Genetics and CWD Resistance: Building a CWD Resistant Herd at Black Label Whitetails

This week on Deer and Wildlife Stories, host Keith Warren visits Black Label Whitetails. Located in Portland, Michigan, this premier deer breeding facility owned by Ryan Halfman and his family is using scientifically proven technology to make their deer herd more resistant to Chronic Wasting Disease. Black Label focuses on this CWD resistance while producing high-quality whitetails with strong genetics, size, and aesthetics. Ryan and his family also emphasize sustainable farming practices, with this unique approach to breeding based on genetic markers. By using these genetic markers, Black Label Whitetails ensures their herd's continued health. Ryan’s commitment to excellence makes Black Label a leader in Michigan’s deer farming industry.

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Texas Deer Association: https://bit.ly/TexasDeerAssociation
Deer Breeders Corporation: https://bit.ly/DeerBreedersCorporation
The North American Deer Registry: https://bit.ly/NA-DeerRegistry
NADeFA: https://bit.ly/nadefa-home
Pneu Dart: https://bit.ly/PneuDart
Record Rack: https://bit.ly/RecordRackDWS
UVC Powersports Tractors and Outdoors: https://bit.ly/UVC-DWS

Deer & Wildlife Stories with Keith Warren is the voice of the deer industry (TM) airing 5 times on the Pursuit Channel (DirecTV 604 and Dish 393) as well as online in 2020. Air times are Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m., and Sundays at 6:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m (EST). You can watch all of our episodes online at: https://deerandwildlifestories.com/de...

How do I get started Deer Farming?
The best advice I can give is to watch all our TV shows and learn how other deer farmers operate their farms. Then, contact your state deer farm association and ask to see if they provide any kind of tutoring or educational opportunities. Also, attend deer farming conventions and meet local deer farmers. Finally, I’d suggest visiting as many farms as possible.

What's the best advice Keith has for new Deer Farmers?
Visit as many deer farms as possible and develop a business plan.

What is the North American Deer Registry?
The North American Deer Registry is what I like to refer to as “the holy grail of deer farming”. It has literally hundreds of thousands of animals listed that will provide the breeder with valuable information to assist in breeding, purchasing and selling deer.

How much property do I need to start a deer farm?
Normally the smallest deer pen I like to see if a half acre. Most are an acre in size. So you don’t need a lot of land to build deer pens. Make sure and take into consideration neighbors as deer tend to be high strung and the fewer close by neighbors the better. It’s also advisable to have shade available as well as lots of fresh water that is provided in water throughs.

How do I breed for consistency?
Breeding for consistency is done by choosing proven sires and dams that throw offspring you are seeking to produce.

What is Artificial Insemination and what is the success rate?
Artificial Insemination or what we call in the industry “AI” is a method used to impregnate deer with specific semen so that parentage and offspring can be predetermined.

Why partner on a deer?
There are many reasons to partner of deer but the biggest reason is to lessen the cost to obtain ownership, albeit partial ownership. Partnerships are becoming more commonplace in the deer industry.

What is the best deer feed and feeding schedule?
I’ve fed Record Rack deer feed for over twenty years and have done so because the science that goes into it. Literally, the scientists at Record Rack continue to push the envelope with research and the results are incredible. Most successful deer breeders feed their deer free choice out of some kind of trough feeder so that they are able to monitor consumption on a daily basis. This allows them to be able to determine if there may be health issues with their herd as reduced consumption may indicate some kind of problem.

What are the deer organizations to join and why?
NADeFA is the North American Deer Farmers Association and their purpose is to represent the deer industry and its members on a national level.

The Texas Deer Association (TDA) is at the forefront of protecting and supporting deer breeders in Texas.

The DBC (Deer Breeders Corporation) also works to represent deer breeders noaas well as support scientific research on whitetail deer.