Deer farming is making a comeback

Farming deer is again looking like a viable use of land now the price of venison has returned to an acceptable and sustainable price. The strength of the Kiwi dollar and a decline in numbers of deer farmers has meant venison sales have returned to a good price, putting more money in deer farmers' wallets reports The Southland Times. PGG Wrightson Southland representative Brian Duggan said prices reached about $9 a kilogram in September last year, with an average of between $6.50 and $7 for the rest of the year. The return to deer farming as a viable option for land use could be seen in the demand for stags, which had increased substantially on last year, he said. At the Lochinvar Wapiti Farm sales on January 17, stags were being sold on average at $150 more than last year, with a maximum price of $5700 for a single stag, Mr Duggan said. Farmers were looking to take advantage of the fast growth of wapiti deer, beginning their kills in September when demand and price was high, he said. The industry took a dive in the three years before 2009 and venison prices dropped below $6/kg, well below a sustainable rate, Mr Duggan said. But now that prices were increasing farmers could finally turn a profit again from raising deer, he said. Balfour deer farmer David Stevens, who specialises in velvet sales but also kills deer, said the lower number of deer farmers was helping lift venison prices because supply levels had dropped while demand stayed high. "We had a huge drop in production levels from what it was three years ago. There is not a lot of product in the market," he said. That meant venison prices had risen. Mr Duggan said when venison prices slumped many farmers had converted their farms for other uses such as sheep and beef or dairy, reducing the amount of farmers by about 40 per cent, which prevented the market from being over-supplied. Mr Duggan hoped venison sales would return to about $9/kg this September.