Ostrich Nutritional Bulletin No. 102

10 Years Anniversary of the Blue Mountain Web Site

ByDaryl Holle

January 2007

Daryl Holle first introduced the Blue Mountain Website in 1996. The Blue Mountain Ostrich Feeds "Ostrich Nutrition Bulletin" has been in operation since 15th December 1996.

The bulletins and web site offer the most advanced information regarding ratite production in general and Ostrich production in particular. Reorganising the web site this month made this fact very clear, and reminded us just how the website remains the greatest concentration of advanced information on Ostrich production anywhere.

The reorganisation of the web site is now completed. All the information is still available, but we have displayed it in a different way. There is now a full section on Research. Reorganising in this way illustrates the amount of meaningful research Blue Mountain has produced over the years.

Of course, to access the technology that supports the research requires working closely with Blue Mountain as a strategic partner.

Blue Mountain supports the World Ostrich Association (WOA) and encourages membership if you or your company are involved in commercial ostrich production. The year-end always provide an opportunity to reflect development and accomplishments. The WOA was established in 2002. Since that time, the WOA has put in place:

- Carcass Grading

- Meat Yield Classifications

- Skin Grading

The WOA has also published the following support documents and guidelines:

- Factors influencing Meat Quality

- Factors influencing Skin Quality

- A Guide to Valuing Ostrich

- Benchmark Targets for Ostrich

- Understanding and Controlling Avian Influenza Risks in Ostrich

Some other subjects discussed during the past12 months included:

- Updates on Avian Influenza as it affects Ostrich Markets

- Pricing Meat

- Information on the Internet and Published Scientific papers

- The Future of Animal Agriculture in North America

- Impact of Government Policies on consumer demand

- Future Demand of Ostrich Meat, Trends, Barriers and Opportunities

- Reports from Iran and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

- The Benefits of Building a Value Chain and Practical Examples of Value Chains

- Science and Technology of Livestock Production

- FAO Agricultural Outlook

- FAO view of Commercialisation of Small Holder Agriculture

- The growth of International Supermarkets

This remains the only International association treating ostrich as production livestock and providing an infrastructure to help the transition from breeder markets to commercial production.