Deer farmers wanting fewer late fawning hinds can now buy sires and hinds with breeding values (BVs) for earlier fawning. Not every deer farmer is looking for hinds that cycle early, but nobody wants late fawns, says Deer Select manager Sharon McIntyre.
The 41 deer farmers at the Advance Party National Workshop held in Methven last week have returned home well-armed with ideas for changes they can make to improve profitability on their own farms.
Long-term prospects for NZ velvet in the major Asian markets are looking positive says DINZ Asia manager Rhys Griffiths, following his return from a market planning and development visit to South Korea and China with chief executive Dan Coup.
Mycoplasma bovis is unlikely to pose a risk to farmed deer in New Zealand, but the outbreak among dairy and beef cattle holds lessons about the importance of farm biosecurity for all involved in livestock farming.
