Legendary helicopter pilot and ground culler reflects on a wild time in the establishment of the deer industry. Words Dick Deaker. Photos Barry Harcourt & Garry Hollows.

Farm planning for deer farmers must allow for flexibility and the unique challenges of farming deer, but a good farm plan can help provide proof of best practice for our markets. Words Rebecca Greaves.

Newly appointed Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) chief executive Rhys Griffiths (pictured) knows the industry has weathered some recent storms, but he believes it is poised to write the next chapter in the pioneering history of deer. Words Rebecca Greaves.

Getting deer back inside the many deer-fenced blocks on the country’s sheep-beef farms is a major priority for Taihape deer farmer Mark McCoard. Tony Leggett asks the recently elected chairman of the New Zealand Deer Farmers Association how it will happen. Photos Brad Hanson.

Words Kathryn Wright

Bringing pumpkin seeds, pumpkin oil and pumpkin flour to the market is a labour of love, but this innovative Whanganui couple have jumped in head first with their Summer Hill Seeds business adding a third protein to their farming operation. Words Kate Coughlan, Photos Alanah Brown.

Tommi Gregory-Hunt is a Timaru-based stock agent, following in the footsteps of her father Martie. Born on the Chatham Islands and raised on Pitt Island, she can’t wait to take her skills back home. Words Annabelle Allott.

Roger Barton, Carterton, Wairarapa, with his wife Barbie, farms a glorified lifestyle block (480ha total) amongst the rocks at Woodside, west of Greytown. They have four adult children, two of which are farming on their own blocks.

Gavin Tait is a cattle fertility vet who also runs a beef and sheep farm in the Eastern Scottish Borders, United Kingdom, with his wife Julia and sons Archie, 7, and Rory, 6.