|
|
|
April 10, 2000
Velveting produces profits on elk hobby farm.By FRITZ BUSCH Journal Staff Writer SLEEPY EYE -- Elk raising has proven to be an enjoyable venture for a rural Sleepy Eye family. Roger Rogotzke got his first elk five years ago. Now he has 33 elk on his hobby farm on the south bluff of the Minnesota River. The prized commodity of raising elk is the velvet or the antlers. Velvet is harvested and sold to Asian countries. Speaking softly to his favorite bull, as he would a small child, he puts a bucket of food under the half-ton animal's mouth. All the elk have different personalities, like people do. Rogotzke, his wife and children have named the animals. In addition, all the elk are numbered for identification purposes. "They are just such a neat animal," Rogotzke said. "They are just like people. They all have their personalities and pecking order. There are ornery ones and nice ones. You can tell which ones are dominant and which aren't when they feed." "Superior" is one of his favorites. The bull wasn't expected to be a prized possession at first. His antlers were cut at the base of his skull at one time. His previous owner thought the elk was dehorned and would never grow antlers again. Fortunately for Rogotzke, Superior grew his antlers back, and he and other bulls are used for breeding. Rogotzke has five bulls. He has been selling off the bull calves for new owners to use for antler harvesting, known as velveting. He is also selling heifer calves this year. He feeds his herd a mixture of corn, oats, wild hay, and pelletized minerals. Lately, he has been feeding his bulls high-protein, alfalfa hay. Elk cows are getting wild hay so they don't get too heavy and can calve better. Rogotzke said elk eat about a third as much as cows do. Natural elk velvet is ground into powder and capsulized. The velvet has been used for centuries in the Orient for the kidneys, which are considered the storehouse for the human body's deepest and most basic energies. North Korea is the main buyer of elk velvet in the U.S. When the Asian economies collapsed a couple years ago, the U.S. elk market slumped. Rogotzke said the market started to rebound last fall. He predicts velvet in the $35 to $50 range per pound this year. Mature bulls will cut 20 to 30 pounds or more of antler velvet each year. There is a limited market for elk meat because of its low fat content, Rogotzke said. Gamed ranch elk have a very low percentage of fat -- 1.8 percent, second only to chicken breast without skin (1.2 percent). It is also low in calories and high in protein, again, second only to skinless chicken breast, according to the USDA's "Composition of Foods" handbooks. Rogotzke said elk velvet is just beginning to be researched in this country. He thinks more medicinal uses of it will be found. The Minnesota Elk Breeders Association claims antler velvet produces numerous health benefits, including aiding kidney functions, reducing signs associated with senility and and reducing blood pressure. The group also issues cautions that velvet should not be used by people with prostate problems, heart conditions and lupus.
|