Doe, a Deer, a Farm-Raised Deer

For the majority of Americans who did not grow up on farms, our deepest-held images of farm life come from children’s books.  We remember Wilbur and Freddy the Pig, the cows that said moo on Old McDonald’s farm, Chicken Little.  But not Bambi – Bambi lived in the woods.  Big-eyed does and broad-antlered stags are emblematic of American wilderness, but in the last few years, more and more farmers have been turning to raising deer and elk as a new and profitable venture in agriculture.

There is some conjecture that deer may have been partially domesticated even before other forms of livestock, but greater successes with the predecessors to today’s cows, goats and pigs caused the attempts to domesticate deer to be abandoned.  Still, deer parks have existed for a long time, as any fan of public television period dramas could attest. Historically, deer parks have involved little more than a large enclosure, with some provisions for water and supplemental food in winter. Medieval deer parks covered quite large areas, an average of 200 acres. The land used for deer parks was never high-quality arable land, but a combination of rough open fields and woodland.

About thirty years ago, in New Zealand, some farmers began experimenting with deliberate breeding of deer for desirable traits such as mild-flavored meat.  With this development, modern deer farming began. But some similarities to the early deer parks remain.  Land which is of low quality for agriculture can be used for raising deer, and the land can stay in a relatively wild state, allowing for continued habitation by other animals, birds and plants.  Though the sustainability of deer farm operations is dependent on careful monitoring of water resources and the protection of young trees, the overall potential for deer farming as sustainable use of land is high.

Another advantage of deer for farmers is the relatively low maintenance involved in their day-to-day care.  Part-time farmers, whose ranks swell every year, can balance raising a herd of deer with an outside job, something almost impossible to do with dairy farming and difficult with most other farm operations.  Deer farming provides flexibility and reasonable start-up costs, high and strong fences being the major initial investment.

As a result of these advantages, deer farming has exploded in the last few years. New Zealand remains at the forefront of the movement, with an estimated 1.8 million deer raised on farms. Though no official numbers are available, one estimate places the number of deer being farmed in the U.S. at 250,000, the majority raising red deer, fallow deer or white tail, with smaller numbers raising elk or other deer breeds. In New England, the Northeast Deer and Elk Farmers boasts thirty-six farms.

Deer farming offers a great opportunity for would-be farmers – that is, if they can find a market for their products.  Deer meat still has a bit of a stigma for many people.  The cultural image of venison is peculiarly dualistic – deer meat is the province of redneck hunters and pretentious gourmets, but not regular folk. Some people just can’t stop thinking about Bambi, but others have had bad exposure to overcooked, tough, gamey meat, perhaps peppered with shot.  Farm-raised venison is both milder and more uniform in flavor than wild meat, but people need to be convinced to give it a chance. Perhaps the nutritional benefits of deer meat will provide the needed push. Venison loin offers full flavor at a calorie and fat level which matches chicken breast – and lower cholesterol.

While consumers are becoming educated, deer farmers rely on the sale of deer and elk meat to those in the know, generally restaurants happy to have a source of venison of consistent quality. (In fact, many farmers don't bother with retail sales at all.) This income is supplemented by other products from the deer – trophy mounts for the decorator trade, hides (a minor but consistent by-product), and, most importantly, velvet antler. Antler is harvested from living deer (anesthesia is used to ensure a pain-free operation), dried and powdered, and sold as a nutritional supplement.  Velvet antler has a long history of use in Chinese medicine, and its fans claim it can promote immune system function, improve wound healing time, and boast energy levels, effects believed to be caused by the high concentration of minerals and hormones. 

Though velvet antler has become very popular in recent years, its use remains controversial.  Detractors say that benefits have not been proven, and the FDA has issued warnings to some farmers who have inappropriately labeled their supplements with unsupported claims.  Despite the controversy, velvet antler is used widely by athletes and adherents of traditional Asian medicine, as well as a nutritional supplement for pets. Easily stored and shipped, velvet antler is a major source of income for most deer farmers, particularly in areas with large Asian immigrant populations.

Sources for both velvet antler and venison meat can be found in our Exotic Meat and Game Sources listing. We recommend you give deer meat a try; maybe you’ll find an exciting new answer to that eternal question: what’s for dinner? And maybe a new generation of children will grow up with a somewhat different version of an old favorite:  Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O, and on that farm he had a deer, E-I-E-I-O….