The owner of White Rock Ostrich Farm south of Rockwood says she can barely keep up with the growing demand for ostrich meat. If you want to order eggs, you better not be in a big hurry.
“A number of years ago we started selling the infertile, fresh eggs and they’ve become so popular we have a waiting list going out to 2018,” said Deborah Simmonds.
One ostrich egg can weigh as much as 1.8 kg and holds the equivalent of 24 chicken eggs.
“Sometimes people come out and say ‘I would like a dozen fresh ostrich eggs’,” said Simmonds. “I have to remind them that one egg feeds 12 people.”
They only collect and sell the infertile eggs when the ostriches aren’t breeding.
“When the males start to mate those eggs all go into the incubator because we are more interested in getting the chicks than selling fresh ostrich eggs,” she said.
They offer regular public tours of the farm and it has become a popular destination during Taste Real’s annual Rural Romp, an event that takes place this coming Saturday, Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“It is a fun experience to take the hay wagon tour, feed an ostrich teenager and see the chicks in the hatchery,” said Simmonds. “We have barbecues on the weekends where people can try an ostrich burger.”
There is a gift shop where visitors can learn more about ostrich meat and buy a variety of ostrich products including feathers, empty egg shells and hides as well as purses, wallets and other products made from ostrich leather.
“We have meat sales of ostrich, water buffalo, bison, venison, kangaroo, camel, whitefish from Georgian Bay and drug-free chicken,” she said. “So, we are kind of a one-stop meat shop and all the meat is sold frozen.”
Simmonds and her husband Don opened White Rock Ostrich Farm on their six-hectare property in 2002 as part of a semi-retirement plan.
She was born in California and moved to Canada 40 years ago when she and Don were married.
“I was in sales and eventually ended up in trucking,” she said. “My husband owned a landscaping and construction company and we bought the farm to store all the equipment.”
Don went out for lunch one day and came across an article about ostrich farming.
“He brought it home and said we should look into this,” said Simmonds. “We went to a convention and ended up ordering three ostriches from Texas.”
Ostrich meat has grown in popularity largely because it is a red meat that tastes very similar to beef. It is high in iron and protein but is lower in calories, cholesterol and fat than skinless chicken and turkey.
It is also popular with dog owners whose canine companions require special diets.
“We expanded throughout the years because the ostrich meat started to become in demand as well as the ostrich oil, feathers and the empty ostrich eggs for painting and crafts,” said Simmonds.
The ostriches themselves eat a combination of second-cut alfalfa hay supplied by a Mennonite farmer near Elmira as well as roasted soybeans, roasted corn and a vitamin and mineral premix from Floradale Feed Mill, a family-owned feed meal that has been operating in Floradale since 1962.
Promoting other local farms and markets is a big focus for Simmonds.
“We love to promote the Rural Romp,” said Simmonds. “We tell people to get out to the other farms and see all the stuff. If you have kids they are going to love it. It’s a day out. So mark September 24 on your calendar.”
She said that even though they started the farm as a semi-retirement plan, they have no plans to retire any time soon.
“It is fun and every day is different,” she said. “People ask why we don’t expand and I repeat ‘semi-retirement’. I don’t want to be a factory farm.”
