NEVARRE, Ohio – Terry Klick, executive director of the Whitetail Deer Farmers of Ohio, and his wife began whitetail deer farming over three decades ago to build a retirement fund.

Klick purchased 16 acres of land from his grandparents’ farm and wondered what stock he could raise in such a small area to stay active in agriculture. With neighbors close by, he figured that raising hogs and chickens wouldn’t make him very popular. Instead, he opted for whitetail deer, purchasing two animals to begin with. Klick’s operation, now managed by his son, maintains a herd of 125-150 whitetail deer.

“The great thing about deer farming is that you don’t need a lot of acreage to be successful,” Klick said. “Deer aren’t big grazers, and you can run maybe 10 head per acre.”

Across the U.S., there are about 3,000 deer farms that generate sales of almost $51 million, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Ninety percent of Klick’s farm value comes from raising bucks that are sent to shooting preserves.

“In Ohio, we’re pretty fortunate that we have about 20 to 25 preserves where we have market to send our deer. The market is strong, and we’ve set new records for sales,” Klick said.

Beyond raising bucks for hunting, Klick said that whitetail deer farmers can also make revenue by selling antlers for dog chews, which can bring in about $20 per pound. Other deer farmers might choose to collect and sell urine which hunters use to attract deer while others may collect deer velvet which some people may use for medicinal purposes. There is also a market for deer breeding, with farms providing semen to introduce diversity into other herds.

Although the market for deer farming has continued to grow, the number of deer farms in Ohio has declined to 350 from 700. Klick said that many farmers got out of the business because of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

CWD is a fatal, neurological disease that affects animals that are a part of the deer family. The disease is contagious and has no known cure or vaccine. If a deer farm’s herd became infected with CFD, the farmer could lose every animal. Over the years, Klick and his organization have been involved in creating a voluntary federal program to curb the impact of CWD on farmers. The federal government provides guidelines and recommendations to states to handle CWD cases in the safest possible manner. For example, in Ohio, the government recommends that herds be monitored for five years for instances of CWD, meaning that farmers test 100 percent of animals over a year old who die on the farm for CWD.

“The thought is that if you do that for five years, there’s a minimal risk that you would be moving CWD from your herd to anywhere else,” Klick said.

Additionally, if a farm is within 15 miles of a known CWD positive, they are not allowed to ship deer from their farm to another state, limiting potential infectious impact. After five years of disease surveillance, a herd achieves “certified status” and meets the requirements for interstate movement.

Klick also monitors the herd’s health by having all animals tested for tuberculosis and brucellosis every three years. His herd is vaccinated against epizootic hemorrhagic disease, a viral disease that impacts whitetail deer.

“We’ve made headway along the lines of CWD,” Klick said. “We now know which genetic markers are more susceptible to CWD, and farms are breeding their herds to be less susceptible.”

Klick hopes that as farms continue to breed their herds to be less susceptible to CWD, herds will become more resistant. If the threat of CWD is low and the market continues to be strong, he thinks that more people will become interested in either getting back into the business or getting into business for the first time.

As the executive director of the Whitetail Deer Farmers of Ohio, Klick spends time educating those who are interested in becoming deer farmers, helping people understand CWD, and making sure that deer farmers are represented at the Department of Agriculture. Additionally, the organization donates 1,000-2,000 pounds of deer meat to the Hunger Task Force every year.

Whitetail deer farming might be the perfect opportunity for those with areas of the farm that aren’t conducive to raising other animals or those looking to make money on little acreage. Klick thinks it’s perfect a retirement plan.

“They don’t take a huge amount of care. You can be retired and still go out and enjoy your deer – it’s not labor intensive,” he said. “You can put deer on some acreage and have a marketable group of deer every year.”