Velvet by Michael

 

Deer farming is not something that is seen much in the US which makes it incredibly interesting to learn about. Deer farming first started in the 1970’s and 1980’s after deer were introduced to New Zealand. They were incredibly destructive to the native flora and fauna, and people quickly realized that the deer population must be controlled. At first deer were culled by people in helicopters. But something we have learned while here is that New Zealanders are amazingly innovative and can turn a massive ecological problem into a sustainable solution. And so they turned to farming the deer for their venison and the velvet the grows on their antlers.

The process of farming velvet can seem a bit aggressive and old fashioned, but farmers make sure that the deer are free of pain and won’t get hurt from the process. To harvest velvet, a veterinarian has to be present or the farmer has to be certified by taking a class. When in the velvet stage of antler growth, the deer is then given a local anesthetic and  the velvet/antler  is sawed off from the deer’s head. Typically farmers will use a hand saw as opposed to an electric one due to the noise that an electric saw creates. The velvet is soft, bulbous, and veiny; as a result it is not hard to cut through but it can be bloody. If the velvet wasn’t cut off, the deer would rub the velvet off, the underlying parts would harden and sharpen into the antlers we are more used to seeing. Unfortunately for deer and velvet farmers, the New Zealand government has come down with many regulations and restrictions making deer farming economically challenging. We were fortunate enough to speak with David Acland yesterday, whose father was instrumental in the beginning of deer farming in New Zealand, and sadly his farm at Mount Somers Station has begun phasing out their deer operation due to the regulations and the profit margins becoming much smaller. 

 

Taking the time to learn about a farming process that was completely alien was fascinating and I hope to continue learning about New Zealand farmer’s innovation.