Extension seminar covers shrimp farming

Two years ago the last place you might expect to find freshwater shrimp was in a farm pond in Southern Illinois or Southeast Missouri. Not any more.

"The shrimp business is looking good for this area," said Bob Boyd, Shawnee Community College aquaculture instructor, who raises shrimp on his farm near Anna, Ill.

Boyd is guest speaker for a five-session "Freshwater Prawn Seminar," being conducted at the Cape Girardeau County University Extension Center at Jackson, Mo., and at the Shawnee College Extension Center at Anna. The first session was held Saturday.

Boyd and instructor Darrell Dillow will team up to teach "shrimping" to area farmers over the next few weeks.

Introduction to acquaculture will present the history, scope, and common methods of alternative agriculture farming in the area, and more specifically in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois, said Boyd, who is president of the Shawnee Shrimp Association, which has members in Illinois and Missouri.

"Since it is new and the second-fastest growing industry in agriculture, effective instruction is essential for success," Boyd said. "During the five-week instruction session, we'll visit various pond construction sites."

"Shrimp has generated a lot of interest as an alternative crop," said Gerald Bryan, agronomy specialist with the Cape Girardeau County Extension Service. "We have a lot of people signed up for the class."

Boyd's one-acre pond in the Metropolis, Ill., area in 2000 was the first try at raising shrimp in Southern Illinois. The next year he had 14 acres.

John Lorberg became the first shrimp farmer in Southeast Missouri last year.

"His operation near Gordonville, Mo., was a success its first year," Boyd said. "He sold his entire harvest and is planning to grow shrimp again this year."

A shrimper can usually depend on a payback on his investment over a two-year period, Boyd said. A farmer can dig a one-acre pond, obtain a well, pump, an aerator and stock shrimp for an investment of about $10,000.

The harvest can range from 700 to 1,000 pounds of shrimp. "Last year, I sold my shrimp for $8 a pound," said Boyd.

"We're hoping to see about 50 acres of shrimp this year," he said. "And it wouldn't surprise me to see 100 acres next year."

Preparation for raising shrimp takes some time.

One-acre ponds have to be constructed and equipped with pumps and aerators. Inch-long shrimp are purchased to stock the pond, usually in June.

rowen@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133