Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 21, 1994 TAG: 9403210102
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RESTON LENGTH: Short
"They represent enormous potential," said Pierce Allman, executive director of the Dallas-based American Emu Association.
The emu hide is used for boots, belts and purses, Allman said. The five or six ounces of oil that an adult emu produces is starting to be used in skin care and cosmetic products. And most importantly, emu meat, which tastes like tender beef, is becoming a favorite of gourmet chefs.
"There's money to be made, lots of it," said Chuck Powell, an emu breeder.
Powell, a former corrections officer, said he bought two of the birds for $3,000 four years ago, and the two produced 65 chicks last year that he sold to other breeders, netting him $250,000.
The $300 million emu industry has been confined mainly to breeding and selling the birds. There are about 5,000 breeders nationwide, said Allman, who estimated there are 75,000 to 100,000 emus in the United States.
Few of the birds are slaughtered now, but breeders hope that eventually the meat - which they say is 97 percent fat-free - will become popular.
Powell and several other emu ranchers discussed the emu's virtues with at about 150 people Saturday.
One exhibit offered tips on how to insure emus, another showed the latest in emu holding pens, a third described how to cook the birds. Caged beside the hotel's pool were two live emus: Kramer - looking remarkably like its namesake, the "Seinfeld" television character; and Betty Lou.
by CNB