What Happened to Our Hunting Ranch Council?

There is one state with 4 preserves that will be eating their deer if they can't sell out of state. Which it is just one test away. INDIANA

I had a member of the MDC try and tell me closing the borders would not affect us. I told him to tell Walmart they could only do business in state or to tell the MDC that. He had no reply.

Midwest, I do not think is simple economics 101.  There are toooooooo many variables in farming these animals. THEY LOOK FOR A WAY TO DIE! PERIOD!  We are not making clothes or furniture here.  It is not good business sense for the farmer to grow as much as they can and sell for less.  A few animal losses can eat up all the profit especially if you sell cheap.  Most are not doing this to break even or take a loss every year.  You may not lose many to EHD in Michigan but talk to the rest of the country.  It cost them to feed those does every year that produced those bucks that died from it plus you cost in the buck.  There is NOTHING SIMPLE about it.  Maybe we should all have our heads examined for doing this.   There is  more risk and less reward than the stock market. 

This is great discussion. Keep it up. There are so many different markets in different states and different areas it would be hard to compare them all for one simple solution, but I agree it seems the threats of CDW (not necessarily the desease itself), EHD, and regulations are where we might be impacted the most when it comes to market prices.


 


I admit this industry was candy coated when described to me in the beginning (easy and profitable), but it seems to be much like any other business. You have to cut costs, work hard, have a good reputation, and hope nothing disasterous happens.

t-hat


one thing about other businesses is that usually the one operating can control destiny.  EHD takes no prisoners.  You can do everything possible and it wipe your entire herd out.  the 2012 drought did just that to some people. 


 


Jonathon,


I really think that's one reason why the north is very stagnant in semen sales. You cant spend 5k on a straw and have nothing to show for it when the animals SHOULD have been 2.  You can't sell DEAD.

jerrilee cave979661411611761



Midwest, I do not think is simple economics 101.  There are toooooooo many variables in farming these animals. THEY LOOK FOR A WAY TO DIE! PERIOD!  We are not making clothes or furniture here.  It is not good business sense for the farmer to grow as much as they can and sell for less.  A few animal losses can eat up all the profit especially if you sell cheap.  Most are not doing this to break even or take a loss every year.  You may not lose many to EHD in Michigan but talk to the rest of the country.  It cost them to feed those does every year that produced those bucks that died from it plus you cost in the buck.  There is NOTHING SIMPLE about it.  Maybe we should all have our heads examined for doing this.   There is  more risk and less reward than the stock market. 




 


How are there more variables in farming deer then lets say running a production facility? Deer farmers have deer die, feed cost rises. vet bills, Production companies also see a rise in material cost, they have equipment break, repairable or need replaced, workman's comp bills, unemployment bills and they also have to warranty their product. You HAVE to figure those cost into your business plan. Me I would plan on loosing a few deer every year depending on how big I was. If I couldn't compete with other farmers I would change my business plan up.  As others have stated the shooter market is continuing to change and so should you. That's why the ones on top are still on top, they have learned how to "beat" the system. 

Your forgetting one big thing here compared to non-agricultural businesses. They have insurance to cover most loses on materials, or they should anyway. Farmers have crop insurance. You will go broke even quicker in the deer business by paying very high premiums. That's even if you can find it. Plus they only will cover acts of God. They will not cover ehd, fuso, anesthetic loss etc.


I would venture to say even the best managed farms have loss rates that you would be surprised about.


You have to realize this cut rate pricing is in no way good for this industry. It will be a vicious circle. Preserves that don't raise their own animals will be out of business. They will not be able to compete. When the little farmer is gone there will be nobody to provide him with animals. Maybe that's what everybody wants, I don't know. Even most preserve owners that raise their own animals still need to buy by the end of the year.

We put too much work in this to just break even. Try telling wal-Mart they need to just break even.

I understand cut rate pricing isn't good for the industry. But there will always be greed out there or fear of loosing it all. That's why I said earlier has any farmers ever offered to buy the deer that others are wanting to sell for under market value? That way they don't go to the preserves for less then what majority thinks market value should be? In this world you have to look out for your self and do whats best for you because no one else is. 

If a person is buying and moving them twice instead of once there is too much RISK, as in death of the animal. That's why it's not done very often.


I don't know everything and don't claim to, but I know this much by being in the industry and educating myself constantly every day.

I hope I'm not coming across to know everything. I am just on the outside looking in and looking at things as black and white. I know its not always that simple either. I joined this forum along time ago to learn as much as I can about the industry. I have even contemplated getting in it as a farmer. First when prices were high, then when the bottom fell out and here again I'm thinking about it again. Really I don't know why anyone in their right mind would get into it with its current situations in the states. Gov could put a lot of people in the poor house real quick.  

You've got that right. I wouldn't recommend anyone getting in right now.

With boarders closing and more and more States doing that people like me who can't harvest deer in their State and depend on other States to allow importation of deer and elk I can't survive as a business. I have been forced to be only be a hobby in the State of Montana and have reduced my animal numbers to really be just that. As we all know we do raise these animals because we love them and like to watch them. But like any animal we raise for food we have to be able to sell them to stay in business. In Montana when we had 160 farms and then in one day we were all out of business because our State said we couldn't harvest them behind an eight foot fence. We now have 10 people who keep them for just a hobby. We are in the process of reducing our animals into a hobby level for personal entertainment as I don't see this industry with a bright future if we can't get the DNR and over testing under control and boarders open.

The market as with any market will level off.  The smart ones or ones who guess right will capitalize and others will lose as with any market.  Closed borders will benefit the producer and hunting preserves both but at different times.  I have bought deer since 1999 and Right now there are more deer and bigger deer available than ever before.  The hunt prices are lower than ever before.  Everyone has to find their own niche and skim through the bad years and capitalize on the good ones.  If everyone made a bunch of money every year everyone would quit their job and get into this industry.  On a side note.  From my experience the EHD vaccine is a scam.  Just a money making tool for developers.  Over the years I have seen so many deer vaccinated, boosted and vaccinated only to succumb to EHD.  I am a firm believer that fogging is the only way to combat the issues.