 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
Deer Farmers’ Digest Newsletter |
||||||||||||
|
August 2001 - Vol. 2, Issue 8 Welcome to the AUGUST 2001 edition of the Deer Farmers' Digest, a monthly electronic newsletter published for those interested in raising deer, elk and reindeer. This Digest (ISSN 1499-1357) is distributed via e-mail to over 2,500 readers in 24 countries. A copy of ALL the issues of the Deer Farmers' Digest can be found at http://digest.deerfarmer.com and in the National Library of Canada at http://collection.nlc-bnc.ca/100/201/300/deer_farmers_digest/ Please forward this copy of the Deer Farmers' Digest to your friends and any other people who may be interested in deer, elk or reindeer. To ADD or REMOVE your name from our mailing list, please see Subscription Services below. IN THIS ISSUE 1. Using food festivals to promote our industry
1. USING FOOD FESTIVALS TO PROMOTE OUR INDUSTRY As deer and elk numbers continue to increase on North American farms, our industry needs to develop and expand the markets for venison. One way consumers and chefs can be made aware of this specialty cuisine is through food festivals. I am currently involved with several of my clients in organizing the Alberta Prairie Heritage Food Festival that will be held on September 16th 2001 at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, just east of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Heritage Food Festival is being held in conjunction with the annual "Harvest of the Past" event at the Village. This Food Festival project is being undertaken by the Alberta Elk Association, the Alberta White-tail and Mule Deer Association, the Alberta Reindeer Association, and the Alberta Bison Association, in cooperation with the Fruit Growers Society of Alberta and the Alberta Market Gardeners Association. The purpose of the Festival is to hold a one-day public festival to promote Alberta-produced native fruit (e.g., Saskatoon berry, chokecherry) and native livestock (e.g., bison, elk and deer) food products. The goals of the Prairie Heritage Food Festival are to: 1. Market and sell Alberta-grown fruit, venison, bison meat and related products. 2. Educate potential buyers as how to prepare and serve these products. 3. Provide marketing benefits to producers through competitions and awards. 4. Make the general public more aware and informed regarding these farming industries. 5. Provide a venue to test consumer interest and reaction to new Alberta food and beverage products. 6. Attract new producers to these industries. 7. Develop new markets, strategic alliances and value-added distribution chains. 8. Generate revenues for associations and its members. 9. Provide an informative, fun and entertaining day for the whole family. Each of the participating associations will have booths on site to provide information, samples and promotional items to the public. Some of the booths will also be selling products - venison, bison burgers, Saskatoon pies, vegetables - to the public to take home. The associations will be providing meals during the day showcasing their products. The Festival day will start out with a V.I.P. and media pancake breakfast featuring native fruit syrups and venison/bison sausages along with rhubarb and currant juice. Once the special guests are finished, this same breakfast will be made available to the public attending the events at the Village that day. After breakfast is finished, visitors will be able to savour a whole range of delicious food. For the main course, they will have a choice of either bison or venison shiskabobs, bison burgers, bison or elk roast on a bun, and a venison/bison stew. This will be accompanied by a choice of fresh potatoes, corn, coleslaw and fresh dill pickles. For dessert, there will be freshly baked Saskatoon berry pie with ice cream and other assorted fruit desserts. In addition, there may be demonstrations of how to make jams, how to cook venison/bison, product competitions and taste tests. All in all, consumers will have a very "feastful" day! As well, they will be able to buy our products to take home to enjoy. We plan to make this an annual event to promote our cervid industries among the local public and consumers. You (the deer, elk and reindeer associations) are strongly encouraged to do the same in each province, state or country in which you are located. To obtain maximum benefit from Food Festivals, here are some suggestions: 1. Make a plan - putting your event proposal in writing seems like extra effort and work. However, it is worth it. It provides your Board, members and partners with a clearer indication of what you are planning to do. We found it invaluable in communicating and negotiating with our potential partners. As well, the plan can serve as a to-do list to help in organizing and managing the thousands of tasks that need to be done for a successful event. 2. Partner up - look for existing organizations and events with which you can partner up. This makes hosting a food festival so much easier. In our case, the Ukrainian Village has the venue, infrastructure, track record and resources already in place. Adding in the Prairie Heritage Food Festival was a natural fit, greatly increasing our odds of success. It is a win-win situation for all parties. We were pleasantly surprised by how many organizations were interested in getting involved with us. Most of these were public organizations (city, provincial) looking for ways to enhance the attendance and attractiveness of their events. Good food always makes friends! We are looking at possibly partnering up with some of these organizations and their events in the future. Ideally, we hope to host 3 to 4 food festivals in different venues each year. A side benefit is that many of these organizations are now looking at offering some of our products, e.g., bison burgers, as part of their regular food service. The other partnering that needs to take place is with other complementary associations. The Alberta Elk Association, Alberta White-tail and Mule Deer Association, Alberta Bison Association and the Alberta Fruit Growers all have offices in the same building in Leduc, just minutes away from the Edmonton international airport. This arrangement really facilitates communication, sharing and working together. Also, as a group, we are much more attractive to potential external partners. We can bring greater resources, connections and expertise to any marketing initiative. 3. Get grants - non-profit deer and elk associations promoting locally-grown products in events that attract tourism likely qualify for various grant programs. Most states and provinces have programs to support such initiatives. Find out what is available and apply for these funds. It is much easier to hold a successful event if you have some seed funding with which to work. Remember though, along with grants comes accountability. So be sure to understand and comply with all the obligations attached to any grant funding. Also contact your local Chamber of Commerce for support that they may be able to provide. 4. Get local chefs involved - we were pleasantly surprised at how many quality chefs were interested in getting involved with our festival. In fact, we finally had to restrict the number of chefs just so that the event could remain manageable. Chefs are interested in showcasing their talents (and restaurants) to the public. They are also interested in unique, locally-produced products that can differentiate them from their competitors. Many restaurants, especially those catering to foreign tourists, love to feature regional cuisine. Because of this interest, we are looking at a special event just for chefs to showcase their capabilities with these specialty products. We also have contacted the local college which has a chef's program to see whether some of their second-year students could assist with our event. This has a duel benefit - having knowledgeable help for the event, and preparing future chefs to work with venison. 5. Showcase your best - make sure that the products you serve at these events are your very best. Otherwise you will be doing our industry more damage than good. This is why it is useful to have experienced chefs involved as part of your event. They will make sure that everything tastes great, because their egos and reputations are at stake. Also, when selecting suppliers or taste samples, exercise the same level of quality control. 6. Provide information - you need to educate the consumer. Be sure that at these events you have people and information available on such things as nutritional/health benefits, cooking tips, recipes, places to buy, web sites, and where people can call/click to find vendors and more information. People will be interested in our products; help them to become regular customers. 7. Involve the media - a public relations expert once told me the best way to get reporters out is to offer lots of free and delicious food. Make sure the media is aware of your food festival. This can be done by sending out press releases, appearing (with food samples) on radio and television morning shows, and inviting the media to a special breakfast or meal. At the Prairie Heritage Food Festival, we also have a local media celebrity serving as a guest chef. Getting the media involved in judging food competitions, serving food and other activities should also be considered. Don't forget to do regular advertising as well. 8. Support your members - remember that the whole purpose of the exercise is to help your association members sell their deer, elk or reindeer products. As such, your members must be given the first option to provide the food for the event, and the opportunity to promote and sell their own products. Profitable members are happy members and will continue to support your association. 9. Evaluate - take some time and effort to evaluate how well your event did - that is the only way you can continually improve. Here are some factors you may want to consider: a. Attendance - detailed statistics should be collected as to the number of visitors to your Festival. b. Financial results - how profitable was the Festival? c. Booths - how many vendors rented booths, and how satisfied were they with the event in terms of visitors, leads and sales? d. Events attendance - how many people attended each of the information, demonstration and presentation sessions, as well as the pancake breakfast? e. Interest and inquiries - how many inquiries were there for each industry, and how many brochures were given out by the associations? f. Increased sales - this can be difficult to measure, but members should be surveyed to measure any new sales or contracts that could be directly attributed to the Festival. g. Other benefits - the participating partners should be asked to identify any other benefits they received as a result of the Food Festival. Also, here are some cautions you might want to keep in mind: 1. Start small, do it right and then expand. We often try and take on too much when planning and organizing these events. It takes a tremendous amount of time, effort and volunteer contributions to pull it off. If your members are scattered over a large geographical area, this will increase your challenges of finding sufficient volunteers and resources. 2. Build and develop relationships. You know how difficult it can often be to get members of your own association to work together, let alone individuals from a diverse organizations. Allow enough time to get to know each other, to communicate constantly and solve problems, and never take anything for granted. Like a good marriage, it takes a lot of effort and commitment to work well together. 3. Don't be afraid to conscript or hire professionals. Look within your own association first, then outside for people to help out. You will be surprised how many people are willing to help, either for free or for a modest fee. I will report on how well we did with the Prairie Heritage Food Festival in a future article in this Digest. I am interested in hearing about your successes and lessons learned with similar events. Please join us at the Alberta Prairie Heritage Food Festival on Sunday, September 16th 2001 at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
2. NOTES FROM AN ANIMAL RIGHTS CONFERENCE [By Jim Beers, originally printed in the Bowhunting E-Magazine, http://www.bowhunting.net/emagazine/default.htm ] After several requests by Conservation Force, an international sustainable use conservation organization located in Louisiana, I agreed to attend the annual animal rights meeting. The Conference ran from June 30 to July 5, 2001 at the Hilton Hotel in McLean, Virginia, USA. John Jackson, Chairman of Conservation Force, believed that it was important for hunters and other sustainable use supporters to attend this conference just as animal rights representatives attended annual wildlife management meetings. This made sense to me. I was surprised to learn that no other sustainable use or hunting or fishing group planned to have anyone attend this meeting in a suburb of Washington. As the five days passed, I discovered that no participants or attendees from any of the national conservation groups were to be found, here in their own backyard. To the best of my knowledge, no one else who questioned the goals or tactics of the animal rights movement was in attendance. Those of you who hunt, fish, trap, wear fur, raise mink, sell fur or leather products, train animals, have pets, enjoy rodeos, enjoy circuses, live on ranches or farms, log timber or graze animals, use wood products, eat meat, eat eggs, eat cheese, eat wild fish and wildlife, eat seafood, attend dog races, support animal research for human treatments, support proactive fish and wildlife management for human benefit, use public lands, own guns, support the 2nd Amendment, wear leather, oppose terrorism, oppose intimidation, oppose physical threats, recreate in the outdoors with your families, love your children, want your religious institutions kept free from infiltration and manipulation, believe in the Constitutional freedoms of the USA, oppose the continued expansion of Federal power, oppose forcible establishment of rule by anarchy, oppose the efforts of the UN to regulate everything to do with fish and wildlife and guns throughout the world, and who love this nation and what it stands for should have been there. Organizations that represent your interests should have been there. Law enforcement organizations should have been there. The people and groups that gathered at this luxury Hilton Hotel for five days made no bones that they are going to eliminate every traditional use of animals and many other American freedoms and traditions. They have been going about this incrementally for years. Since there have been no serious consequences of their activities, their boldness and arrogance have reached gargantuan proportions. They clearly believe and preach the radical reformation of the way we live, the way we relate to our government, and the elimination of most freedoms that we take for granted. They intend to change the relationship between mankind and the animal world that has existed for millennia. This radical movement must be brought into the light of day. Their agenda, from mandated veganism to obtaining legal rights first for apes and then for all other animals, must be understood by all of us. The current process where bear hunting is voted out in one state and all of us say, "I don't hunt bears." Where wild Himalayan sheep are added to UN Lists and all of us say, "I will never get to the Himalayas." Where public land is locked up and we say, "I will never have to use that land." Where dog breeders are restricted to low numbers or forbidden to breed their dogs and we say, "I have a cat." This incremental process of dividing us and slowly taking away right after right, this must be exposed and responded to by all of us, including those vegans and disgruntled citizens who value freedom and America's promise. The only way for me to convey the truly frightening experience of attending this conference is to describe what I encountered. I earnestly hope that the reader will be convinced to treat this movement with the serious consideration and public scrutiny that it deserves. If all of us don't pull together to maintain our freedoms and way of life, these people will surely turn us into a society that our forefathers would not recognize and in which we, and I ultimately believe they, would not want to live. I can only report what I saw through the eyes of a 60 year old white male. These are also the eyes and ears of a Catholic wildlife biologist and ex-law enforcement officer who hunts, fishes, and understands the benefits of proactive fish and wildlife management. After a stint with the Utah Game and Fish, the US Navy, the Minneapolis Police Department, and 30 years in various locations with the US Fish and Wildlife Service I am what I am and I see what I see. All of these things are relevant to what I am about to report to you. Although the First Amendment guarantees the right of free speech and free assembly, many of the things I saw and heard could only be characterized as inciting mayhem. Many of the people making presentations crossed state lines to get there and there were numerous inferences, suggestions, and encouragements to commit violent and unlawful acts of major magnitudes. Arrival and registration Walking through the parking lot each day revealed an abundance of bumper stickers. Most referred to veganism in varying intensities. The eventual imposition of veganism nationwide was the most common. Other stickers referred to resisting globalism, disrupting NAFTA, outlawing circuses, outlawing rodeos, stopping fishing, stopping hunting, stopping dog racing, protesting at Seattle and Quebec, intimidating the World Bank, and outlawing all fur and leather. The exhibit area inside lay between the registration desk and the conference rooms. Passing through the exhibits revealed an incredible range of protest topics. The following is a partial list of the handouts and publications:
There were more things here but space is limited. I mention these to give the reader a taste of the atmosphere at this conference. Video presentations and sessions Videos were constantly being shown. The following selections represent the flavor of those presentations.
There were many others on trapping, chicken farms, the cowboy image, etc. There were four concurrent sessions throughout the days. Here are selections from the program.
Things heard in the sessions I could only attend one fourth of the sessions because there were four presented at a time in four locations. I can only say that those I did attend ranged from very old rhetoric about trapping and hunting to scary references to the violent change of our form of government. There were reportedly over a thousand attendees. Many were my age and boasted about starting in the Vietnam protests. Many of the middle-aged attendees boasted of other protest movement experience on behalf of radical feminism, the environment, and oppressed workers and minorities. About a third of the attendees were under 25. Many of these were heavily tattooed and made liberal use of metal rings through various body parts. My guess would be that half of them were attending their first such conference. In my opinion, they were being scrutinized by many of the sponsors and session instructors. They were encouraged to meet with instructors later in hallways and at dinner if they were interested in learning "more" about what was discussed and the things only alluded to. It appeared to be a bazaar for inducting young people into terrorist activities. Keep this in mind as you read the following excerpts from sessions which I attended. General comments These selected comments are but a few of what I heard over five days. The more explosive sessions were avoided by the leaders and lawyers. Often hands were put over microphones and comments from spontaneous participants were not audible but caused considerable chuckling. I shudder to think about those things which they didn't mention but invited participants to ask about "in the hall" or "after dinner." The sessions held anywhere from 50 to 200 people, depending on the topic, and not once was anything questioned. At one point I felt as if I was attending a communist training program back in the 50's or 60's for a cadre of insurgents to be sent into a country to be subverted. Some are trained to control the media, others to influence politicians and control bureaucracies, still others to control religion and schools. Demonstrators were to disrupt things, and others to do the "other things" that ultimately underpin all the rest. Frightening is too weak a word to describe what it is like to watch this take place in a luxury hotel in a free country. On tactics
NOTE: There were many comments about cockfighting in states that still permit it, dog racing, meat, eggs, dairy products, animal research, and other matters that resemble the foregoing but are simply redundant and too much for this already extensive report. On hunting
On fishing
Trapping and fur
On circuses and rodeos
On politicians
On federal controls
We all owe a debt of gratitude to John Jackson of Conservation Force for having the persistence to have me attend this conference. Everyone who reads this should share it with your family, your neighbors, your associates and everyone else you come in contact with each day. All of us, whether or not we are concerned directly with one of these animal issues should understand what is happening and protect the traditions and rights of all of us, whether or not we are an absolute majority. Allowing these tactics and organizations to succeed threatens all of us in every way. [For more information on animal rights groups, and strategies in dealing with them, see "Dealing with Game Farming Opponents" in the June 2001 issue of the Digest.]
3. THE LIGHTER SIDE OF REINDEER [By Barbara Bindenagel, Heartland Reindeer, Reprinted from the R.O.B.A. Review, July/August 2001] We all know how important cleanliness is for our reindeer. My guess is that it wasn't a reindeer that preached this practice, because if this was the case, then WHY: 1. Once you give reindeer fresh, clean water, do they immediately put their dirty hooves into the water BEFORE they drink it? 2. After you slave to wash out their stalls and provide them with a clean area and bedding, do they wait until they enter the clean area to deposit their feces and urine? 3. Once you start to rake up their feces, do they come running to take turns to stomp on your rake and refuse to move in order for you to get the job done? 4. After you spend hours mowing their pen areas to keep the weeds and long stems down, do they immediately go to the fresh mowed area in search of weeds? Also, did you know that: 1. Reindeer love to ignore you until you are busy or ready to leave the barn yard? 2. When you think you have these critters all figured out ... they'll make a liar out of you every time! 3. As soon as you brag about something your reindeer will do ... they won't do it! 4. Reindeer spook easily UNLESS they are standing on your foot ... nothing will make them move then! 5. Reindeer don't like to chew on your hair UNLESS you just fixed it to go somewhere and you end up leaving with a wet, saliva hairdo! 6. If you try to take ONE reindeer out for a walk ... they all decide they want to go at the same time ... and now! 7. Reindeer don't get into any trouble unless you're in a hurry to get to an appointment. 8. Reindeer do talk to you. They start with the eyes ... then the head ... then a burp. If that doesn't get your attention, they pound on you with their hooves ... if still no response ... they budge you with their antlers. If they are really frustrated after all their efforts, they will bark up a storm, snort at you and walk away mad ... not letting you near them for the rest of the day! 9. If you are playing with them and want to quit but they don't, and you climb a tree to get away from them ... they will actually try climbing up after you! 10. If a reindeer does not want to be on display, it is sure to put you on one by placing its antlers under your blouse and pulling it up. 11. Reindeer will run under shelter BEFORE it starts to hail ... leaving you clueless and out to pasture while you are getting pounded by hail. 12. Reindeer can't jump a fence but can squeeze through the smallest of openings ... like a sponge. 13. Halter and lead rope trained or trained to pull doesn't mean we trained them at all. All they do is stand there while we place the halter and/or harness on them. Then all they have to do is walk ... and they already know how to do that! Show me a reindeer that will fetch its own halter or harness, pull a sled without a driver, go to the grocery store, give the clerk a list of groceries and deliver the groceries back home ... then I will believe the reindeer is trained! Otherwise, we don't train reindeer, they train us! [Ed's note: no wonder reindeer owners are so attached to their animals - life would be terribly boring without them!]
4. SEMEN COLLECTION AND STORAGE REQUIREMENTS [From The Tracker: June/July 2001, p 82]. In Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has specific requirements for semen collection and storage. These regulations allow semen to be collected for use in Canada and the United States. Similar regulations apply in the USA. 1. The donor buck/bull must be from a negative status herd. 2. The donor animal must be isolated in an area approved by the CFIA for at least 30 days. 3. After 30 days isolation, the donor must test negative for TB and Brucellosis. 4. Semen collection can begin only after negative results are confirmed. 5. The collection facility must have a well-padded squeeze or box where access to the rear of the donor is possible as well as clear access on one side to the underside of the donor. To maintain eligibility for resale and/or export, semen must be stored in a federally-approved Cervid Semen Production Centre. Semen cannot be taken into this facility unless it meets specific requirements: 1. Copies of all required permits to import the semen into Canada and Alberta. 2. Copies of all health certificates of the donor. 3. Copies of donor's purity test results (on elk). All semen is stored entirely at the owner's risk. Insurance is available, but it is up to the owner to arrange this.
ROBA (Reindeer Breeders and Owners Association) reminds owners that reindeer bulls in rut are extremely dangerous. They recommend cutting their bulls' antlers off within a few days of their stripping their velvet. Also ROBA warns against giving bulls in rut Rompun or other xylazines! They do not react to the reversal agent and giving them xylazines while in rut can be fatal!
Here is a list of upcoming events of interest to deer, elk and reindeer farmers. TEXAS DEER ASSOCIATION 2001 Convention will be held Sept. 7th to 9th, 2001 at the Omni San Antonio Hotel, San Antonio, Texas USA. For more information or to register, contact TDA at 877-912-3337 or e-mail mailto:info@texasdeerassociation.com or visit their website at http://www.texasdeerassociation.com CHEMICAL IMMOBILIZATION AND ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION SEMINAR sponsored by Safe-Capture International will be held on Sept. 8 and 9, 2001 in Merrill, Wisconsin at the Buckstop Deer Farm. For more information contact Safe-Capture International at 608-767-3071 or mailto:safecaptur@aol.com NADeFA EAST CENTRAL BRANCH MEETING will be held on Sept. 14 & 15 in Wooster, Ohio. There will be a tour of the Purina Mills feed mill, sessions on deer feed, DNA and darting, hard antler competition, and an auction. For more information, contact Thelma Morgan at 814-694- 2296 (mailto:tjdoe@aol.com) or Tom Bennett at 717-834-4487. CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE SYMPOSIUM will be held on Sept. 15-17, at the Hyatt Regency in Wichita, Kansas, USA. This symposium is being held in conjunction with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual Meeting. For more information, contact Lloyd Fox, KS Dept. of Wildlife and Parks, at 620-342-0658 x207 or at mailto:lloydf@wp.state.ks.us REINDEER OWNER'S AND BREEDER'S ASSOCIATION will hold their East Regional meeting on November 10-11, 2001 at Gloversville, NY USA. For more information phone Pat at 518-661-5038 or 515-661-7640 evenings. WHITETAILS OF WISCONSIN meeting will be held on Jan 5, 2002 at the Holiday Inn, Stevens Point, WI. For more information see http://www.whitetailsofwisconsin.com or e-mail mailto:info@whitetailsofwisconsin.com MINNESOTA ELK BREEDERS ASSOCIATION Annual Conference will be held on Jan 12, 2002 at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center, Willmar, MN USA. For more information contact Brenda at phone 320-543-3664 or mailto:bhartkopf@cmgate.com ALBERTA ELK ASSOCIATION Annual Conference will be held on Jan 24 to 26, 2002 at the Capri Inn in Red Deer, Alberta Canada. For more information, contact the AEA office at mailto:info@albertaelk.com or phone 1-780-980-7582. WORLD DEER CONGRESS III and NADEFA 2002 annual conference will be held on Feb. 20 to 23, 2002 in Austin Texas USA. For more information, call 301-459-7708 or mailto:info@nadefa.org or visit their website at http://www.nadefa.org TRANQUILIZATION AND REMOTE ANESTHESIA OF DEER AND ELK workshop will be offered by Dr. Keith Amass and Dr. Mark Drew for Safe-Capture International on Feb. 23-24, 2002 at the Doubletree Hotel, in Austin Texas (a post-conference workshop held in conjunction with the World Deer Congress). For more information and/or to register contact Safe-Capture International at mailto:safecaptur@aol.com or phone 1- 608-767-3071, fax: 1-608-767-3071 or visit their website at http://www.safecapture.com REINDEER OWNER'S AND BREEDER'S ASSOCIATION Annual Meeting and Conference will be held on Feb. 22-24, 2002 at Frankenmuth, MI USA. For more information phone Gordon at 616-772-2584 or mailto:gpoest@novagate.com SASKATCHEWAN WHITE TAIL AND MULE DEER PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION will hold their 2002 annual convention on March 15-17, 2002 at the Delta Hotel in Regina. For more information contact Lisa at mailto:info@saskdeer.com NORTH AMERICAN ELK BREEDERS ASSOCIATION 12th Annual Convention will be held on March 21-24, 2002 at the Riviera, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. For more information contact mailto:info@naelk.org or phone 816-431- 3605. WHITETAILS OF WISCONSIN ANNUAL MEETING will be held on April 6, 2002 at the Stoney Creek Inn, Wausau, WI. For more information see http://www.whitetailsofwisconsin.com or e-mail mailto:info@whitetailsofwisconsin.com Many more events, including deer/elk sales, trade shows and workshops, are listed in the Calendar section of Deerfarmer.com at http://events.deerfarmer.com . Take advantage of this free service to list your upcoming events . Here is what's happening at Deerfarmer.com: 1. Global Deer & Elk Farm Directory - We have just about completed reconstruction of the Farm Directory. In an attempt to fix a problem, we inadvertently deleted the entire master database file. No problem - our hosting service keeps daily back-ups and could re- install the file. But due to a really bad quirk of fate, the only back-up they had was AFTER the file was deleted. So we have had to re-enter all of the listings manually from hard-copy and recreate the rest. That job has taken us most of the summer. Sorry for any inconvenience. We've taken steps to make sure it won't happen again. (We now make our own regular off-line back-ups.) Check to see if you are listed (by using the Search function). If your farm is in the Directory, call or e-mail the webmaster - mailto:webmaster@deerfarmer.com to get your password that will allow you to edit and update your own listing. If you are not yet listed, just add yourself in using the live on-line form. 2. Discussion Forums - We continue to post news, articles and other announcements on a regular basis in the News and Announcements in the Industry forum located at http://www.deerforum.com So if you want to keep up with the latest developments in the deer and elk industry, check out our forums. If you prefer, you can register and have Deer Forums send you all new postings via e-mail.
We respect your right to privacy. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list at any time, simply send an e-mail to mailto:editor@deerfarmer.com with REMOVE in the Subject line. If you want your name ADDED to our mailing list, please sign our Guest Book form at http://www.deerfarmer.com/forms/guest.htm The Digest is also available in a print format (ISSN 1499-1349). A $3 per issue ($36 per year) fee applies to cover postage, paper and handling costs. As per our Privacy Policy, your name, e-mail address and any other information you provide us will only be used by Deerfarmer.com. This information will not be shared with any third party unless we get your permission first!
We are always looking for articles and news about deer and elk farming that we can print in this newsletter. E-mail, fax or mail your ideas and articles to the Editor as per below. For more general information, comments and suggestions, please contact: Russell Sawchuk E-mail: mailto:editor@deerfarmer.com DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for general information only. It should not be relied upon to make business or farming decisions without first obtaining professional advice. Accordingly, we cannot accept liability for loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from any advice, opinion, representation or omission, whether negligent or otherwise, contained in this newsletter. (c)2001 Deerfarmer.com. The Deer Farmers' Digest may only be redistributed in its unedited form. Permission from the editor must be obtained to reprint or cite the information contained within this newsletter. All articles are written by Russell Sawchuk (Editor) unless otherwise noted. Deerfarmer.com is a division of Steppingstones Partnership, Inc. ( http://www.steppingstones.ca). ISSN 1499-1357 Deer Farmers' Digest (Online). All issues of the Deer Farmers' Digest (print and electronic) are archived and catalogued at the National Library of Canada. On-line copies can be found at http://collection.nlc-bnc.ca/100/201/300/deer_farmers_digest/. |
||||||||||||
|
Deer-Digest.com |
||||||||||||