Venison vision

William Clark, of Lewis and Clark fame, said it required at least four deer to sustain the corps’ health for a day. The Native Americans brought deer to the Pilgrims while they were starving and needing help. And, for 11 years, John Van Stone has provided Columbia with a source for the other red meat, farm-raised venison.

Van Stone, a Columbia physician, said his inspiration to start the Mid-Missouri Fallow Deer farm came from his travels abroad with his wife.

“Leonor and I took a trip to New Zealand, and that’s where we got the idea,” he said.

New Zealand is where deer farming is reported to have originated. Modern deer farming consists of raising deer for sale of their meat much as cattle or other herd animals are raised.

Fallow deer are a distinct species commonly used for the production of venison, or deer meat. Van Stone said he chose fallow deer because they have a better taste than other species.

After his trip, Van Stone bought deer from Texas, New York and Tennessee. He ordered the fencing that surrounds the deer farm from a supplier. It was made in New Zealand; at the time, it was the only place where that type of fencing was made, but now it can obtained from U.S. suppliers.

He also joined the North American Deer Farming Association.

After raising enough deer and learning how to feed, handle and maintain them, he started selling fallow deer venison.

His farm has become a picturesque scene. Along the gravel road leading to the house, surrounded by rows of trees on the right, a group of deer comes into view beyond a large fence. The setting sun catches the surface of a large pond, glimmering like the watery eyes of several newly born fawns. On quivering legs, they join their parents to see what is going on.

But the fate of these little ones has been decided. Each will end up on the dinner plate of one of Van Stone’s customers.

Several businesses and residents have bought Van Stone’s venison for its quality and taste.

Craig Cyr, owner and chef at the Wine Cellar & Bistro at 505 Cherry St., has used venison in many of his dishes for two years.

“The meat is much healthier to eat,” Cyr said. “We try to use it at least once every few months.”

The Wine Cellar featured venison saddle when it hosted a dinner for the Johnston County Community College culinary team. It also uses sausages for the restaurant’s meat displays and various cuts for roasting and stews.

“I really like fallow deer for its mild flavor; it’s a great meat,” Cyr said.

He said he buys from Van Stone because of his quality product.

“The meat is always very fresh and professionally done,” he said.

Paul Wallace, an MU political science professor, has been a friend of Van Stone for 30 years. He also is a customer, frequently buying venison roasts and chops.

“I’ve had wild venison, and this is quite different,” Wallace said. “It’s a much leaner, more gourmet variety.”

Van Stone said the biggest problem he faces is the way people think about deer meat.

“Farm-raised deer doesn’t have as wild of a taste, and it’s not as tough,” he said. “Most people just don’t know that.”

From a doctor’s perspective, Van Stone said the meat is low in fat and cholesterol.

“It has less fat than chicken and less than most fish,” Van Stone said.

When cooking the meat, he said it’s best to keep it medium rare.

“If you do more than that, it can get pretty tough,” he said.

Wallace said though he buys the meat, he doesn’t like to see where it comes from.

“I think deer are beautiful, so I prefer not to look at them on the farm,” he said.

Van Stone sells the meat for $3 a pound for ground venison, up to $14 for a French rack or a butterflied chop. The deer are taken to various butchers in Columbia and outside Moberly to be prepared.

As for Van Stone: “It’s the only red meat that I eat.”

There are about 70 deer on the farm, but Van Stone said he has had up to 300 during peak seasons. High fences separate the females with their newly born fawns and the males with their newly grown antlers.

Despite the protection the fences offer, Van Stone said that sometimes it’s not enough.

“Recently a pack of dogs got in and killed 16 does,” he said.

According to Van Stone, other than some pests and diseases that are fairly rare, there aren’t too many other dangers to the deer.

To maintain the health of the deer and keep records of their growth, they are weighed and de-wormed twice a year. Van Stone employs two part-time workers to help feed grain to the deer and perform general maintenance work. The deer primarily feed on grass, but Van Stone said grain is a good daily supplement.

Wrangling a full grown male deer, which can weigh 200 to 300 pounds, is no simple task and could be dangerous.

To make the process manageable, the farm has fenced in corridors that herd the deer to a building with a series of handling rooms for them to be checked. To restrain a deer, it is led over a trap door, called a deer crush, which drops to keep the legs of the animal from moving without hurting it. The rooms are darkly lit to keep the deer calm.

“It doesn’t take a lot of work to maintain the farm,” Van Stone said.

Wallace has a different view of his friend’s life: “He’s a real workaholic; it’s like he works 24 hours a day.”

Craig Cyr also shared the sentiment about Van Stone’s commitment to his work.

“He lets me call him at his office whenever I need some meat,” Cyr said. “He’s a great guy.”