In-fawn hinds from Altrive Red Deer, Riversdale continue to prove the benefits of bidr to find buyers for premium bloodlines.

A Southland deer stud, the first in the country to use bidr, is preparing for its eighth annual in-fawn winter hind sale on New Zealand’s virtual saleyard.

Altrive Red Deer, Riversdale will offer approximately 50 hinds at the sale in late July. Altrive owner Sam Elder farms in partnership with her husband Andy, carrying on the business established by Andy’s father Geoff. She explains why their sale has been a bidr only event since 2019.

“Pre-bidr we typically sold hinds by private treaty. Since 1985, when Geoff started, we have primarily bred deer for velvet, bringing through strong dam lines, and establishing a depth of breeding in our hind base. In 2019 we decided to test the market using bidr. Particularly at this time of year, it has proven an excellent way to reach a broader market for our genetics,” she says.

PGG Wrightson Livestock deer stud coordinator Steve Annan says Altrive has a well-deserved reputation for standout genetics.

“They are always looking to innovate, searching for different genetic lines, and are very particular in what they look for. The temperament of their animals is amazing. For another client, I recently bought a five-year-old Altrive stag for $25,000. Andy and Sam had used him themselves. We bought him because of his clean velvet genetics, still evident at that age. The longevity of that animal and the potential he offered for extended velvet production was an excellent investment for my client, and a credit to the care and attention of Altrive.”

The Elders regularly buy in semen for embryo transfer into their hinds. Sam says rather than purely breeding for velvet weight, they focus on animals with a strong beam and tines, emphasising the quality and style of velvet. Hinds in fawn from embryo transfer will be offered at the upcoming sale.

Despite an underwhelming season for velvet, Sam is not fazed.

“We are holding out for the long term, as are most others in the industry. We see positive signals from the market. Although it’s not going to come right overnight, we’ve been doing this for a long time. We believe in our product and are confident it will come back.”

In 2019 Altrive took on the mantle as the deer market’s bidr pioneer. Results at that sale far exceeded expectations and today bidr runs hinds auctions each winter for several deer breeders across the country.

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