MARKET
                                            “No time is more key for deer farmers than January/February
                                                                  during and immediately after weaning”

BY GARETH GILLATT

Advantage Feeders’ new grain feeder
system has become an essential tool
for keeping weaners and hinds in
top condition for North Canterbury
deer farmer Stuart Stokes.
Stokes farms 800 English Red breed-
ing hinds on his 300 ha property at
Sheffield, one hour west of Christ-
church.
While there are many crucial times on
the calendar for deer farmers, Stokes
says that, in terms of feed budgeting
and animal nutrition management,
no time is more key than between
January and February, during and im-
mediately after weaning.                    Barley is used to supplement live-          “There was wastage both in barley
                                            stock’s diet and Stokes says before         and in animals,” says Stokes.
With hinds going out to stags in            2011 it was fed out once a day from a
January-March, Stokes says hinds                                                        He bought his first 1800 litre NGF1800
                                            tow behind grain bin onto the ground        Advantage Feeders in 2011 and no-
need to be put on a rising plain of nu-     behind his truck.
trition to get them cycling ahead of                                                    ticed how much time he was saving.
                                            This is a time consuming exercise
mating so they will produce a fawn                                                      Instead of traveling out to paddocks
                                            which didn’t give him much control
early in the next season.                                                               once a day, he only needed to refill the
                                            over how much the deer were eating
                                                                                        feeder once a week.
Feeding is also crucial for weaners at      or who was getting it.
this time too says Stokes as animals        “It is like feeding lollies, they’ll meet   Stokes introduces the feeders to
that can’t produce a 45kg carcass           you at the gate and it’s hard to get        the hinds and fawns in January,
weight by the close of the chilled mar-     into the paddock.                           just before weaning.
ket in late October need to be pro-         Within two minutes of getting into          While Stokes uses that time to get
cessed frozen and bring a much lower        the paddock it’s gone,” he said.            hinds to teach fawns how to use the
price.                                                                                  feeder, he has also noticed other
                                            Stokes says this resulted in wasted
                                                                                        benefits including hinds recovering
“If you can get that part of it right you   time, effort and stock losses due to
                                                                                        from calving faster and better growth
get a hind back in calf early and get a     the manner deer were eating the high
                                                                                        rates in weaners.
better fawn rate the following year as      protein food.
well as getting a good weaner that is       “Because of the way animals were            To learn more about our
ready for the chilled market.               eating it some weren’t getting any          Advanced Adjustment System and
It really plays a big part in how profit-   while some deer were getting far too        how it can work on your farm, call
able the rest of the year will be”.         much,” he said.                             us now on 09 431 7276.
DEER INDUSTRY NEWSISSN 1176-0753 - Deer Industry New Zealand
on farm
   Quartz Hill: continued from page 8

                                                                         The importance of gut function
                                                                         Guest nutrition adviser was Greg Smith MSc, an
                                                                         independent whole-farm nutritional consultant and trainer
                                                                         with significant experience in deer. Introducing Smith,
                                                                         Wayne Allan recalled a beef cattle client who was frustrated
                                                                         at achieving growth rates in heifers of only 300g/day, while
                                                                         his neighbour using the same crop was doing 800g/day. The
                                                                         difference, Wayne said, was the way the transition to crop
                                                                         was managed. Once that was done properly, his client was
                                                                         matching his neighbour.
                                                                         Smith said there were three important aspects with feeding
                                                                         and nutrition: quantity, quality and digestive efficiency.
                                                                         Feed management affects all these factors.
                                                                         He began with a lesson in deer gut function. Of the four
                                                                         stomachs (rumen, omasum, abomasum and reticulum), the
   Red weaners had been on kale and baleage, but were probably getting   rumen is the all-important fermentation chamber.
   sick of this diet.
                                                                         With certain deer species, some studies in various countries
   “We’re still not sure what to put on when and where in these          have shown that the larger the rumen in relation to body
   crops.”                                                               weight, the more likely a deer will tend to be a grazer, he
   Another question was whether or not to try and “beat the              explained. “The relative rumen capacity can affect the type
   schedule” when choosing a time to send away slaughter                 of feed that a species will process more efficiently.”
   stock, a familiar quandary for many finishers. “We don’t              Looking at the papillae or “fingers” in the rumen lining,
   know whether to concentrate on weight gain or on catching             Smith said the longer the papillae, the more efficiently they
   the peak schedule.”                                                   will help with the absorption of nutrients from the rumen.
   A 220-hectare hill block had been deer fenced this year and           The type of feed given to deer can affect the rumen papillae
   fertiliser put on for the first time in five years. It was home       size, although there is a lag time, he added. On a balanced
   to 750 hinds for up to three months. “They came off in                diet, carbohydrates in feed can help develop a more
   really good condition – we’re not sure if we could have left          efficient rumen function, although this can be delayed by
   them there longer, but we didn’t want them losing condition           weeks if there has been a feed or nutritional setback.
   and then paying for it later.”                                        The rumen wall contracts about one to three times a minute
   In later discussion, Wayne Allan said there are two reasons           in deer to help expel gas through the gullet, mix the gut
   for taking hinds off a hill block: because there is not enough        contents and keep the digestion process moving. Anything
   feed, or because they are not keeping up with the growth.             that interrupts the contractions, such as poor diet or certain
                                                                         plants toxins, can lead to bloat or inefficient digestion.
   The hinds were now on straight silage and only about 10               On fodder beet crops, a poorly managed transition could
   skinny ones needed to be taken out to be brought back up              potentially cause marginal cases of rumen acidosis, which
   to good condition in their own grass paddock.                         undermines digestive efficiency. “In those marginal cases
   The mixed age stags were on fodder beet, moving to good               the animals might look all right but they are not performing
   pasture after button drop.                                            as well as they should be.”

   Early summer update
   As Deer Industry News was going to press on the first official        Dan said the mixed-age stags that had three weeks on
   day of summer, there was snow on the hills and conditions             fodder beet at the end of winter came off in excellent
   were still tough at Quartz Hill. Dan said it had been a kind          condition. While it was too early to tell if this had translated
   winter but a very tough spring with persistent nor’westers            into velvet production, weights looked to be about 100g
   and lack of sunshine put grass growth well below average.             ahead of last season.
   Despite the challenges, the new policy of finishing their
   own stock had made a promising start, with 140 hybrid
   weaners being processed to date, averaging 57kg carcass
   weight. Dan said it was not a bad start but there was room for
   improvement. “We could possibly get more weight onto the
   weaners before winter and we’re looking to further improve
   pasture swards with red clover, chicory, plantain and so on.”
   At the suggestion of Advance party members, the Harpers
   had set stocked the newly fenced hill block a month earlier
   than usual at 1.8 hinds per hectare, to try and control feed
   quality. “We put 350 wapiti-mated hinds onto this block, all
   with a condition score of 4 or better. The ten lighter hinds
   were set stocked on the paddocks.”
                                                                         The mixed-age stags came off the fodder beet in great condition.

   10                                                                                                        Deer Industry News
on farm

He said it was important to keep some effective fibre in
the diet when animals were on fodder beet. “Although the
time may be less, it can take up to two weeks for rumen
microbial populations to adapt to a new crop.”
                                                                                                   WITH YERSINIOSIS,
Beneficial microbes latch on to the food particles and                                           IT’S ONLY A QUESTION
secrete enzymes that help digest them. “The rumen is a
continuous fermentation vat where food is broken down
                                                                                                       OF WHEN.
into usable substances. The microbes get the first shot at it.
                                        If you upset them,
                                        because of your
                                        feed management,
                                        you ultimately
                                        upset the animal’s
                                        performance. If
                                        you’re farming deer,
                                        you’re farming
                                        rumen microbes
                                        too.”
                                               Smith explained
Greg Smith: It’s not just about the quantity or that during the
quality of feed, but also efficiency of digestion. feed digestive
                                          process the bacteria
produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs), which are required
by the animal and are largely absorbed from the rumen.
Each of the three main types of VFA (propionic, acetic and
butyric acids) has important functions in the animal. “For
example, in general terms, propionic acid absorbed by the
animal is converted to glucose in the liver and mostly used                         VACCINATE NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.
for energy production – brain function, muscle function,
milk production and so on, while acetic acid is principally
involved in fat deposition and milk fat.” These acids are
                                                                                     Yersiniosis is a highly infectious disease that strikes
balanced in the rumen by saliva.                                                     weaner deer during late autumn and winter. Commonly
                                                                                     triggered by stresses such as - poor nutrition, changes
“The more sugar and starch you have in the diet, the                                 in feed, yarding, transport and bad weather - it rapidly
more acid tends to be produced and also the ruminal                                  leads to bloody scours and death.

acid balance changes, hence the potential for rumen                                  To protect your herd over weaning and through the high
                                                                                     risk periods, talk to your vet now about Yersiniavax®.
acidosis to occur, so physically effective fibre is needed to
stimulate saliva production. Also, well-developed rumen-
lining papillae help the flow of acid out of the rumen into
the animal’s bloodstream. Too much fibre though, and
performance will go down. It’s about balance.”
Smith said deer that were natural browsers, including red
deer and elk, had been shown to have larger salivary glands
than other species. Substances in the saliva also helped
process condensed tannins in the diet. Although these
tannins can have some advantages in the diet, you can have            AVAILABLE ONLY UNDER VETERINARY AUTHORISATION.
                                                                      ACVM No: A6151. ®Registered trademark. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd.
                                                                      Phone: 0800 800 543. www.msd-animal-health.co.nz . NZ/YSVX/0914/0001
too much of a good thing.
Digestive efficiency could be affected by:
 • balance or imbalance of the diet
 • sudden changes in feed                                           Digestibility of pasture varied at different times and, as
 • underfeeding                                                     a general rule, the more digestible the feed, the less that
                                                                    would be required from a nutritional perspective. Smith
 • excessive sugars and starches
                                                                    noted that roller or hammer milling barley could make it
 • feed protein imbalances
                                                                    more digestible, but for deer there was a risk of making the
 • excessive minerals
                                                                    carbohydrates too quickly degradable and causing acidosis
 • inadequate water
                                                                    – the key was to make sure the diet was properly balanced
 • disease organisms.                                               including with the right amount of effective fibre.
Smith said the pH in a healthy rumen of a deer on pasture           Chicory ranked higher on the digestibility scale, although
fluctuated within the 5.8–6.4 range. It was generally lower         that advantage had to be balanced against its persistence.
on fodder beet and a little higher on hay-type diets. If this       Variable pasture species generally provided enough fibre. A
dropped too low (more acidic) it could result in acidosis           possible exception was during the spring flush, when extra
which damages the rumen lining.                                     nitrogen might make feed more tender and soft.
                                                                                                                                                  continued on page 12
Issue 69 • December 2014/January 2015                                                                                                                              11
on farm
   Quartz Hill: continued from page 11
   Smith said that while high feed digestibility is desirable,     through the rumen wall. Ammonia is inherently toxic to the
   a balance is needed in the diet, with some effective fibre      animal. It finds its way through the blood to the liver where
   component available. “You don’t want it moving through          it is detoxified through conversion to urea, which can be
   the animal too quickly. It’s not just about the quantity        seen in pasture as urine burn patches in extreme cases. To
   of feed, or its quality, but also efficiency of digestion.      be useful in the rumen microbial digestive process, protein
   Importantly, the more a farmer or manager can understand        in the diet needs to be balanced by energy available from
   about what actually is happening inside the animal, the         sugars and starches. Rumen microbes also require minerals,
   simpler it becomes to determine the cause of problems           but excessive mineral inputs may adversely affect these
   and to solve the issues. Improving our knowledge of how         microbes and their function.
   the animal functions is very useful. It’s important to ask      When getting pasture analysed, Smith said the commonly
   whether your feed management conflicts with what the            used metabolisable energy (ME) measure was a
   animal really requires.”                                        mathematical calculation derived from digestibility. It was
   Nutrition and antler growth                                     useful to a point, but a true measure of sugars and starches
   Antler growth is like a jigsaw, Smith said. Factors such as     in pasture could be more helpful in fine-tuning diets.
   hormones, photoperiod, nutrition and genetics all interact      Silage quality
   and play a part.                                                If silage gives off a sickly, a “sharp” or a vinegary smell, that’s
   Noting that some traits were significantly heritable, Smith     a sign all is not well. Greg Smith said as well as the usual
   said poor nutrition or disease could prevent velvetting stags   silage tests, it’s worth spending a few extra dollars getting
   from realising their true potential. In practice, genetics      silage analysed for fermentation acids, soluble sugars
   may not mean a lot if there are ongoing issues with feed        and starches. This gives a better indication of how well or
   quantity, quality and digestive efficiency – the animals are    poorly the silage’s fermentation process has gone, and its
   restricted from reaching their genetic potential. Protein       nutritional value. He said typically most contractors charge
   was an essential component – not just “protein” itself, but     based only on dry matter, but that really doesn’t address
   the types of protein and protein fractions and how often it     pasture quality, which can be compromised, for example, if
   was fed. Consistency is a key. Smith said genetics and gut      the baleage wrapping is inadequate or ensiling was poorly
   function interacted in a complex way. Trials have indicated     done. Smith finished with pointers for making good silage:
   that some deer do worse than others while all under the           • Good silage cannot be made from poor quality pasture.
   same good feed conditions; others do well only when feed          • Poor quality silage results in lower intake, lower silage
   conditions are good; and some perform better than others               digestibility, lower nutrient intake, reduced production
   on the same restricted diet.                                           and possible animal health problems.
   Dietary mineral content and its effect on antler growth was       • Take care to get the chop length right for the crop
   discussed a lot in many countries, Smith said. But while               being harvested (grass, cereals, lucerne, etc.)
   some minerals had been well-researched in relation to             • Avoid contamination with earth.
   deer antler, others had not. The calcium–phosphorus ratio         • Avoid poor quality pasture at ensiling and overly
   had been examined and appears to have an influence on                  wet (low dry matter) or overly dry (high dry matter)
   antler strength and growth, as may copper content. Some                pasture.
   research has indicated that low copper and phosphorus             • Compact and seal well – generally at least six layers of
   could lead to undue antler breakage. If calcium (in balance            wrap for baleage.
   with magnesium, phosphorus, copper and manganese) was             • Focus on quality for deer – levels of sugars, starches,
   inadequate, at certain times the animal can start to resorb            protein and minerals over simple dry matter weight.
                                                                          This might put you at odds with the contractor. It’s an
   calcium from its bone to compensate.
                                                                          educational process.
   Links have also been observed between weaning weight, as          • Use an inoculant with lactic acid bacteria to kick-start
   well as later antler growth, and how well a stag was fed by            fermentation if you want “cheap insurance”.
   its mother when it was a fawn. If animals are compromised         • Feed silage as quickly as possible after the pit is
   when they are young, this can affect their later productive            opened and the face is exposed to the air.
   lives, said Smith. Good nutrition through lactation can           • If there is mould visible in places, there could be
   benefit not only weaner weights, but also, it appears, velvet          microscopic moulds and toxins in other places that
   production later on.                                                   are invisible to the naked eye. More often than not it’s
   Wayne Allan noted that there was a law of diminishing                  near the exposed surface or the surfaces near the wrap
                                                                          or cover. Mycotoxins from fungal growth can result in
   returns when it came to feeding for good velvet growth –
                                                                          abortion, lowered production and weight loss.
   there was a sweet spot where production was enhanced, but
   additional feeding beyond this would yield no extra benefit.
                                                                   Want to know more?
   Protein component
                                                                   For further information on deer feeding and feed sources,
   Smith said the minimum crude protein component in               visit the Deer Hub: www.deernz.org/deerhub/feeding
   a diet should be around 16 percent on average, but this
                                                                   For a silage making manual: www.pioneer.co.nz/assets/
   figure depends on the type of animal and its growth phase
                                                                   publications/inoculants/SpringManual.pdf
   or other status (e.g. pregnancy, lactation). It also depends
   on the balance of protein fractions in the feed. Too much       To contact Greg Smith: contactgreg2010@gmail.com
   rumen-degradable protein in the diet will see excessive         For an interview with Dan Harper and discussion at the
   conversion to ammonia with subsequent absorption                Advance Party meeting: http://tinyurl.com/nh3v8kw

   12                                                                                               Deer Industry News
273 McKeown Rd
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SERAPIO DG
Growing @ 4yrs
30 Nov 14

                                                   PHOTOS & VIDEOS
                                              Updated every few days online

  Look what you missed.
  Be Smart. Don't miss out this year.

                                                                    IMBRIUS DG
                                                                 Growing @ 3yrs
                 www.deergeneticsnz.co.nz                             30 Nov 14
industry news

   Pure South venison on tables around the world
   Alliance’s Pure South venison is making its way to the kitchens and tables of Europe and in exciting new markets
   in Asia. Deer Industry News writer Ali Spencer talked to Alliance’s venison marketing team John Rabbitt and Terry
   O’Connell about the past, the present and what they think should be the future for New Zealand venison.
   While it was first established as a                                                                  network of subsidiaries, importers
   co-operative in 1948, Alliance is a                                                                  and other offices. These include
   relative newcomer to venison and                                                                     the New Zealand Lamb Company
   added the meat to its product mix                                                                    in North America, owned by a
   only in 1999, nearly four decades                                                                    collaborative consortium of Kiwi
   after it started processing sheep and                                                                exporters including Alliance, and
   beef cattle in 1960.                                                                                 the cooperative’s wholly owned UK
   With a recently announced turnover                                                                   subsidiary, New Zealand Farmers.
   of $1.46 billion for the year to 30                                                               The cooperative has invested a
   September 2014, the world’s largest                                                               lot into its refreshed “Pure South”
   sheepmeat processor and exporter                                                                  brand over the past few years, under
   now accounts for 30 percent of the                                                                which the majority of its venison is
   New Zealand deer kill, producing more than four million kg                 sold. Product going into North America is marketed by the
   of venison for export each year.                                           New Zealand Lamb Company under the Cervena® brand,
   About 120,000 head of deer are processed in two plants:                    however, which is well known in the United States and
   in a standalone plant alongside another for sheepmeat at                   Canada. Another brand, Ashley Venison, targets Metro retail
   Timaru-based Alliance Smithfield, and at the deer specialist               stores in continental Europe.
   plant Alliance Makarewa near Invercargill.                                 A lot of Alliance’s Pure South brand development is
   Within its 5,000 shareholders the cooperative has 450                      outsourced to in-market specialists who handle advertising,
   venison suppliers, ranging from very small farmers to large                public relations, point-of-sale material, events, sampling
   operations.                                                                and online activity. Like other exporters, the company has
                                                                              found social media is becoming increasingly important,
   “In Southland, particularly, we have very loyal supporters,”               particularly in China and India.
   says marketing manager, John Rabbitt, adding that they talk
   to the “big guys” about their time of supply.                              “It’s a case of exploiting those opportunities,” explains
                                                                              Rabbitt, adding that information technology using
   Alliance has been heavily involved in the Deer Progeny                     applications for smartphones and iPads, plus QR Codes, are
   Test (DPT) project, which is now entering its final stages.                becoming an integral part of campaigns.
   Carcasses of DPT progeny – the largest number scanned
   in New Zealand at one time – are being measured for traits                 A lot of the product development goes on in-market, adds
   and will be entered into the database.                                     O’Connell. The team works with in-market partners on pre-
                                                                              cooked ready meals, for example.
   The company is working with farmers and scientists on
   venison yield grading using the VIAscan® grading system                    Over the year, 70 percent of the Alliance product is exported
   but, because of the lack of fat cover with venison, this is a              frozen, as opposed to chilled, but the chilled component
   very different proposition to lamb and more development                    rises to 50 percent during the Northern Hemisphere game
   work is required, says Rabbitt. “We remain committed to                    season.
   the project to help our suppliers produce a quality raw
   material.”                                                                 Old friends, new friends, special friends
   The venison product range is sold as an extension to the                   Rabbitt alluded to the company’s marketing philosophy
   Alliance sheepmeat business through the company’s                          at this year’s Deer Industry Conference: “Old Friends, New
   Invercargill sales team. Working alongside Rabbitt is                      Friends, Special Friends.”
   venison marketing manager Terry O’Connell and Katrina
                                                                              For those old friends, based on traditional sheepmeat
   Allan, Alliance Group sales manager for sheepmeats/North
                                                                              customers mainly in Europe and North America, the
   Europe and venison. They are linked to the Alliance global

   John Rabbitt (left) with Terry O’Connell, two-thirds of Alliance Group’s
   venison marketing team.                                                    Pure South venison on the plate.

   14                                                                                                            Deer Industry News
industry news

business is run on a key account basis. Strong relationships
on the lamb side have been built up over many years of
trade with customers such as Davigel in France, UK retailer
Marks & Spencer (where it is the exclusive New Zealand
lamb supplier) and Sainsbury’s, explains Rabbitt.
“Venison is an extension of the product range and sold
alongside sheepmeat.”
He doesn’t expect relationships in those more mature
markets will change. Alliance personnel will continue to
travel as they have done this year. O’Connell visited Europe
in early September, ahead of the European game season
and Rabbitt attended the giant SIAL (Salon International de
L’Alimentation) Trade Fair in Paris as part of the company’s
annual lamb marketing offensive. Customers have made the
trip downunder as well.
The pair have noticed a focus on the supply chain by their
customers, with many changes in European systems. The
horsemeat scandal of last year “turbo-charged” a raft of
changes started during the global financial crisis.
“Price isn’t the first thing on their lips now; it’s integrity of
the supply chain,” says Rabbitt.
This makes Alliance’s work with Oritain – the company
offering scientific verification of origin – something of an
insurance policy.                                                   The German version of the Ashley Venison website, targeting Metro
                                                                    customers in Continental Europe, incorporates information about New
“If something does erupt, we have that to back us up,” he           Zealand venison with videos, tips and recipes.
says.
                                                                    products, including venison, edible offals and co-products,
Making new friends                                                  which was sent to the Grand Farm team, with another in
                                                                    transit at the time of writing. The R&D team is working with
Alliance has also been seeking to diversify and make                those to see what new products they could come up with.
“new friends” in a sweep from the East to the West in the
emerging “BRIC” markets of Brazil, Russia, India and the            “It’s going to take time, for sure,” says O’Connell, adding
People’s Republic of China.                                         that he is confident the work will produce interesting new
                                                                    products. “There is a lot of potential there and I’m sure we
It has been trading in China – a culture with a completely          can extract better value for co-products, in particular.”
different way of thinking about food, compared with New
Zealand’s traditional markets – for more than 20 years and          However, while there is currently no access for venison
O’Connell says the company is still learning from its two           into the market, it’s India that is the cooperative’s “new and
principal in-market partners. One of them, Grand Farms,             special friend”.
is the biggest importer of New Zealand sheepmeat and                Alliance has been working in the sub-continent since 2013
has an extensive research and development department,               and has invested in a brand partnership with Quality New
based in Harbin, a city with a population of 6.7 million in         Zealand, owned by current and former Black Cap captains
Heilongjiang province in Northeast China.                           Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori and Stephen Fleming
Approval of Alliance’s two venison plants by the Chinese            along with Sir Richard Hadlee and Geoff Allott. This is
authorities in July, “put a skip in the step” of the marketing      primarily to develop a new market for premium lamb
team. This released a 40-foot container of a variety of             in India, but will also have spin-offs for venison, should
                                                                    access be granted. The company was also part of recent
                                                                    New Zealand trade delegation, which aimed to highlight
                                                                    New Zealand’s hosting of the 2015 Cricket World Cup and
                                                                    resulted in the rejuvenation of free trade agreement talks
                                                                    with the country.
                                                                    Rabbitt visited India last year, where he says there was
                                                                    unusual and consistent interest in venison.
                                                                    “At every meeting – without fail – buyers asked about it.”
                                                                    In complete contrast to China, which started with the
                                                                    cheaper cuts and is gravitating up to the premium end of
                                                                    the spectrum, new Indian customers – primarily in high-
                                                                    end foodservice – have plunged straight in at the high end
                                                                    with orders for Frenched racks, legs and loins.
                                                                    In time, “it could be the new China,” he believes.
Pure South venison.
                                                                                                                    continued on page 16
Issue 69 • December 2014/January 2015                                                                                                 15
industry news
   Alliance: continued from page 15
                                                                    “We need to keep the industry heading in the right direction
                                                                    as we work towards building the confidence of all
                                                                    stakeholders to ensure a vibrant, robust venison sector.”

                                                                     Alliance Group venison: Vital statistics
                                                                     Number of deer suppliers:                  450
                                                                     Plants:                                    Two (Smithfield and Makarewa)
                                                                     Annual venison produced:                   >4,000,000kg
                                                                     Venison brands:                            Pure South, Cervena and Ashley

                                                                     Markets sold to:                           20 countries
                                                                     Further information:                       www.alliance.co.nz

                                                                    Alliance committed to P2P
                                                                    Alliance is “completely supportive” of the deer industry’s
                                                                    P2P programme according to Rabbitt, who represents
                                                                    Alliance as one of the five exporters looking at new
                                                                    marketing approaches for the deer sector.
                                                                    He agrees with the deer industry’s current mantra of “Faster,
                                                                    earlier and heaver”.
                                                                    “Within New Zealand, we have invested heavily in
                                                                    operational excellence to produce a quality product that
                                                                    has unique attributes such as grass fed, free range, mild
                                                                    tasting, and tender. Where we have a problem, however, is
                                                                    telling our story.”
                                                                    Other issues identified by Rabbitt are:
   Black Cap captain Brendon McCullum at the launch of the
   Alliance Group/QualityNZ partnership in New Delhi last year.      • over-reliance on the game season, where product is
                                                                        consumed over a three month period
   Brazil has been the most complicated of the four BRIC             • most venison exported is frozen
   countries to work in, according to the pair. While Alliance is    • industry needs to move up the value chain.
   putting product in and has engaged an in-market facilitator,
   they have found working in the market and dealing with the       It all points to the need to reposition venison as a new meat
   Portuguese language is surprisingly difficult.                   in Europe and to find exciting new opportunities in Asian
                                                                    markets, especially China.
   “We need to keep moving in there. Today it’s hard, but
   tomorrow the work will pay off,” says Rabbitt.                   The five major venison exporters plan to collaborate,
                                                                    sharing resources and manpower, along with support
   Highlights: Venison into China and                               from Government through Primary Growth Partnership
                                                                    (PGP) funding – should it be approved. The P2P case
   support for P2P                                                  was presented by NZDFA and DINZ to PGP’s Investment
   The stand-out highlights of 2014 for the duo have been the       Advisory Panel in early November. At the time of writing, a
   delivery of the first container of Pure South venison into       decision on the application was still pending.
   China and the industry’s continuing strong support for the
                                                                    “What is achieved could be a template for other activities
   Passion 2 profit (P2P) programme.
                                                                    for other meats,” Rabbitt believes.
   The challenges will be unwinding dependence on the
                                                                    Once approved, the plans are to determine the structure
   German game season, increasing of out-of-season chilled
                                                                    and take a coordinated approach. Proposals are for the
   venison exports and changing venison’s positioning to the
                                                                    main PGP programme to start in the next European
   high-end protein, they believe.
                                                                    summer: June–September 2015.
   “Venison is the new meat. It’s not a mature product and
                                                                    In the meantime, they’ll be looking for suppliers to stop
   needs repositioning,” says Rabbitt, who is aiming to spend
                                                                    reducing deer numbers and to make a return on
   a lot more time in 2015 with Alliance’s UK and North
                                                                    investment.
   American offices on developing it.
   With major importers of venison regaining confidence on
   the back of an improved European game season, overall
   the company expects 2015 returns for venison to be at least
   similar to 2014.
   “While the market fundamentals look OK for 2015, the
   challenges of product positioning and growing chilled ‘out-
   of-season’ remain,” O’Connell remarks.

   16                                                                                                           Deer Industry News
HIGH BV
                                                                                                       SIRE STAGS
                                                                                                         A limited number of
                                                                                                       2yo sires are available
                                                                                                       for sale. These will sell
                                                                                                        out quickly. Call now

          THE FASTEST GROWING                                                                           to secure an option.

          RED DEER IN THE INDUSTRY
          DEERSelect has ranked all sire                                                                             Breeding
                                                                     Birth Herd                    Stag
          stags on the industry database                                                                              Value*

          including bloodlines from every                       1    Deer Improvement              NADAL                30.7
          red deer population in the world.                     2    Wilkins Farming               TUI*                 28.1

          Deer Improvement has been operational for             3    Deer Improvement              LAZIO                 28
          10 years, sampling all promising bloodlines           4    Deer Improvement              FEDERER              27.5
          and utilising every available technology to           5    Deer Improvement              GAGARIN*             27.4
          drive genetic gain to new heights.                    6    Deer Improvement              TUNDRA               27.3
          • Achieve spring schedule premiums for                7    Landcorp Stuart               R290/10              26.6
            your yearlings
                                                                8    Deer Improvement              SICILY               26.3
          • Lift carcass weight toward the top of the           9    Landcorp Stuart               R386/10              25.7
            premium range (65kg)
                                                               10    Deer Improvement              POLARIS              25.3
          • Slaughter all non-breeding stock before            11    Deer Improvement              SIBERIA              24.6
            the next crop of fawns and the summer dry
                                                               12    Deer Improvement              11053                24.4
          • Kill sooner to reduce maintenance
                                                               13    Deer Improvement              NAPLES               24.4
            feed cost
                                                               14    Deer Improvement              11093                24.2
          • Choose your ideal replacement hind and
                                                               15    Deer Improvement              LORENZO              24.1
            turn the rest into cash
                                                               16    Deer Improvement              GALILEO              24.1
          • Breed your own sire stags
                                                               17    Wilkins Farming               MACH SEVEN           23.7
          With 12 month weight Breeding Values at
                                                               18    Black Forest Park             BENDIGO              23.5
          30.7kg and climbing (that is, liveweight
          at 12 months 30kg higher than the 1995               19    Deer Improvement              TUSCANY              23.2
          Invermay herd), the rapid and ongoing                20    Deer Improvement              DJOKOVICH            22.9
          genetic gain in red deer is making the wapiti        21    Deer Improvement              MOSCOW               22.8
          terminal system obsolete. Get the growth
                                                               22    Deer Improvement              CONSORT              22.8
          rate you need without the headaches and
          without sacrificing half your herd to breed          23    Deer Improvement              BEETHOVEN            22.6
          unimproved replacement hinds.                        24    Deer Improvement              11111                22.6
          Genetic gain offers your biggest opportunity         25    Deer Improvement              GENIUS               22.4
          for productivity improvement because it is           26    Black Forest Park             KURGAN*              22.4
          permanent and cumulative. Now you have a             27    Landcorp Stuart               TONGARIRO*           22.3
          choice of AI or sire stags from a source with
                                                               28    Deer Improvement              FRANKEL*             22.3
          unparalleled reliability and biosecurity status.
                                                               29    Stanfield Eastern             YESENIN*             22.1
          The genetic solution is as close                     30    Deer Improvement              DAVINCI2*            22.1
          as your phone.
LIC0803

                                                       * DEERSelect economic index (12 month weight breeding value) November 2014

          Bruce McGregor 027 233 2063
          General Manager
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