Industry experts back Elk-Wapiti on venison

01-12-2003 | Not Specified

Trophy hunting and velvet are exciting high profile enterprises for New Zealand deer farmers. But, the prime purpose of the herd has to be producing profitable meat. And the key to that means getting the maximum number of animals at the right weight at the right time for the ‘window’ of best price.

The right weight and the right time are very specific: a 55-65kg dressed out carcase that is available for the premium chilled trade into Europe pre-Christmas.

There’s no argument getting the maximum number of animals through this window has to be the goal of every New Zealand deer farmer.

But it is about here that opinions differ on the best way of achieving it. If you are already using Wapiti to produce your weaners you're probably doing very well in terms of getting the maximum percentage of your production into the window.

The New Zealand Elk and Wapiti Society spoke to some key people in the New Zealand deer industry about the weaner window for this Country-Wide supplement. They were Dave Lawrence, Brian Duggan, Ron Schroeder, Lance Keast, and David Stone.

Dave Lawrence is well-known to deer farmers throughout New Zealand. A highly respected veterinarian, he's also a deer farmer and a key member of the Deer South Benchmarking Group. This group is collating some significant data about venison production and herd profiles. One of the objectives of the group is to develop deer farming practices that have 80% of a herd being eligible for "the weaner window".

Brian Duggan is the South Island deer coordinator for Wrightson. The company is responsible for 50% plus of the stock agent business side of the New Zealand deer industry and Brian is a familiar figure at South Island and national deer industry auctions and events.

Ron Schroeder is equally well known and is Pyne Gould Guinness’s deer specialist for the northern South Island region. Ron has been involved solely in the deer industry since 1979 and has just started his own venture as a finisher, this year with 350 to 400 weaners.

Lance Keast is a Southland farmer. He and wife Leanne have a 344ha farm carrying 5900 stock units. They have been finishing both deer and store lambs for 20 years.

David Stone has a 300ha property in North Canterbury. The farm has a 3000 stock unit capacity. David is also a chartered accountant and farm management consultant who has used his professional background to help shape his deer farming practices.

Elk Wapiti Society (EWS): “Dave Lawrence, you're on record as saying that to achieve the best weight at the best time for the best price a farmer should be putting a Wapiti terminal sire over a Red Hind. Why is that?”

Dave Lawrence: “It's simply the most efficient biological system available. Let's forget all about the emotional baggage of being loyal to one particular strain of deer. If a farmer wants to make the Window with the majority of his herd then a Wapiti over a Red is the answer. And the reason is all to do with a natural phenomenon that occurs throughout the animal world and the plant world. Hybrid vigour.”

EWS: “We all know that a hybrid is the result of breeding between two different strains or species of animals. In the case of the NZ venison industry that means breeding between a Wapiti and a Red. But why does such breeding result in this vigour growth and meat-gain phenomenon?”

Dave Lawrence:: “The difference in the genotypes stirs a kind of "competitiveness" between the genes of the two strains. It's widely practised in the sheep and beef industry and horticulture. It's a scientific reality just like gravity. You can decide not to use it but it’s there. Do it right and your business performance improves. With deer the result is obvious, at weaning you often have to look hard to see the difference between the mother and the weaner. For a farmer trying it for the first time the results can seem amazing.”

EWS: Are there any downsides to this breeding practice, this "hybrid vigour"?

Dave Lawrence: “No. Some farmers feel uncomfortable farming the larger Wapiti animal, especially if they have been used to the smaller Reds. But that only applies to two year old plus animals. The fattened weaner is off to market before its larger size becomes an issue anyway. The one thing that farmers have to be aware of is not carrying the concept to a point where it becomes less effective. And by that, I mean that the best results come from putting a Wapiti over a Red. If you put a Wapiti terminal sire over a hybrid hind, the hybrid vigour growth rate tones down in the second-generation. So the answer is to put a Wapiti terminal sire over a Red hind each year.”

EWS: Is there a quantity versus quality type of trade-off in this issue? Reds over Reds can produce more animals if the farmer isn’t familiar with Wapiti animal husbandry techniques?

Dave Lawrence: I think the Wapiti over Red combination will give better cost efficiencies. An 80kg Wapiti hybrid weaner does not cost twice as much to carry as two 40 kg Red weaners. There’s also been some very good research done on bone-to-meat ratio. The initial work favoured the Wapiti hybrid animal but there have been some counter claims done and the jury’s still out. But comparing bone-to-meat ratios is actually not relevant because the deer farmers performance and payment is based on the schedule. And that schedule is not based on yield, it's based on carcase weight and time of year. On that basis there is just no argument: the hybrid weaner wins with that all important window.

EWS: Brian Duggan, does the market have any preference when it comes to buying weaners for fattening?

Brian Duggan: Definitely. The Wapiti cross weaner is the most sought-after at weaner auctions. Simply because the prime purpose of the weaner buyer is to have the animal ready for the Window. The perfect answer is a weaner that results from putting a Wapiti cross over a Red hind. The hybrid will give a bigger carcase sooner.

EWS: And is hybrid vigour the only reason for using a Red as the hind?

Brian Duggan: I think it's important to use a Red as the hind because it usually has a higher fertility rate; and the smaller Red hind is a more economic stock unit. I know some passionate Wapiti farmers will argue that their Wapiti hinds can be just as economic but I think for the average farmer the Red Hind is the answer: but coupled with that Wapiti terminal sire. Because the hybrid is where the meat meets the money!”

EWS: Ron Schroeder, we see you are showing your faith in the future of the industry by starting your own venture as a finisher. So what are your thoughts on this hybrid vigour and its relevance to venison production for the New Zealand deer farmer?

Ron Schroeder: It is very real. It works with both Wapiti over Red and also of course, with different Red strains.

EWS: Is the hybrid vigour value constant across all mixes or are some better than others?

Ron Schroeder: I think experience has shown that the most popular and the most successful is the Wapiti cross hybrid weaner stag, followed by the East European Red cross weaner stag and third the Wapiti hybrid weaner hind. Those would be the top performing three, and in that order.

EWS: And how do you see trends in the market and the schedule. What effect will that have on the weaner industry?

Ron Schroeder: The goalposts have been shifted, and that's not the fault of the producers, it’s just the industry having to respond to market. But the Window used to be mid-September to early November. Now, the peak, in dollar terms is from the end of August to the end of September, and then it drops away. This has made it very difficult for finishers. The only ones that are going to meet that Window will have to have three things going for them. They will need to have top end Wapiti cross hybrid weaner stags. They will need to have top pastures (and that's just not going to be possible in some parts of New Zealand). And they are going to have to be very good at what they do.

EWS: Lance Keast, you use the hybrid vigour principle on your farm. Why is that?

Lance Keast: The hybrid is the preferred animal on our farm. And that's for both deer and sheep. Hybrid vigour allows us to de-stock the deer pre-Christmas and use the same land for our lamb finishing.

EWS: Are there any problems that come from farming weaners with the Wapiti influence?

Lance Keast: All farming operations are different and some farmers don't carry Wapiti because they do need a different approach in some areas to Reds. But that's not an issue for weaners. A Wapiti over Red hybrid weaner is all positive. But it’s not about comparing Wapiti’s and Reds. It's important to note here that what we're really setting out to do is to create a "New Zealand animal" that produces prime New Zealand venison for the world markets. To the market it’s New Zealand venison, and for the European market it’s right that the animal is predominantly Red. But it makes sense to use the advantages of our two strains, Wapiti and Red, for breeding purposes. As an industry we need to produce top-quality New Zealand venison as economically as possible.

EWS: David Stone, you have a different approach to producing your weaners. We know that you carry a mixed hind herd. And that you also use Red stags as well as Wapiti stags. What’s your overriding strategy?

David Stone: As a New Zealand deer farmer I need to put three variables together to produce the best financial return for my capital investment and my labour inputs. Those variables are Red deer and their traits, Wapiti deer and their traits, and my own farm and its supplementary feed production and carrying capacity. We do two things that possibly aren't the norm. Firstly, we put Red stags over the first-time calvers switching to Wapiti terminal sires after the first year. And secondly, we wean in May and not in March. This means a supplementary feed programme (we use barley and baleage) but that's a cost-effective option for our own farm’s capacity.”

EWS: Does putting Red stags over the hinds in the first year create any issues for you?

DS: It's a trade-off of course. I lose some meat production from not getting that hybrid vigour in the Hind’s first season. Red over Red results in a slower growth rate than Wapiti over Red weaners. And the danger is that I can be left carrying animals until they reach the weight band. But I'm careful in my selection of Red stags and the overall result, balanced with the production bonus from the Wapiti hybrid vigour factor, works.

EWS: How do you know the programme’s working?

DS: It’s fairly obvious for us. This year our first draft of weaners went on August 25. They had an average live weight of 100kg and an average carcase weight of 55kg. And our fawning percentages in 2002 were 91% and in 2003 were 93%. The hybrid vigour factor from putting Wapiti over Red works. As a deer farmer I like the result. But importantly, as an accountant, I like the result!”

Author: Bill Floyd operates Floyd Marketing and was employed as a consultant by the NZ Elk & Wapiti Society.

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