October 7, 2025 • 9 mins
David Stevens looks at the deer industry along with positives around the sector.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
David Stevens is a deaf farmer base just out of
Balfer and joins us this afternoon on the muster his
requested track as for normal AC d C. Good afternoon, David,
How are you good afternoon? How's everything up there at Belfer?
Are you drying out at all? Is that a thing
at the moment?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Today is a nice wind. That's a nice day today.
Pleasn't change, but yeah, it's typical springtime. I suppose.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Would you have noticed much different to your rainfall, Talley
compared to say this time last.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Year, Well, they tell me, and I haven't been following it,
but they tell me we've had much the same. So
I think we've probably missed out on a wee bit here.
I know, coming down from Central the other day, certainly
up the top end of the province there was a
lot of rain up there in the were out, so
obviously they've had a lot more than what we've had.
But overall we've had air fh too.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Like everybody from a deer farmer's perspective, how thing's been, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Philly quiet, I mean a lot of them. I mean
I haven't got next day stags now say, a lot
of them will be into or just starting into cutting
velvet on their next day staggs. Obviously the younger ones
are later on, but that'll be happening probably just keeping
the hinds sort of in winter mode almost you normally
(01:36):
do through to probably later this month. The first of
the fauns start dropping in early November. So yeah, it's
one beauty of with deer farming. If you've got hinds
about the cave, you can actually sort of tighten things
up for them or just keep them on winter mode
(01:56):
on the way through and then shut up winter feed
and hit it off at a reasonable time. Sort of
do that early November. So mind you that it might
be a wee bit later this year because of just
the season. Things have been a bit cold, so it
might be a bit quieter, but no, no, they'll be
interveloping a bit different down here, were quite a bit
later than up north. They'll be well and truly getting
(02:19):
through the mixed aage staggs now in the North Island
and they'll be looking around and just wondering who's going
to buy it.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
So traditionally Warren Ross touched on this the other week
as well. This is pretty much the quiet time of year,
is that right?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yes, yes, I know. It always worked and well and
kids had sports tournaments. I was one of the few
dads that could go along to go away on trips
and that, so most of the others were either landing
or carving. So no, no, it's one of the quieter
times of a year.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
The price of venison too, good news around the schedule.
I remember talking to you a wee while ago now
and ten dollars seem to be the dream that you're
wanted for a price. But it seems as though that
you've gone past that with the schedule.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Yes, yeah, mind you with costs. We're looking at a
schedule for the red venison around about that, well, just
over the eleven dollars, eleven dollars twenty for a couple
of months October November, and then it drops away awey bit.
But the ELK schedule, I think from what I understand,
(03:29):
it goes right through it about eleven dollars right through
into the autumn. So it's certainly a good price, but no, Andy,
with the costs on farm now, you'd have to be
up around that eleven dollars to justify the costings on
farm now. So I don't know. It's looking good. It's
probably a good thing because the velvet is sort of
(03:53):
the roomors out there about prices at the moment, and
red velvet, particularly non traditional, it's pretty hard to sell.
I understand everything shifted last year, but just talking to
process not processes buyers this year, they've got the orders,
but non traditional is just that much harder to sell,
and it's a harder product to actually process. You know.
(04:17):
The traditional is far easier to process. It's not as rough.
For those that don't know what I'm talking about. Let's see,
the bigger heads that are Philly rough had a lot
more times on in some cases blind out at the
top of big bulb, whereas the traditionals cleaner velvet with
three times and doesn't blow out at the top of
(04:39):
the big top on it and cut at the right time.
So that's going to be a wete bit of a
challenge this year. So I think the buyers at the
stage are sitting on their hands. There's no prices out
for a red velvet for ELK, Yes, the big stuff,
there's prices out for that. It's around one hundred and
thirty from what I understand, So you know, it looks
(05:02):
as though it's going to continue on from last year
at prices much the same as what they were getting
last year, so they'll be happy with that.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Just going back to the Venison, she was as high
as you've seen it.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Ah, yes, yes, yeah, no, I got way back. It
got closer way back in about two thousand and one two,
but unfortunately that sort of blew the market out. I mean,
it was a situation where there was a short shortage
of supply of game product going into some of the countries,
particularly Germany excuse me, and it pushed the price up.
(05:39):
But what we saw out of that was a real
drop away after that, I think had dropped right back
to about three eighty and a number of that sort
of took a number of deer farmers out of well,
they left the industry actually and did something else. So
I can't see that happening this time. I think worldwide
proteins in demand and it seems pretty secure, so you know,
(06:03):
we've just got to be aware of that. That's something
that we don't want to happen in game.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
As far as the velvet market, obviously the majority or
does it goes over to China and South Korea. What
are the market signals showing us from there, David.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Well, there's quite a bit of product in the pipeline.
Also in Korea, we've got a situation where that further
process product that goes into health products. That market at
the moment is probably I wouldn't say stagnant, but it
slowed right down. That volume has reached its sort of
peak at the stage it will grow, but it's not
(06:38):
going to grow fast from what I understand, as it
has in the past. So that slowed things down. So
you're in a situation where what we really need is
China to go down the same track, and if that happens,
we certainly get rid of the product. There's no problem
with that. And I think that's starting to happen, but
it just slower. It's going to happen slowly. It's not
(07:00):
going to happen that the pace of the head in
Korea over the last few years. So I think what
deer farmers need to look at is to consider just
what they're with their herds. I mean, they're in a
situation where that ruffer velvet is not going to sell
that to wub be well, and they really need to
look at their herds, and I know some have and
(07:22):
cold out there mixed age stacks, certainly the ones that
had a rougher head. So they need to do that,
and there's a go schedule for it. Some have done
it back after post rut, and some are obviously doing
a bit of that prior to the growing again for
a season. So certainly I would if I was in
(07:42):
their position, I would certainly get rid of a lot
of a mixed age stacks. I'd probably then look at
the possibility of purchasing some commercial hinds and the possibility
of actually putting an old ball over them and getting
some elk genetics into their progeny. And certainly that schedule
(08:04):
for elk venison going into the States is good and
it's an opportunity there where. Also, I think the industry's
probably gone a wee bit far to the velvet. It's
all very well for me to say that, because I've
done particularly well out of selling velvet stags and size,
but over the years it's just grown considerably that value.
(08:26):
And what they need to do is, I think grow
the hind heard again and get into the venison schedule.
There's a number of farmers out there farmers out there
that got rid of their hinds. I think that now
the opportunity is actually get rid of some of those
old stags. And certainly the schedule's got andy. I mean
(08:47):
you're looking at even now seven twenty. You know, you
hang a big stag up that's you know, one hundred
and forty k. You know you're getting a pretty good return.
The certainly would cover the cost of a and then
in to find you know, coming on to the property.
It's worth thinking about. Put it that way.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Good to see positives in the industry. David, always appreciate
your time on the muster.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
No problem any thanks for the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
David Stevens, deaf farmer there at neither Dal, just out
of Belfare. You're listening to the muster. Next, just along
from Hokin, New Ehq, we're going to catch up with
Sam Grant from Craig's Investment Partners,
David Stevens is a deaf farmer base just out of
Balfer and joins us this afternoon on the muster his
requested track as for normal AC d C. Good afternoon, David,
How are you good afternoon? How's everything up there at Belfer?
Are you drying out at all? Is that a thing
at the moment?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Today is a nice wind. That's a nice day today.
Pleasn't change, but yeah, it's typical springtime. I suppose.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Would you have noticed much different to your rainfall, Talley
compared to say this time last.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Year, Well, they tell me, and I haven't been following it,
but they tell me we've had much the same. So
I think we've probably missed out on a wee bit here.
I know, coming down from Central the other day, certainly
up the top end of the province there was a
lot of rain up there in the were out, so
obviously they've had a lot more than what we've had.
But overall we've had air fh too.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Like everybody from a deer farmer's perspective, how thing's been, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Philly quiet, I mean a lot of them. I mean
I haven't got next day stags now say, a lot
of them will be into or just starting into cutting
velvet on their next day staggs. Obviously the younger ones
are later on, but that'll be happening probably just keeping
the hinds sort of in winter mode almost you normally
(01:36):
do through to probably later this month. The first of
the fauns start dropping in early November. So yeah, it's
one beauty of with deer farming. If you've got hinds
about the cave, you can actually sort of tighten things
up for them or just keep them on winter mode
(01:56):
on the way through and then shut up winter feed
and hit it off at a reasonable time. Sort of
do that early November. So mind you that it might
be a wee bit later this year because of just
the season. Things have been a bit cold, so it
might be a bit quieter, but no, no, they'll be
interveloping a bit different down here, were quite a bit
later than up north. They'll be well and truly getting
(02:19):
through the mixed aage staggs now in the North Island
and they'll be looking around and just wondering who's going
to buy it.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
So traditionally Warren Ross touched on this the other week
as well. This is pretty much the quiet time of year,
is that right?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yes, yes, I know. It always worked and well and
kids had sports tournaments. I was one of the few
dads that could go along to go away on trips
and that, so most of the others were either landing
or carving. So no, no, it's one of the quieter
times of a year.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
The price of venison too, good news around the schedule.
I remember talking to you a wee while ago now
and ten dollars seem to be the dream that you're
wanted for a price. But it seems as though that
you've gone past that with the schedule.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Yes, yeah, mind you with costs. We're looking at a
schedule for the red venison around about that, well, just
over the eleven dollars, eleven dollars twenty for a couple
of months October November, and then it drops away awey bit.
But the ELK schedule, I think from what I understand,
(03:29):
it goes right through it about eleven dollars right through
into the autumn. So it's certainly a good price, but no, Andy,
with the costs on farm now, you'd have to be
up around that eleven dollars to justify the costings on
farm now. So I don't know. It's looking good. It's
probably a good thing because the velvet is sort of
(03:53):
the roomors out there about prices at the moment, and
red velvet, particularly non traditional, it's pretty hard to sell.
I understand everything shifted last year, but just talking to
process not processes buyers this year, they've got the orders,
but non traditional is just that much harder to sell,
and it's a harder product to actually process. You know.
(04:17):
The traditional is far easier to process. It's not as rough.
For those that don't know what I'm talking about. Let's see,
the bigger heads that are Philly rough had a lot
more times on in some cases blind out at the
top of big bulb, whereas the traditionals cleaner velvet with
three times and doesn't blow out at the top of
(04:39):
the big top on it and cut at the right time.
So that's going to be a wete bit of a
challenge this year. So I think the buyers at the
stage are sitting on their hands. There's no prices out
for a red velvet for ELK, Yes, the big stuff,
there's prices out for that. It's around one hundred and
thirty from what I understand, So you know, it looks
(05:02):
as though it's going to continue on from last year
at prices much the same as what they were getting
last year, so they'll be happy with that.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Just going back to the Venison, she was as high
as you've seen it.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Ah, yes, yes, yeah, no, I got way back. It
got closer way back in about two thousand and one two,
but unfortunately that sort of blew the market out. I mean,
it was a situation where there was a short shortage
of supply of game product going into some of the countries,
particularly Germany excuse me, and it pushed the price up.
(05:39):
But what we saw out of that was a real
drop away after that, I think had dropped right back
to about three eighty and a number of that sort
of took a number of deer farmers out of well,
they left the industry actually and did something else. So
I can't see that happening this time. I think worldwide
proteins in demand and it seems pretty secure, so you know,
(06:03):
we've just got to be aware of that. That's something
that we don't want to happen in game.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
As far as the velvet market, obviously the majority or
does it goes over to China and South Korea. What
are the market signals showing us from there, David.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Well, there's quite a bit of product in the pipeline.
Also in Korea, we've got a situation where that further
process product that goes into health products. That market at
the moment is probably I wouldn't say stagnant, but it
slowed right down. That volume has reached its sort of
peak at the stage it will grow, but it's not
(06:38):
going to grow fast from what I understand, as it
has in the past. So that slowed things down. So
you're in a situation where what we really need is
China to go down the same track, and if that happens,
we certainly get rid of the product. There's no problem
with that. And I think that's starting to happen, but
it just slower. It's going to happen slowly. It's not
(07:00):
going to happen that the pace of the head in
Korea over the last few years. So I think what
deer farmers need to look at is to consider just
what they're with their herds. I mean, they're in a
situation where that ruffer velvet is not going to sell
that to wub be well, and they really need to
look at their herds, and I know some have and
(07:22):
cold out there mixed age stacks, certainly the ones that
had a rougher head. So they need to do that,
and there's a go schedule for it. Some have done
it back after post rut, and some are obviously doing
a bit of that prior to the growing again for
a season. So certainly I would if I was in
(07:42):
their position, I would certainly get rid of a lot
of a mixed age stacks. I'd probably then look at
the possibility of purchasing some commercial hinds and the possibility
of actually putting an old ball over them and getting
some elk genetics into their progeny. And certainly that schedule
(08:04):
for elk venison going into the States is good and
it's an opportunity there where. Also, I think the industry's
probably gone a wee bit far to the velvet. It's
all very well for me to say that, because I've
done particularly well out of selling velvet stags and size,
but over the years it's just grown considerably that value.
(08:26):
And what they need to do is, I think grow
the hind heard again and get into the venison schedule.
There's a number of farmers out there farmers out there
that got rid of their hinds. I think that now
the opportunity is actually get rid of some of those
old stags. And certainly the schedule's got andy. I mean
(08:47):
you're looking at even now seven twenty. You know, you
hang a big stag up that's you know, one hundred
and forty k. You know you're getting a pretty good return.
The certainly would cover the cost of a and then
in to find you know, coming on to the property.
It's worth thinking about. Put it that way.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Good to see positives in the industry. David, always appreciate
your time on the muster.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
No problem any thanks for the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
David Stevens, deaf farmer there at neither Dal, just out
of Belfare. You're listening to the muster. Next, just along
from Hokin, New Ehq, we're going to catch up with
Sam Grant from Craig's Investment Partners,
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