Mar 13, 2025

Noticeboard

- Fawn loss at weaning
- 2025 MSD/Afflex Deer Industry Photo Competition - Entries Open!
- Industry Awards 2025
- Otago Regional Council Intensive Winter grazing Regulations
- Take advantage of farm planning funding
- Fallow Hinds enquiry - Central Region
- MetService outlook March 2025
- Joke of the month
- Deer Industry News - Advertise with us

Events

- 2025 Deer Industry conference 2025 - 14 May, Queenstown

Fawn Loss at weaning

Canterbury farmers would like to bring to your attention that some of them have recently experienced fawn losses at weaning and they believe this is attributed to drenching. Please drench appropriately, at correct dose rates, and remember "all drenches should be well shaken, not stirred"

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2025 MSD/Afflex Deer Industry Photo Competition - Entries Open!

It's time to get snapping again! Gather up those great shots you have buried, or head out on the farm with your camera and enter the MSD Animal Health/Allflex Deer Industry Photo Competition kindly sponsored by MSD Animal Health/Allflex.

The "Elk/Wapiti" award category is back, kindly sponsored by the Elk/Wapiti Society.

The 2024 competition had a fantastic turnout with 84 entries. With a $500 cash prize and several secondary prizes, you won't want to miss out!

Competition closes 5pm, Friday 25 April 2025.

Click here for more information https://deernz.org/home/events/msd-deer-industry-photo-competition/

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Industry Awards 2025

Nominations are now open for the NZ Deer Industry and Matuschka Awards.

The NZ Deer Industry Award is presented each year to the person, persons jointly, or organisation who, in the opinion of the judges, has made the most outstanding contribution to the New Zealand deer industry, either in the previous year, or over a period of years.

Nomination forms are here: Deer Industry Award nomination.

The NZDFA Matuschka Award recognises the grass roots farmer and unsung contributor to local area activities, functions and core spirit of deer farming. Nominations are invited for a farmer or farming entity who has made a significant ongoing or lifetime of contribution to deer farming and the NZDFA in particular at Branch and regional level in any aspect for deer farming.

Nominations should be made through the appropriate Branch or can be direct to the convenor. There is no set format or form to nominate someone and it’s not necessary to advise a candidate of the nomination. It’s helpful to have a short biography of your candidate’s contributions, supported by testimonial letters or commentary.

Further information can be found here: Matuschka Award.

Nominations for both awards close on 4 April 2025

It's time to get snapping again, gather those great shots you have buried, or head out on the farm with your camera and enter the 2025 MSD Animal Health/Allflex Deer Industry Photo Competition. With a $500 first place cash prize, you won't want to miss out!

Email your photos through to Rebecca at rebecca.norling@deernz.org along with your entry form by 5:00 pm, 25 April 2025.

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Otago Regional Council - Intensive Winter Grazing Regulations

Luka Jansen, DINZ Environmental Stewardship Manager, provides an update on the Otago Regional Council changes to intensive winter grazing regulations.

This winter, Otago farmers will need to meet regulations around:

Minimum setbacks of 5 metres from the bed of any river, lake, wetland or drain (regardless of whether there is any water in it at the time), and

No grazing within critical source areas, maintaining ground cover over the critical source area, and no cultivation, or harvesting of annual forage crops in critical source areas.

Otago Regional Council will be running annual good management workshops on IWG in the first quarter of 2025. We strongly advise farmers to attend to ensure compliance is achieved this winter. The aim of these workshops to provide support for completing grazing management plans and talking about good management practices. Details on the workshops are below:

Location	Date	Time	Venue	Address
Owaka	Tuesday 18^th March	11am-2pm	Owaka Community Centre	3 Ovenden Street, Owaka
Balclutha	Thursday 20^th March	11am-2pm	Balclutha Room, Te Pou Ō Mata Au \| Clutha District War Memorial & Community Centre	6 Clyde Street, Balclutha
Tapanui	Wednesday 26^th March	11am-2pm	West Otago Community Centre	1 Suffolk Street, Tapanui
Weston	Thursday 3^rdApril	11am-2pm	Weston Hall	20 Main Street, Weston
Outram	Wednesday 9^th April	11am-2pm	West Taieri Rugby Club	102 Formby Street, Outram
Ranfurly	Wednesday 16^th April	11am-2pm	Maniototo Golf Club	72 Tyrone Street, Ranfurly
Cromwell	Wednesday 30^th April	11am-2pm	Bannockburn Room, Cromwell Presbyterian Church	10 Elspeth Street, Cromwell

If you have any questions about your consent, or need help understanding the winter grazing regulations please don’t hesitate to get in touch via consent.enquries@orc.govt.nz or register for a workshop - Intensive Winter Grazing 2025 workshops | Otago Regional Council

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Take advantage of farm planning funding

The deer industry has secured funding from MPI to support deer farmers with farm planning. Whether you’re an individual, part of a group, or a branch, if you have a need that this initiative could assist with, reach out to the team at DINZ to find out how we can help. Contact us at ifp@deernz.org.

Rapid Assessments

DINZ is also partnering with external providers to offer free support to deer farmers preparing for NZFAP or NZFAP Plus certification. These assessments, include an in-person review of what you already have, to help identify what’s needed for certification and then guidance on where to next. If you would like to complete a rapid assessment to check your status for the New Zealand Farm Assurance programme you can sign up here: Sign Me Up for Rapid Assessment

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Fallow Hinds enquiry - Central Regions

Georgia Bennik is looking to buy 4 fallow hinds. Georgia is based in Levin so preferably hinds from the Central Regions but could be neighbouring branches. Georgia's contact details are 021 458 648 if you are able to help with this enquiry.

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MetService Outlook - March 2025

A cold front brings modest westerly rain and a cooler reprieve to the country this week, followed by a showery onshore flow across eastern regions that may deliver a decent chunk of this months’ rainfall in those eastern regions. High pressure is then forecast to return, with high confidence of warmer-than-average temperatures and a general drying trend country-wide through at least mid-month.

The persistent high pressure shows signs of weakening during the third week of March, with the odd system becoming more likely to spread across the country with modest rainfall, though most of New Zealand is likely to remain drier-than-average. Temperatures are also expected to remain above normal, with increasing soil moisture deficits and drying soils looking likely to persist.

The final week of March shows slightly more promise for rainmakers. High pressure should ease and move eastwards, with the Southern Ocean and south Tasman Sea showing signs of reawakening, though western regions of the North Island may see the dry weather hold on a bit longer through the end of the month. Saying that, the tropics may become more active towards the end of March, but any southward progression towards the country will be highly dependent on how quickly the high pressure departs.

While this may not be the weather forecast that everyone desires, a quick look into early April provides a glint of hope for a return to more frequent weather systems

Bottom Line:

A cold front delivers westerly rain followed by showers in the east this week, then building high pressure brings largely dry conditions across the country for most of March

You can sign up for the MetService's Monthly Outlook right to your inbox - click here to subscribe.

Source: https://www.metservice.com/rural#monthly-outlook

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Joke of the month

Gazza and Bazza are out hunting in Southland, and they shoot a deer. They begin dragging the deer back to the truck by the tail, but they keep slipping and losing both their grip and their balance.

A farmer comes along and asks them, “What are you boys doing?”

They reply, “We’re dragging the deer back to the truck.”

The farmer tells them, “You are not supposed to drag a deer by the tail. You’re supposed to drag the deer by the handles. They’re called antlers. You’re supposed to drag a deer by the antlers.”

Gazza and Bazza say, “Thank you very much for the idea.”

They begin pulling the deer by the antlers. After about five minutes, they are making rapid progress. Gazza says to Bazza, “Bazza, the farmer was right. It goes a lot easier by the antlers.”

Bazza replies, “Yeah, but we’re getting farther and farther from the truck.”

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Deer Industry News - Advertise with us

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Events

If you have an event that would be of interest to the deer farming industry, please email info@deernz.org with details.

2025 Deer Industry Conference

REGISTRATIONS OPEN

2025 will see the 50th anniversary of the Deer Industry conference which will be hosted in Queenstown on the 14th May.

Rooms have been reserved and are now available to book at The Millennium hotel. Rooms are $295 per night.
When booking, reference the DINZ 2025 Conference to receive the room rate above.

To help plan your travel and attendance please click here for further details - 2025 conference