| 53 Dutton on the farm. RURAL PEOPLE » Peel Forest Estate Mark likens the B11 to a Charolais terminal sire in the beef industry, producing fast-growing commercial progeny while complementing the maternal venison strengths of the Forrester females. The farm currently processes between 800-900 commercial yearlings annually, last season averaging 79 kilograms mixed-sex on the hook. With a fixed schedule through the Elk Collective, the estate can continue growing animals to heavier weights without competing with a falling schedule price as the season progresses. The system suits Peel Forest Estate’s farming model, where plentiful feed allows deer to remain on-farm longer than is practical for many mixed livestock businesses who may require this feed for other stock classes. “We’re getting really good weights out of them. At those weights, on a fixed schedule, they’re very competitive against other stock classes, so we’re looking at upping those numbers again.” The shift also helps diversify the estate’s income. While Peel Forest Estate still harvests about 30 tonnes of velvet annually, reducing velveting stag numbers has eased the workload around one of the farm’s busiest periods while creating greater balance between its two primary deer enterprises. Global demand is also supporting the strategy. Mark says consumers are increasingly seeking high-quality protein, with venison benefiting from its lean nutritional profile as health-conscious eating trends gather momentum. While confidence is building in venison, velvet has experienced a more difficult period. Covid disruptions, oversupply, changing Chinese import requirements and increased production combined to weaken prices, while New Zealand’s introduction of revised grading standards has reshaped the market. The new grading system rewards cleaner, more traditional velvet types and has encouraged widespread culling of heavier, lower-grade stags throughout the industry. Although yields per stag have reduced slightly because velvet is harvested earlier and shorter, Mark believes the changes better reflect what international buyers are seeking. He expects the industry correction to continue as more stags are still to be culled and breeding programmes shift towards higher-quality velvet. Alongside changes in the herd, Peel Forest Estate continues refining its management systems. The estate is now in its fourth winter using its purposebuilt wintering barn, where about 1,300 older stags are fed an entirely home-grown ration of lucerne Quality Texel Genetics Hamish Cottle 021 023 20627 | getatexel@gmail.com For all your spraying & direct drilling needs phone James on 027 325 1495 Servicing South & Mid Canterbury Partners: Jasveen Singh | Nick Krivan | Kalpesh Hari | Mark Evans | Emma Gilkison 39 George Street, Timaru 7910 | PO Box 125, Timaru 7940 Email: hcmail@hcpartners.co.nz | Phone: 03 687 9222 | Website: www.hcpartners.co.nz chartered accountants PARTNERSLP HC Partners LP are proud to support Peel Forest Estate silage, maize silage and lifted fodder beet mixed through a wagon. The feeding programme has lifted winter performance, with improved velvet yields and strong development in trophy stags. “We’re pretty proud of the type of velvet that we’re producing. People have to be very careful about the type of sires they’re using and make sure they’re putting the right genetics into their herd to produce the type of velvet the market’s asking for.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=