A Kentucky man with a meat allergy was craving a burger. So he got into ostrich farming

(AP) — When a friend approached Brent Williams four years ago with a business proposition to start an ostrich farm, he was more than intrigued — he had a personal motivation as someone who developed a life-threatening allergy to red meat, triggered by tick bites. The problem, known as alpha-gal syndrome, was first linked to a particular species of ticks about 15 years ago. But cases are on the rise as more people report symptoms such as hives, diarrhea and itchiness after eating as little as a mouthful of red meat.

The allergy doesn’t extend to seafood or poultry. Chicken, turkey and eggs are all OK to eat. The flightless bird’s meat, red in color and high in iron, has a look and taste similar to beef.

“The people that have alpha-gal that I talked to that have tried an ostrich burger, most of them are almost in tears,” said Williams, a nutritionist and partner at Alpha Roost Farms in Danville, Kentucky. They say, “You just don’t know how bad I missed this.” Many who are allergic to red meat are turning to ostrich meat The farm is looking to nearly double its herd by next year. It recently built a new barn for hatchlings of the birds, which are native to Africa and are the world’s largest, standing at nine feet tall (2.7 meters) and weighing more than 300 pounds (136 kilograms).

The farm has more than 400 birds, and expects that number to grow to 700 by next year. King, who approached Williams with the idea of raising ostriches, said the interest from those with alpha-gal is helping drive the demand. “People who haven’t had a hamburger in six or seven years really want one,” King said.

And they are willing to pay: A pound of ground ostrich can cost more than $20, and choice cuts can sell for more than $40. “We have people that drive here from all over the state to get the ostrich,” said Leah Gibbs, who runs Dry Branch Farm market in Danville, Kentucky, that sells ostrich cuts from Alpha Roost Farms. “They are elated to have something that’s an alternative to beef,” Gibbs said.

“I mean, it tastes exactly like beef.” The Alpha-Gal Association, a nonprofit advocacy group that provides online resources to people with the allergy, recommends ostrich as a dietary substitute that tastes like beef. Boyd Clark, who runs a large ostrich farm in Texas, said he expects to increase his herd of about 1,200… Chicken, turkey and eggs are all OK to eat.And so is ostrich meat.The flightless bird’s meat, red in color and high in iron, has a look and taste similar to beef.“The people that have alpha-gal that I talked to that have tried an ostrich burger, most of them are almost in tears,” said Williams, a nutritionist and partner at Alpha Roost Farms in Danville, Kentucky.