More Than Just A Livelihood

At Silver Fern Farms, we are more than just our meat. We are a close-knit community of passionate, hardworking farmers who honor the lives of the animals, the land we call home, and the responsibility of feeding communities all over the world.

Farming is more than just a job for the Silver Fern farmers: it’s a way of life. They raise cattle, sheep, and red deer as a means to support their families, of course — but they also do it to protect the land and nourish their communities.

In many cases, these farms have been passed down from generation to generation. As children, our farmers learned from their parents and grandparents how to work the land and tend the animals. And much like their forebears, they’re passionate about not only teaching younger generations to farm, but also about nurturing and improving the land so that future generations may thrive.

These farms (or stations, as we Kiwis like to call them) are places of gathering and support. They’re places where friends, family, and loved ones join forces to care for the animals and the land, and then, after a hard day’s work, sit down together for a hearty, delicious meal.

A Light Touch

Spend a day with any of our farmers, and you’ll quickly notice their resourcefulness, resilience, and exceptional work ethic. But you’ll also notice that they are open-minded, openhearted, and easygoing. All of these attributes play a role in how they raise their animals.

Our farmers work hard because they have a deep respect for their animals and the land, but they’re careful to use a light touch so their cattle, sheep, and red deer can lead as close to a natural life as possible. And they do that because it’s the right thing to do — for both the animals and the environment

  • The Families of Silver Fern Farms

    Meet the family farmers behind our premium beef, lamb, venison.

  • Beef

    Angus & Esther Mabin

    Central Hawke's Bay.

    The property is a springtime dream: beautifully manicured lawns and hedges, a tranquil lake, a tennis court and pool, and ducks waddling through the family's adjacent daffodil farm.

  • Deer

    Ben & Raewyn Gaddum

    Tuapae Farms, Hawke’s Bay.

    The Gaddum family story of hard work and determination has carried through generations, resulting today in the finest natural pasture-raised Silver Fern Farms venison in the country.