Mackenzie Country farmer wins top deer award

Mackenzie Country farmer wins top deer award

Paddy Boyd, manager of Haldon Station in the Mackenzie Country, is the winner of the 2014 Deer Industry Award.

The announcement of the award at the annual Deer Conference in Methven on Wednesday was followed by a sustained standing innovation for a farmer who has been a behind-the-scenes industry leader from the 1970s to the present day.

The award citation listed Paddy’s involvement in numerous industry groups including quality assurance, the Cervena strategy, velveting standards, Tb eradication, genetic improvement and environmental standards.

"In the last three years he has been a driving force behind the deer industry’s productivity leadership group," said lead judge, former DINZ chief executive Mark O’Connor.

“Paddy is a firm advocate for all products produced by the deer industry, as well as being an advocate for people. He has often been a voice for those farmers who prefer not to front at industry events, but are passionate deer farmers in their own right and whose views and wishes need to be understood.”

Under Mr Boyd’s management, Haldon Station has gone from being a pioneer of large-scale deer farming to become the public face of deer farming excellence. The 2000 deer fenced hectares of the 22,000-hectare station produce about half of the station’s gross farm income. This area is now being expanded.

In total, Paddy has worked on Haldon for 41 years, 33 of them as manager. The citation acknowledged the role played by Paddy’s wife Barbara in the success of the Haldon Station business, as well as the support of the Klisser family, under whose ownership Paddy has been manager for the last 23 years.

The Deer Industry Award is sponsored by the Deer Farmers Association, Porter Holdings and NZX Agri.

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