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The Mountain River Future Value Project - Boosting Long-term Profitability

The Mountain River Future Value Project farmer group meeting was held at the Dunsandel Community Centre on 17 September, bringing together farmers and partners to discuss how we can continue to lift the long-term value of our venison farming systems.



Introduction to the session


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John Sadler opened the session by reaffirming the project’s purpose - to address the future value of our businesses across the value chain.


“The future lies in adding value to our product,” John said. “Environmental values will be a big part of it. Nutritional values will be a big part of it. We already have customers who’ll pay a premium for venison with regenerative value, so this project is about positioning ourselves for that future.”


Part 1: Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) Findings


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Dr Hugh Jellie (Ata Regenerative) presented the general findings and early insights from the EOV assessments completed on most properties in the group so far. His session focused on how farmers can start to “shift the dial” in key areas of on-farm performance and land health.


Emily House (Ata Regenerative) followed with a breakdown of the current Ecological Health Index (EHI) results, explaining emerging trends and opportunities for improvement. She highlighted that these results are a snapshot in time - and that the goal is continuous improvement rather than one-off achievement.


Part 2: Future Deer Production with Lincoln University


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The second half of the meeting featured Emilia López Seco and Professor Pablo Gregorini from Lincoln University, who presented updates on the upcoming Deer Healthscape Farming Framework (DHFF) research project. The project will explore how to optimise deer production systems for future market and environmental outcomes.


Farmers are invited to share feedback and practical ideas to help shape the direction of this work. More background on the DHFF project can be found below.


Next Steps


Across the MRV community, there’s growing interest in how we can make regeneration a central part of our farming systems - not just as a concept, but as a proven way to build resilience, profitability, and long-term value.


With EOV data now collected from 19 MRV farms, the focus is shifting to what comes next. MRV is currently working with Ata Regenerative and others to develop a support programme for farmers keen to integrate regenerative principles and practices on-farm.


We’ll share more details as this programme takes shape, including practical tools, examples, and pathways for those who want to get involved.


There’s been plenty of helpful feedback from the group already - thank you to everyone who’s contributed. If you haven’t yet had the chance, we’d still love to hear from you. Your ideas will help shape how we support future progress, both on-farm and through the wider Future Value Project.

Find Out More:


 
 
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