The Rural Voice, 1987-09, Page 23produced 11 of the most colourful
piglets around, and two of them, with
their pushed -in faces, have been sold
to the Toronto zoo. For protection —
and delight — a two-year-old Siberian
tiger is chained in the yard. His scent
and roars keep both predators and wild
deer away from the compound.
Hutka believes with
a passion that the
government should use
some imagination and
start preparing for the
future. He suggests
that a licencing system
be established to control
the number of animals
and that a government
body have control of
standards.
Hutka and Turner keep a close
watch on the stock, noting growth
rates and any unusual behaviour.
Their notes are valuable research
on the animals in their care.
Hutka has plans for his small herd
of elk and wapiti. The American elk
is the fastest growing, and young born
in June are ready for market at 500
pounds the following May. The velvet
harvest can be as high as 30 pounds
per animal, compared to 21 pounds
from a red deer.
This spring was the first time
Hutka harvested velvet. It is a quick
job but must be done accurately.
Deer, unlike cattle, grow antlers each
spring and after one season the antlers
fall off. The soft new growth is cut
off and used in the Orient as an ad-
ditive to medicines.
A Tight tranquilizer is used to
make the animal more manageable,
and it is back with the herd in a mat-
ter of minutes (the drug used in New
Zealand to reverse the tranquilizer is
not yet approved by Canadian reg-
ulating agencies). Hutka and Turner
are careful not to cut too close to the
pendicle, or growing base, of the
antler. To cut too close would invite
infection or disease. The velvet from
fallow deer is not as much in demand
because, shaped like a large palm, it is
harder to use.
Those interested in deer farming,
however, should note that stock is
hard, if not impossible, to get. Hutka
warns that deer from the southern U.S.
have too many diseases and that pros-
pective buyers should confine their
shopping to the northern states. And
prices are going up. For fallow deer
from the U.S. one could pay in the
$600 (U.S.) range. European imports
would be $800 (U.S.) plus shipping
and handling.
Hutka sees marketing as a crucial
step for venison. Due to its low fat
content, venison can be dry. In
Europe, venison is often marinated or
served in a sauce or gravy. Given the
fast food trend in North America,
marketing a cut of meat that takes a
little effort to cook could be a disaster.
Hutka says that one enterprising
butcher in Toronto marinated and pre-
cooked venison, packaging it in small
containers which the buyer simply
heats and serves. The product sold
like hotcakes, Hutka says.
North American tastes are
changing, and with such changes the
Hutka sees marketing
as a crucial step. Due
to its low fat content,
venison can be dry ...
one enterprising butcher
in Toronto marinated
and pre-cooked
venison, packaging it
in small containers
which the buyer simply
heats and serves. The
product sold like hot -
cakes, Hutka says.
agricultural industry will change too.
Hutka took some Swiss visitors to a
local restaurant to which he had sold
some yak. Unable to resist a new taste
sensation himself, Hutka tried some
and was pleased at how good it tasted.
Who knows, venison and other exotic
meats may be as common as beef and
pork if enterprising farmers have their
way.0
Scott Drainage
Erosion Control
Structures
Complete
Farm Drainage Service
Plastic • Clay • Concrete
Ripley
519-395-3563
519-395-2992
Huron County
Plowing Match
Sulky Plow
Thursday & Friday
Sept. 3 & 4
at
Jack Riddell's
Farm
Thursday: Instruction Day
Starts at 10 a.m.
Friday: Starts at 9 a.m.
Events include log -sawing, nail
driving & the Huron Queen of the
Furrow Competition.
ALSO
A Conservation Tillage Class jointly
sponsored by the Huron Plowmen's
Association & the Huron Soil & Crop
Improvement Association.
For more information, contact
Graeme Craig, R.R. 1,
Walton.
887-9381
or
Ernest Talbot, R.R. 3,
Hensall
262-5300
SEPTEMBER 1987 21