Local sea food in Southeast Missouri?
It sounds a little out of place but Bill Crites of The Storks aquaculture farm in Chaffee, MO has been raising both Rainbow Trout and Pacific White Shrimp since 2005 in his 4 large ponds. Bill experimented for a few years in a small existing pond and then had 4 ponds and a well installed to really make a go of it. Each pond can be drained for harvesting of the crop and refilled to start the next crop in his rotation.
Over the cooler months Bill raises Rainbow Trout and as it warms up he starts his warm season crop of shrimp. As quoted from his website:
We receive our shrimp as larvae which we place into saltwater tanks. For a period of forty-five days we slowly wean the shrimp off of saltwater so that we may stock them in our freshwater ponds. Our harvested shrimp grow to an average of 8-inches long.
Often people comment to me that these must be prawn and not shrimp but they are in fact real shrimp. To go a step further, Bill only feeds the shrimp and trout an organic meal, making them appealing for the health conscious as well.
Bill has also acquired a local convenience store in Chaffee where he sells his shrimp and trout by the pound, and cooks some of the best barbecue around. We’ve bought shrimp for special events a few times and it’s always been easy to prepare, reasonably priced, and tasted great! I wouldn’t even think of buying shrimp from the store anymore when I know I could be supporting a local farming family. In this situation the farmer is selling the end product so he is able to make the best return and that should make a buyer feel good. I love seeing other farmers try something new and different and it doesn’t look like Bill Crites is stopping where he is, he’s already started a small herd of sheep!
If you’d like to get some local seafood, give Bill a call, he can also give you cooking instructions and tips. If you stop by the store, Larry’s in Chaffee, MO, I’m sure he’d love to tell you how he got into the business.
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