Emus provide product mix
Brodhead, Wisconsin
In a state where one expects to see dairy cows dotting the fields, Sugar Maple Emu Farm outside Brodhead, Wisconsin, defies tradition with a herd of emus, bringing new perspectives to the business of farming. The novelty
of emus, combined with the animals’ usability, proves to be a marketable entity for Joylene and Michael Reavis, who together manage two hundred emus on their ten acres, selling emu oil, meat and eggs along with on-farm tours and events.
Originally from Australia and used by Aboriginal tribes for thousands of years, emus only started appearing in the United States in large numbers in the late 1980s. Emus were raised and sold primarily for their novelty value and often selling for thousands of dollars. The practical usability of emus combined with the growth of small-scale farms helped fuel interest in emus as twenty to thirty emus can live on an acre of land. For perspective on the growth of emus in the U.S., the American Emu Association formed in 1989 with 50 members and by 1994, membership topped 6,000. Today, emu farming is much more affordable to get into with an average three-month old emu chick selling for about one hundred dollars.
Like many emu farmers today, Joylene and Michael came across the idea a bit by serendipitous happenstance. “Michael was reading an article about ostriches, which are
also in the ratite family of flightless birds, and said, ‘We could do this here on our ten acres!” explains Joylene. She and Michael both grew up in farming families but had no alternative agriculture experience. “At first I thought he was joking, but as we researched the idea and talked to and visited folks who had emus, the more we got hooked.” Despite the fact that the emu industry remains fairly new in the U.S., organizations like the American Emu Association and various state affiliate groups are very professionally organized, providing ample resources and networking opportunities for folks interested in emus.
“We started in 1995 with four emus, appropriately named Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty after the Flintstones because emu have a bone structure and skeleton similar to a dinosaur,” explains Joylene. When creating animated scenes for the Jurassic Park movies, animators used running emus as models.
Emus start their breeding season in late fall, with the females laying between twenty-five and thirty-five eggs. “In the wild, the male is the one who sits on and incubates the eggs but, because of the colder climate here in the Midwest, we take the eggs inside, place some in an heated incubator for hatching and refrigerate the other eggs for sale as edible eggs with the remaining eggs blown out for use in egg decorating,” Joylene adds. Incubation, hatching and the first three months of an emu’s life remain the most labor intensive from a farmer’s perspective. While emus in general are hardy animals, during the early months they need to be kept under heat lamps, in clean dry pens and sheltered from chilling winds.
Joylene and Michael raise about thirty to ninety emus for processing annually. Processing typically take place when an emu is about fourteen to eighteen months old, falling during the August through October time period. At this time, an emu’s height reaches five to six feet and it weights between 90 to 120 pounds. If an emu is not processed, it can live up to forty to fifty years, the females laying eggs for twenty years or more. When the time comes for processing, Sugar Maple Farm emus are shipped via truck to Emu Products & Management, Inc. (EPMI), a company in Marlow, Oklahoma specializing in emu processing. “Unfortunately, there usually isn’t enough volume of emu farms in a local area to motivate an average meat processor to learn how to handle emus, so these birds typically ship to an emu-specific facility,” Joylene comments.
EPMI takes care of processing the whole bird, packaging up the meat and shipping it back frozen to Sugar Maple Emu Farm. High in protein with less calories, sodium and fat than typical red meat, emu meat cooks quickly and possesses a mild flavor that readily adapts to different seasonings. Packaged similar to beef in filet, roast and ground cuts, Sugar Maple Emu Farm meat also comes in summer sausage, brats, and jerky. Licensed by the State of Wisconsin to sell meat, Joylene and Michael primarily sell directly from freezers in their on-farm store, created out of their garage and opened seasonally from April through September and by appointment. “While we have a core group of local customers, emu meat sales still remain a novelty,” explains Joylene. “Folks buy it out of curiosity but are slow to change habits of primarily eating beef, pork and chicken.”
Joylene and Michael have found emu oil products to be the core profit area for the business. “Emu oil comes from a thick pad of fat on the back of the bird that in the wild protects the animal from the extreme temperatures of its Australian homeland,” says Joylene. The oil has diverse applications ranging from use in cosmetics, soaps, and shampoos to medicinal purposes. Research shows that this natural oil has the amazing ability to penetrate human skin. Emu oil’s moisturizing capabilities, as well as anti-inflamatory properties, help skin cells to combat the aging process.
When Sugar Maple Emu Farm sends their emus to EPMI for processing, they don’t receive back oil from their specific animals. Rather, EPMI “banks” their oil from all emus processed, keeping to strict emu industry standards to ensure oil quality. EPMI manufactures emu oil products into various brands. Sugar Maple Emu Farm then has “credit” in this oil “bank,” which they can turn around and use to order oil products for the cost of manufacturing. “This system works well as we don’t need to deal with trying to manufacture our own items on a very small scale or the storage of large quantities of emu oil,” explains Joylene. “Because EPMI meets or exceeds the emu oil standards set by the American Emu Association (AEA) for certified, fully refined emu oil, we are ensured a quality product.” About half of Sugar Maple Emu Farm’s oil sales come through on-farm store sales with the remainder from mail-orders off the company’s detailed website.
In addition to the frozen meat and oil, Joylene and Michael sell emu eggshells at their store, typically blown out, sanitized and used for crafting purposes. The large eggs, about six inches long and four inches in diameter, are a unique, deep dark green color with inner layers of green, turquoise and white, lending themselves to beautiful art work and are sought after by crafters. Sugar Maple Emu Farm also sell pre-painted eggs with various designs, painted by Michael’s sister, Wisconsin artist, Veda Olson.
Michael and Joylene currently balance two full-time off farm jobs in manufacturing and maintenance, their goal being to slowly build the emu business and go into it full-time when they retire within the next decade. As they are taken off the farm for their jobs, Michael and Joylene have found it difficult to find the time to market and promote their business to date. “So far, our customers seek us out and find our farm,” Joylene comments. “Folks typically are seeking an emu product such as the oil. They hit the American Emu Association website which maintains a detailed database of certified business members and eventually get to our webpage.” Despite time constraints, the Reavis’ realize the importance of keeping up with industry developments. Joylene attends AEA’s accredited emu producer (AEP) classes at the July AEA national convention each year. She has maintained her AEP certification since 2001.
Locally, Sugar Maple Emu Farm’s growing reputation as a unique farm destination fuels agritourism potential. Joylene and Michael host an annual open house the first Saturday and Sunday in May, in conjunction with National Emu Week, with strong area interest and local media coverage of their emu egg decorating contest. “We offer free tours throughout the season because we’re committed to furthering public awareness of emus,” Joylene comments, a passion that fuels her volunteer position as President of the Wisconsin Emu Association since 2000. Joylene is also national chairperson for the AEA-sponsored National Emu Week and serves on the AEA public relations committee.
“Emus represent an alternative agriculture industry benefiting the small farmer, utilizing environmentally positive practices and producing beneficial products,” sums up Joylene. Yet she admits the emu’s friendly, docile nature combined with the physical size and shape of these tan, brown and black-feathered birds cause people to quickly fall in love with these animals. “You can’t help but smile when you look at an emu,” Joylene adds.