State

Asheboro Emu Farm Hint Of Things To Come? Move over, chickens and turkeys, the emus from “Down l ndcr" are сонь inn! Hie flightless liinls. six leel i.ill .uhI vwigli- ing a leather inmc than 100 |MHiil(b, are c.i|Huring the attention ol N’oilh Carolina lamieiN because ol their simple c.tic iet|tiiien tents, loul. it meat anti high |XHe-nti.tl lot profits. Allen Mc Neill ol Twin Creek Kiinch and Emu Kami in AshelxMO is one of the emu's Ixggi-st Ians. I le started with a |xtii in 1078 and now owns 130. McNeill started the lar I leel Enin («nip and is president ol the Noitli Cuolina Emu Assoc ialit hi. “I nils in the iMiilding supple business." recalls Me Neill, “and one o| the Imildeis uiintetl to sell me I le explainetl what they were explained that I didn't need them. I le kept at it. and filial!) I lx night a |iaii ol l-vearokl birds loi $350. Iliis was .iIxhii II in the iiu lining. I didn't know what I'd Ixnighl until they arrived at Г» that altemoon!" W'liat Mc Neill had purchased was a paii ol c leatuies who. along with theii grounded cousins sue h .is the ostiiches and ihe.is. ;ire among the world's kirgest living liirds. Пил are called “mtites.” Iroin the l.itin word loi "ralt," liecause ol theii raltdike flat breast¬ bones. Ennis are nomads in theii native \usiralia. Iliough theii wings are useless, emus cm tun 35 miles |x-i hour. The birds « слег vast distances, usually as monogamous |xtiix, stopping for IchmI and nuiving again when the supply is exhausted. Еагим:йхсч1 emus thrive on coiumen ialb available |x-llels and don't need iiiihIi land. McNeill uses cmlv 15 ol his Sit acres in Randolph ( dun t) lor the birds. Part ol the emu's attrac tion is that almost слеп |xul ol it can lx- used. lire doulrle- quilled I eat lie ix aie used to clean comput- eix. the- talons lor grinding tools, the oil in cosmetics and as an emulsifier. Елен the emu's eyes are Ix-ing researched for cornea transplants. Emu skin islreaulifiil — soil Ihii strong — and may Irccoinr the next exotic lealhei ol c hoic e. But it is the meat that emu larmetx arc hoping will soon lake oil on dinner tables and in restaurants nationwide. I lealtlbcon- sc kins constiinets ;ue delighted to find emu low in lat and cholesterol, and high in pro¬ tein. It tastes like- wry tender beef. ( krrrently priced at $1 |k-i |xuind of ground meat and $’>.50 per |XHtnd ol steaks, acconling to Mc Neill, the- cost should dmp as the meal becomes more readily availaMe lu-re. Emit meat is iuspecuxl in accordance uith USDA requirements and is available- direc tly from some ranchc-ix. or from Southern Ecxxls in Grcenslxiro (which also supplies it to restaurants). During Im-cding ч m from Septcmlx-r to April. McNeill collects the- eggs, which are die si/e and color of avocados, each evening, litis encourages the female to produce more, and also thwarts the tiuiisii.il behavior «>1 the- male, who would otherwise lx- in charge ol the c-ight-week inciilxiticHi. In the wild, this (xuagon of parental responsibility does not eat, drink or defecate for the- entire two months hut lives instead on fat reset wx he- has amassed dur¬ ing the previcHis hall-year. I’eih.ips this explains why the- nudes grunt during breeding time, lb mate h her male's call, the- (ctiuilc emu produces a sound Ix-st eh rilxd as that ol distant drums. When the- eggs are collected, a female usually produces another egg every three cktvs. I lu- « hie ks ate as cute as any Ixdiy aui- i Hills, stri|x-d and downy. Iltosc- destined lot the dinner table are slaughtered when they're a year to I I months old; otherwise. emus mature at alxiut 15 months and rou- tiiR-ly live up to 30 ye.ux. McNeill is not alone in life passion for emus, il the neat Iv 500 North ( iuolina tanners and the ti.000- memlxT American Emu Association ;ue any indica- tion. People Icxiking to leath¬ er tlu-ii nests liy getting into the emu-raising busi¬ ness should know th:u ilk- chicks cost $-10 tc» $1(K> a |xiir. proven brcedcre mn $1.200 to $1.500. Both the North Carolina Emu Association and liu I leel Emu Cocip had Ixxnlis at the October suite fair, where interested |xuli<-s vitnwd emu leatlier gcxxls imd sampled frcslKooked emu tacos, burg¬ ers, chili iurd mcaihalk McNeill is optimistic that latsonsc ions cciusumeix will turn to emu meat in drmes when word gels out alxnit its delicious taste and lu-idthful nutritional content. "There are people who haven’t eaten meat lor years," he says. “With emu. they finally haw a red meat they c.ui eat." — SJuinrn II. Sihmn/m Movement Seen On lighthouse Front After seemingly Ix-ing stuck motionless liH ve.tix, there Iras been cousidc-rahk- movv- nient in the list few months on tlu- plight ol the- (ape Matte-las lighthouse-, which cur¬ rently stands less than 150 yards from the edge ol the Atlantic ( )ccaii. In Septe-mlx-i and October, several |>«si- liw me ms wen- made, acconling to the Outer Hanks Sentinel m Nags I lead. Among thc-m: •State Senator Man Basniglit ol Manteo called lor a пкч ol state. Icdcral and local officials to discuss the- subject ol protc-cting the- lighthouse, and asked for I lattc-ras residenis to bring him their ideas in a town meeting. •Tire General Assembly's state budget rcAicw committee visited die site to assess tlk- need lot state- appropriations. •Notili Carolina's top elected officials, ( ■owinoi )im Hunt and I '.S. Senate ns Jesse Helms and laucli Faircloth. plus the llatteras .uva's Г congressman, Walter |oih-s Jr., all voiced sup- |x m lot new action topro- text the lighthouse. •Officials at North Carolina State I’niwixitv ap|x (intitl a committee to coiulnci a new study to consider whether the lighthouM- could lx- suc¬ cessfully moved from its i tit tent site. •The owner of the lighthouse, the National Park Service, made it known that it is request¬ ing federal money for turning the structure. It is the liixt time- it Iras «лег done s«>. The exotic emu, one of the world’s largest birds, is finding a home at some N.C. farms. i (tail ol «-intis, and I The outlook seems to he brighter for the Hatteras light . I'Ih*» • iiuatra .4 Люпт Ыи I чцн «*11- l.ini I Им..» Our Slatr/I \ч ember I 996 4