Versatility of emu draws interest of Central Texans

By MINDY POEHL | Central Texas Edition

Dave Shriner, who owns Willow Grove Ranch near Moody, poses with an emu that he raises on his ranch. He and his wife, Kay, raise emu to produce emu oil and zero fat emu meat. The emu oil is used as an anti-inflammatory and moisturizer . -- Photo by Mindy Poehl

Jan. 13, 2004 - The emu is a prehistoric bird that roamed Australia over 60 million years ago. The Aborigines, of Australia, learned about the emus and their uses thousands of years ago, but Americans are just learning about all of the uses of emus.

Dave and Kay Shriner, owners of Willow Grove Ranch near Moody, are two of those people learning about emus and putting them to use. Twelve years ago the Shriners decided to go into the emu business to make emu oil.

They established their emu business for several reasons. The animals are comparatively easy to raise and they are a useable animal.

"They are good for many things. They are just a wonderful animal," Dave Shriner said. "They live to be 25-30 years old and they are a totally useable bird. Their feathers can be made into dusters. Their hides are used for leather."

The emu oil sold at Willow Grove Ranch is refined oil that is made from the bird's fat.

"It's an anti-inflammatory and moisturizer," Shriner said. "You can put it on burns. If you put it on bites, it stops the itching immediately. And, Kay and I use it for our arthritis."

Emu oil works because of its high content of linolenic and oleic acid, which are known to be natural anti-inflammatories. They are also polyunsaturated fats, which allows the human body to readily absorb the oil.

"The key to the oil is to use it frequently," Shriner said. "And don't use a lot because a little goes a long way."

Shriner said people find emus to be an interesting bird.

"They are gentle and very curious. They want to know what is going on," Shriner said. "They are the easiest animals I've ever raised. They have no parasite problems because they have a high body temperature."

Because of their high body temperature emus cannot tell the difference between seasons. Every quill has two feathers attached to it, so they "are super insulating" Shriner said.

Right now the Shriners have around 20 emus on their farm. An emu lays eggs every three days between late October through April. An emu egg resembles a dinosaur egg and the incubation period for an emu egg is long - 60 days. The males incubate the eggs and can sit on the eggs for as long as 52 days with virtually no food or water. It is the fat that he lives off and it is the fat that is refined into the oil, which is about a gallon per bird.

The Shriners also sell emu meat in a processed snack stick form. The meat is a red meat that is healthy because it contains no fat. Emu fat is separate from the meat. The protein content is higher than chicken, turkey, beef, pork, buffalo, or ostrich, and it is lower in fat than any of these. It is also the lowest in calories and the highest in iron. "Anything you can do with other meat, you can do with emu meat," explained Shriner. "An emu usually produces 15-25 pounds of meat."   

When the Shriners began selling emu oil eleven years ago their business was small, but it has since grown to be the largest supplier of emu oil in Central Texas.

"We have done very well," Shriner said. "We have had a 20 percent growth in our business every year since we started."

The Shriners do a large percentage of their business through mail order and they spend much of their time traveling to festivals and trade shows.

"We are usually somewhere, at some show, every weekend," Shriner said.

In fact, the GOTEPP program, which is a competitive matching fund program open to producers, commodity groups, cooperatives and businesses that are members of GO TEXAN, recently awarded the Shriners with $8,412 to attend multiple trade shows to market and promote the ranch's emu oil.

"It's a joint funding product- a grant. We applied for it and a committee looked at our proposal and decided to give us a grant," Shriner said. "This is our second program we've done with GOTEPP. Three years ago we designed new labels for our oil. Now, we attend shows and festivals to promote our products. They pay 40 percent and we pay 60 percent. "

"It's is very interesting and a lot of fun," Shriner said. "We do lots of traveling and meet so many different people."

For more information on Willow Grove Ranch, visit www.willowgroveranch.com or call Dave or Kay Shriner at 254-853-3174.