Deer Tracking values your input!  Click here to find out how to contact us!

CONTENTS:

Deer farming- Hobby or Business?

It's market time! Buying and selling are already underway as most racks now offer a pretty good indication of their potential inches. What a spectacular time of the year for a deer farmer.

Editor hard at work!

It's market time and I love it. Though not much for computers, I¹m on there about twenty times a day now, sneaking a peak at the continuous flow of emailed buck pictures and guessing the latest scores. The phone rings constantly and I look forward to the next call, anticipating another update on antler development. Somewhere in there we manage to drag ourselves out to our own bucks 2 or 3 times a day! I am enthralled with antler. What a magnificent work of art it is!

Of course along with the calls come the questions. How much are my does worth?² ³Is it worth it for me to buy better does? What¹s hot out there to AI to?² At times like this is a bigger 'n better breeding buck even that wise an investment? The times like this referred to include the aftermath of 2-3 yrs of drought in western Canada, CWD protocols and border closures, and a general slump in the economy. The effects of such factors are admittedly real, not just felt, and through varying circumstances some producers are forced to re-evaluate their expectations of the industry. I suppose some Canadian beef producers may be doing the same about now, though, eh?

I could put a positive spin on most any negative argument, but it really boils down to a redefining of ourselves as deer farmers. I could point out that things are green out there right now and crops are looking average to excellent. I could remind everyone of how, right now, truckloads of bucks are already organized and are approved for export out of Alberta to parts of the US (once the BSE scare dissipates). I could highlight how one case of Mad Cow has finally created a flood of pressure to bring true scientific perspectives and alternative considerations regarding CWD to the general public. And I could tally up the ever-increasing number of Canadian whitetail hunts despite the economy. For many producers, however, an examination of deer farming itself and a re-visiting of earlier pleasures experienced, have become a must.

When everything is rolling smoothly and dollars flow freely, who cares if something is a hobby or a business? Well, perhaps now it matters. The expectations are different, the approach will vary, and the derived enjoyment will quite likely change. There¹s nothing wrong with making money from a hobby, but that is a bonus, not a condition to the intrinsic enjoyment of the experience itself. It is in the ³tougher² times that the business approach can continue the profitability of an activity, though the emotional fulfillment may be sacrificed at times. I, personally, want both! That takes some doing, but has become a matter of re-visiting, even planning for, the experience of deer farming that brought so much delight through the hobby years. Keeping some of the tamer critters close to the house, regular and leisurely walks with my bride through the pens in the cool of evenings, taking my boys out there to feed some treats this works for my family and me. On the business end of it, believe it or not, I look to a certain sheep producer for lessons.

Growing up, sheep were a great hobby for my younger brother, my dad and I. The lambs were cute and the ewes rather stupidly pleasant. ³Jerry² learned to pull a wagon and ³Bunty² learned to well, bunt! They were a tremendously fun hobby when we were kids. To keep the interest alive, as teenagers we tried to improve our rankings in sheep classes at the local fair. We purchased a few beautiful ewes and a new ram every few years and the little extra challenge kept the experience enjoyable. Money spent on improvement of stock might have been recouped on larger animals in the auction ring, but that wasn¹t kept track of and really didn¹t matter; to us sheep were a hobby. To the real sheep producers in the area, however, it did matter. While sheep never seemed a very lucrative type of livestock to us, apparently some farmers found a way to do quite well off them. It was more intensive, with greater investment obviously, but I think they must have enjoyed making a business of it. The one producer who intrigued me for years though, was the guy we bought our ever-improving stock from. While he was improving the profitability on other farms through the supply of better genetics, somehow his own stock always maintained a better than average value and his stock was always better than the best around him. He wouldn¹t move much on his prices and we didn¹t begrudge him the big price tag as, honestly, the genetic improvements were obvious on our farm and others felt the same. In a sense, he would ³share² his genetics, but limit supply to demand. If only 6 breeder rams sold, we¹d never have access to the remaining 6 at a lesser price. Somehow, they never hit the market at blow-out prices. I since learned that he simply slaughtered the left over 6 and still I don¹t begrudge his actions. I recommend his stock to this day. It was also bewildering, though, how he retained his ranking as a sort of ³super source.² I¹ve learned that the producer was never stagnant in breeding up, continuously searching for and introducing better genetics into his flock. The average sheep producer did not feel slighted never achieving the number one spot. They were thrilled to remain competitive and even occasionally gain some ground in the auction ring.

Eventually, our hobby no longer fit into university and city life, but I¹ve often thought about that producer who still thrives today and the others that are doing well enough. No, I have no desire to farm sheep today, as a hobby or business, but the experience was valuable in many ways.

As deer farmers, we must decide to enjoy the experience as a hobby or consider it a business and take the measures that will allow continued success and fulfillment. Too much "busy-ness" and too great an expense can steal the pleasures of deer farming. Don¹t complain though! Turn it back into a hobby. Most, however, desire to deer farm as a business and again I say, don¹t complain! Make some calculated business moves. Every business needs to have a plan, back up plans, and marketing strategies. Firstly, consider existing markets and potential markets. We're at a stage where markets have to be sought after and a variety of products marketed. ³Middlemen² may be considered a feasible or necessary option to direct marketing by the producer. Does it still make business sense? At each step this must be considered. Risk alone is bad, but calculated risk is part of virtually every business. Do we really want to at least attempt success? Investment is necessary! Way too often deer farmers consider breeding stock over priced because they will never get the same dollar out of that same purchased animal. Well, sometimes that can happen, but most likely an investment leads to the maintenance of profitability or increased profitability through a series of marketing options created by the investment. A good breeding buck is an absolute must in order for the average business minded deer farmer to succeed. Don't forget to consider the value of offspring here. An $8000 breeder, bred to 16 does in one year alone places a $500.00 value/ buck fawn (average birthing stats) in that first year if the purchased buck is considered at zero value. Of course he isn¹t and the input per fawn drops dramatically considering some maintained value of the buck and input shared with doe fawns. Now consider using this buck for a couple years of breeding and the potential gain per invested dollar is huge. While a good breeding buck is a must in the deer farming business, AI or the purchase of a very top end buck will establish the ³source farms² of genetic excellence. Perhaps a creative high end purchase is actually the wisest of investments.

Regarding the value of does, we¹ve heard some highly successful producers expound on that topic. It makes sense, too. Offering at least half of the genetic equation, does are worth a lot. So when selling, resist the urge to "blow out" left over breeding stock at meat prices. Get creative and market accordingly.

Some readers remain critical of the sheep-deer analogy. Would that successful breeder of fine sheep have continued if the buyers or prices declined? I believe he would because he truly enjoyed the animals themselves. He may have been happy as a hobby farmer, but I suspect he would at least be an average producer still striving to be the best in his business.

So what are your deer worth? Prices are all over the map as are the genetics available. Should you buy up and breed up? That depends on your hobby or business goals. Should you stick with it through tougher times? Well, why did you start deer farming? As to the profitability, if the price offered seems unfair, research the market first hand and even try your hand at marketing your own critters or products. Maybe it¹ll be a great new enterprise and maybe you¹ll simply recognize the offered sale as fair value. Don't forget how the sheep farmer managed to keep going and maintain healthy prices. I'm sure he'd rather have seen those beautiful big rams and ewes breeding, too, but we've argued it all along- sheep and deer are both livestock with sometimes a less than glorious end market. Hey, it's market time and I still love it. Find your way to a rediscovery of the thrill of deer farming. And in the wise words of a redneck hero, "I'm pulling for you! Remember, we¹re all in this together!"

-Randy Barks
Editor

So, just what on earth does the board do,if anything? First, you get a cross Canada long distance bundle for your telephone - this is a must!

 We are just putting the finishing touches on a Quad raffle to raise funds for SWAMDPA.  Yes, we will be looking for ticket sellers.

 I received a call from Judy Cabay yesterday A.M. Mark Purdy is in Alberta speaking on CWD & BSE. He is from England and has some very interesting views on the cause of prion malfunction in the brain. He is available July 24 (several calls later). I¹m trying to enlist SAF to help bring him to Saskatoon to speak. Thanks, Judy, for the call.  These are the sorts of projects we should be working on together. Tara is also trying to involve the Western Producer and Saskatoon Star Phoenix in coverage of the meetings.

 We are working on a type of zoning to set up local meetings for members and promotion of our industry.

 We have had made many calls regarding the USA border being closed to trophies. CCC has been working on this in Ottawa.  At this time it is our understanding that 2 sets of antlers and capes can cross the border plus deboned meat to some states.

 We are currently looking into slaughter and processing of cull animals for jerky and pepperoni to be sampled at Agribition and Trade Shows. Hopefully we can get some donated animals to start this project off.

 An e-mail was received from Alta on pursuing inter-provincial trade.This was put out to our members on E-mail for your opinion so we can respond.

 We are sending out a final draft of our trade protocol.  Please read and give us feed back.

 A budget is being put together for operations and convention.

 A speaker for convention is being discussed and input is always appreciated.

 It seems that we are sending out an increasing amount of information via e-mail for 2 reasons - time constraints on some items and cost of mail-outs (ie protocol).  I apologize to those of you who don¹t have e-mail, but we just don¹t have enough money to send a protocol out in the mail.  I would hope that you know somebody who has e-mail that we might use.

 Enough rambling - see you at Pike Lake!   Remember, this is your organization so let us know what's happening.

Thanks for now,

Stan

PS - It wouldn¹t hurt to have a look at your water bowls/troughs.They may be too high for a fawn to reach as they start the weaning process or just want a cool drink when it¹s 32 degrees.

The discovery of BSE in one cow in Alberta has sent the entire country reeling. Fortunately there is always a more positive side to everything and it allows us the opportunity to learn how things are handled in a multi-billion dollar industry instead of a mere multi-million dollar industry. How quickly things were decided, aid was announced, and trade negotiations were commenced very interesting indeed.

Our association has proposed the formation of a working TSE Advisory Committee in Alberta, comprised of the cattle, sheep, goat, bison, elk, reindeer, and deer industries. Through this working advisory group we would collectively address issues such as trade negotiations, testing, research, and food safety to name a few. Alberta Government is supportive and encouraging us to continue to move forward on this project. I highly recommend all other provinces ponder the idea. This would give our industry much more weight on our issues with the federal government as well as to have a more level playing field across the provinces and species.

Currently the cervid industry in Alberta is working with government to establish a slaughter import protocol and well on the heels of this initiative is the live animal import protocol. Moreover, we are working hard to align our industry as an agricultural entity and move out from the jurisdiction of wildlife, SRD. Negotiations are taking place with several states in the United States with the help of Alberta Economic Trade and Development. The bottom line for the Alberta deer industry and the AWMDA Board of Directors is to have animals moving out of province this fall.

Associations are only as strong as their members. The Board of Directors in all Associations, in all states and provinces needs your help and support.

Enjoy your summer!
Lisa Mueller

Look at the new growth on those bucks! It amazes me how cervids can produce antler growth each year in such a short time. One of the pleasures of raising White-Tail deer is seeing the formation and growth of antler on your bucks from one year to the next.

The past two months have been satisfying and frustrating, satisfying in the decision by an Ontario Justice of the Peace finding in favour of Mr. Todd Grignon and Universal Game Farm against the charges laid by the Department of Natural Resources. Todd was dismissed from the charges because he clearly told Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) undercover conservation officers who shot a bull elk on his farm that they were harvesting, not hunting the animal. The frustrating part is that the MNR is appealing the decision after already spending over 3M dollars of taxpayers¹ money on this case. As an organization we will once again support Todd. Another activity that could make your blood boil is the action of a few executives within the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. They claim to speak for the organization and have written a letter to our provincial government leaders requesting a ban on the importation of live-farmed cervids, and operating game farms in Ontario. They are using the BSE "scare" and CWD potential to spread fear of wildlife infection from farmed deer and elk. The Ontario deer and elk organizations are responding to these situations. I believe the above actions will set the "wheels in motion" to activate cervid farmers and hunters to lobby government for a change in Ontario's laws that will allow the harvesting of farmed deer and elk in a natural setting.

On August 24 we will be having our associations picnic at the farm of John Kerkvliet. Farm tours are planned and great socializing are enjoyed at these events, so mark your calendars for this date and I will see you there.

Stephen Yantzi

The BSE/TSE Intrigue

Mark Purdey- A man with a mission!
We first met Mark Purdey at the 2003 Alberta deer convention. He was on his way to a speaking engagement at Harvard University but whose schedule allowed him to be AWMDA's keynote speaker for the weekend. Supporting his theory are lab studies conducted by biochemical expert Dr. David Brown with Cambridge University, and the USA prion surveillance centre at Case University (Cleveland). With growing support, Purdey¹s theory is gaining ground. With study in biochemistry, zoology and psychology he has spent more than 15 years researching BSE's and TSE's, developing his theory of environmentally caused prions. Mark lives in the UK with his family. He had special reason to spur on his study of BSE when it arrived on his organic dairy farm in the UK (through a cow not produced or raised by the Purdeys).

Flaws in the Conventional Theory on the Origins of BSE:
Mark began researching the origins of BSE and TSE¹s with the UK's "mad cow" scare. Although he does not question the "prion's" existence in these strains, he does question the origin of those prions.

The full article is available in the print version of Deer Tracking magazine.

Click Here to Subscribe.

Question: I would like to know if anyone has any research or if there is any science to bucks (whitetail or mule deer) eating their shed velvet in the fall?
 

The answers are available in the print version of Deer Tracking magazine.

Click Here to Subscribe.

A 30 dollar gate in 30 minutes? It's possible, practical, and the bliss is a bonus! We don't include many "How to" articles in Deer Tracking. Perhaps it's a reader preference for news and science, but likely it¹s a matter of those who know "How to" preferring the doing over writing. I am among the least of the ³How to-ers,² blessed richly with amazing friends and neighbours, but dramatically denied an equitable share of mechanical genius. Never the less, here I am writing just such an article. You know it's going to be a simple, easy-to-follow deer-farming project!
Have you ever built a deer fence and then discovered, upon completion of course, that your best laid plans had not included a gate at an incredibly crucial, convenient, or even common sense location?

The full article is available in the print version of Deer Tracking magazine.

Click Here to Subscribe.

©2003 DeerTracking.com

Content of this newsletter is the views of the writer and not necessarily those of the association in general. Tracking The Industry. . . reserves the right to edit submissions. Deer farming is largely experiential and while striving for accuracy and completeness, neither the editor, nor PRISM Web Design, nor Deertracking.com, nor associations guarantees such in this newsletter, nor do we assume liability which may result from reliance upon any information or opinion provided.

All articles and advertising in this issue are copyright © of Deer Tracking. . . and may not be used in any form without express written permission from the editor.