2019: Country Calendar Shines Spotlight on Pioneers of Deer Milking Innovation

In 2019, Country Calendar, one of New Zealand’s most revered TV shows, spotlighted Deer Milking NZ’s pioneering operation in Mt Somers, known as one of the most compelling farming stories of the year.

The article detailed how co-owners Mark Faulks and Graham Carr had built a milking herd of 400 red deer at Lincoln Hills, milking approximately 120 hinds once a day during the short January–May season. Using specially adapted sheep milking cups, each hind produces around a litre of milk daily.

The Crown Jewel? Their emergence on Country Calendar, where cameras captured the challenges and passion behind the early operation. Mark admitted the experience was “bloody horrible” — saying the personal spotlight amid a milking season was intense — but that the New Zealand and Global exposure was unforgettable.

Deer milk wasn’t just for show. The team had already begun supplying Talbot Forest Cheese in nearby Geraldine with raw milk to craft Gouda and Havarti under "The Deer Milker" label. More than just cheese, they had sent frozen milk samples into the cosmetics market and were partnering with Callaghan Innovation to test its functional properties. Now the question loomed: was cheese the endgame, or was there a bigger future in sight?

That Country Calendar episode fast became one of the most watched in the show’s history and remains a highlight in DMNZ’s journey from farm experiment to trailblazing ingredient innovators in New Zealand.