Emu producers poised for exporting to Europe.

Jim Shirley got into the emu livestock business in 1993 when it was considered a "hot commodity" on the market. After dairy farming for 12 years, Jim had to sell out because of bad knees. So, he began investigating options for his small farm in Carlyle.

Four years in the Australian Outback gave him first--hand knowledge of the breed which he knew to be throwbacks to the dinosaur era 85 million years ago. After some preliminary research, he decided to buy two birds. Today, he has 150 birds with 12 breeding pairs.

His business strategy was built on the promise of a large-scale, industry-wide marketing plan intended to raise the awareness of emu meat as a healthier alternative to beef. The meat, in fact, is a strong competitor for beef. While the taste is much like elk, iron and other mineral levels are higher, and cholesterol and fat levels are lower. However, the promised marketing plan was never implemented and Shirley and other producers soon realized that they were on their own in developing markets for their birds.

Within five years, Shirley had recovered from the initial disappointment and "built up a good business." He also had first to come to terms with the fact that the oil from the bird is a more marketable commodity than the meat. After this adjustment, his business began to find its legs. His sales and marketing strategy had developed around sales at trade, agricultural and craft shows through which direct sales soon expanded to mail order sales.

But, at that point Canadian Emu Oil of Saskatchewan was at a plateau and needed to rebuild its marketing from the ground up. That's when Shirley established a rendering plant on his own farm and began approaching health food stores and specialty shops who agreed to carry his products.

Soon he was negotiating with a distributor in Canmore, Alberta who got Shirley's products into outlets such as Sangsters.

His tone reflects an element of pure delight when he relates the story, in part because of the extraordinarily broad applications for the oil. Considering Shirley's encyclopedic knowledge of the emu and his "go for it" attitude, there seems to be no mystery in his growing success. "I'm of the philosophy that every household needs at least one of our products," says Shirley. "There is no stage in life when you don't need emu oil."

Given the long list of cures to which emu oil lays claim, his position is very persuasive.

From diaper rash to acne to stretch marks to wrinkles and arthritis, emu oil claims to relieve the gamut of ailments to which we are all variously prone.

Small wonder that Canadian Emu Oil is a major participant in the plan to establish a slaughter facility in Saskatoon. That facility could spell the difference between being restricted to a Western Canada market and having access to national and international markets. Small forays have been made into the U.S., but expansion is tentative unless and until the Saskatoon plant is in place.

Virtually every part of the bird is valuable. The fat develops as a layer beneath the skin that is removed and rendered, leaving the meat unaffected and marketable. The feathers are used in dusters, costumes and haute couture, and the leather, being cross-gained, light and aerated, is much more desirable than cowhide, particularly for clothing applications. Even the green eggshells are unique, being constructed of three layers going from darker green, to light green, to white. They are used whole as ornaments, carved into beautiful bas relief art and even ground for use as calcium supplements. All of this in addition to an oil that has healing properties.

Notwithstanding the success of marketing efforts directed at emu oil, there remains an unsatisfied market for emu meat, particularly in Europe. Shirley, as the voice for the Emu Association in Canada, has his eye on that market. With each bird offering about 25 pounds of meat, a lot more production will have to be undertaken before Western Canada can meet the existing European demand.