OSTRICH BREEDING BUSINESS IN WHITEWATER (PART 1 OF 2)

Traci Essmyer, manager of the ostrich breeding operation at Riverbend Farms in Whitewater, strokes the neck of one of her birds. Essmyer attended various "ostrich conventions" around the country to gather information on how to start an ostrich breeding business.

What farm stock has a commercial market demand that far surpasses its supply? What stock produces over 75 offspring a year for 40 years? What stock was introduced here from Africa? Well, it's not cattle, it's a bird -- a big, gangly, odd-looking bird.

"Folks, let us introduce you to the ostrich," says Traci Essmyer who, along with her family, are raising ostriches on their 500-acre farm in Whitewater.

Essmyer says ostriches have incredible marketability. The hides are used to make boots, belts, purses, wallets and clothing. The meat, which is red, is low in fat, contains almost no cholesterol and tastes like beef. The feathers, virtually static-free, are used by companies to "buff" their electronic equipment. And the toes are used in jewelry.

"But that's not all," said Essmyer, a recent graduate of Northeast Missouri State University where she graduated with a degree in biology, "the corneas of their eyes have been used for human transplants."

The idea to start an ostrich breeding operation is attributed to Essmyer's mother, Winnie.

"We're still learning about them," said Winnie Essmyer, offering slices of ostrich summer sausage on crackers. "They are the most curious things.

"Ours are non-aggressive, but if something startles them they can run up to 60 miles an hour. We're learning about their instincts, and we get some visitors who are curious about what we're doing with them."

The Essmyers have four ostriches, two male and two female. They bought them from a breeder in Blackwater, near Columbia. Rapidly approaching maturity, the birds will soon breed.

Special pens have been built for the birds. Rectangular, the pens are 233 feet long. At one end are shelters where they are watered and fed.

Feed consists of rabbit-type pellets that contain alfalfa. Since their digestion systems is based on fermentation, ostriches require plenty of legumes, vegetation and seeds. They've also been known to eat bugs.

"We'll be purchasing two more pair for this season," said Traci Essmyer. "And we'll also purchase some eggs.

"We have cattle on the farm but we're selling them off. We want to turn the entire place into an ostrich ranch with a lot of 6-acre pens."

Essmyer said her family was "kind of leery" about going into the ostrich business. To become educated on the subject, they went to "ostrich conventions" in cities such as Chicago, Columbia and Las Vegas. Family members believe that raising ostriches will someday become a big industry in the U.S. It is already big business in Texas.

Winnie Essmyer, whose husband, Joseph, is an anethesiologist in Cape Girardeau, says there is a market for ostrich meat.

"The meat is very low in fat and cholesterol, and people are looking for that kind of product," she said, holding an empty ostrich egg that decorates a table in her living room. "Ostrich meat is the meat of the future. And once there's enough of it in the country, the price will be compatible with other meats."

Currently, ostrich meat sells for about $4.30 a pound. Traci Essmyer says the best meat is behind the upper thigh, and there is between 125 to 150 pounds of meat on an adult ostrich, which weighs about 275 pounds.

She says ostrich meat can be bought from a distributor in St. Louis, and it is on the menu at Churchill's in St. Louis. In Texas it can be found in many restaurants.

At the SEMO Fair this fall, the Essmyers intend to dispense samples of fried ostrich meat.

A pair of breeders cost between $10,000 and $16,000, and there are three types of ostrich -- black, blue and red. The Essmyers bought the black breed because they are the most prolific reproducers.

An ostrich lives about 75 years and can produce over 75 offspring a year for about 40 years.

Traci Essmyer, the manager of the operation, said her family would like to have about 40 pair of ostrich. Many of the eggs would be gathered and incubated in a room in their home that has been specially outfitted for the purpose.

In Part 2 next week: eggs, incubators, long necks and curiosity.