Fueling For Ironman Triathlon With Ostrich Meat!

A journey to South Africa inspired one Idaho native to bring a unique form of meat production back to the United States— ostrich farming!

According to Alex McCoy, “I was living in South Africa working in a totally different industry and I was training for an Ironman Triathlon, and this was my training food. So, one day I was craving red meat and wanted a big piece of beef. So I went into a restaurant in South Africa and instead of beef, there was ostrich on the menu. So, I said, ‘yeah, I’ll take some ostrich’ and this huge ostrich steak, it tasted just like beef. It was amazing. Satisfied by red meat craving. However, I felt great after eating it. I felt so light. In fact, I was like, ‘you know what? I’m just going to go for a run.’ I was training for a huge race at the time. So I went out and ran sixteen miles, like within an hour of eating this massive red meat steak, and from that moment on, I was hooked.”

McCoy says that experience inspired him to learn more about ostrich meat, ultimately leading him to leave his old career behind and work towards bringing ostrich to America!

Related Stories
Gov. Gavin Newsom has until October 12 to sign a bill passed by the California state legislature allowing E15 sales.
The Final Grain Stocks Report may be the last key figures we see if a government shutdown halts future updates.
USDA and EPA officials aim to maintain America’s robust food supply while ensuring farmers have access to key resources and crop protection tools.
The Senate failed to pass a continuing resolution that had been approved by the House the previous week. They could take it up again today, but it would take seven democrats to end the stalemate.
The USDA is working with 14 different states, including Georgia, to develop and implement block grants to address the unique disaster recovery needs for each state.