Like most dreams, Cedric’s took a while to realise. After getting married and a stint of driving trucks in Western Australia he and his wife Bev returned to New Zealand with the idea of going farming. For a number of years he milked cows in the Hauraki region until one day his neighbour made him an offer on his farm that he couldn’t refuse. So, with money in his pocket, he could now begin looking around for a property suitable for farming deer. In the early 1990’s, the Stone family moved to the Bay of Plenty region onto to a 148 hectare (365 acre) farm, 50 hectares of which appeared fit for deer farming. With no experience in deer farming, Cedric took to the challenge with gusto. He needed to learn the business quickly – New Zealand’s fledgling deer farming industry was then booming and all kinds of ‘Wild West’ things were taking place. |
Deer farming involves techniques and skills not normally needed in other forms of agriculture. During your tour of the Stone’s farm you will be enlightened by tales of the New Zealand deer industry and see firsthand the methods used. This will include an explanation of the use and workings the drop-floor deer crush, a concept first seen in China and adapted by a New Zealander to enable velvet to be efficiently removed from a deer’s antlers. The drop-floor crush has since been superseded by a hydraulic rush that enables far better, safer and more humane control of all sized deer. Cedric has done much to improve his farm over the years; re-grassing to improve feeding yield and re-vegetating land prone to instability. As the industry has developed, he has learnt many new techniques in animal husbandry and welfare including the art of anaesthetising deer, a veterinary certified requirement for velvet antler removal. He has even set up a trophy block and hunting lodge in the native bush which comprises part of his farm – it seems his dream has come true. |