Magnolia Shrimp LLC has developed an indoor, state-of-the-art, ecologically friendly, recirculating shrimp farm in Beaver Dam, Kentucky, and plans to market fresh shrimp in the heartland of the United States, from Chicago to Atlanta. Its first crop should hit the market by February 2008.
Brian Boudreau, general manager and shrimp scientist, has over 20 years of experience designing and managing large outdoor shrimp farms in Central and South America. He says: “Our current facilities include a 14,000-square-foot hatchery that will house up to 2,000 broodstock that can produce more than 1 million postlarvae a week. We will select and breed shrimp designed to thrive in the high-density environment found in our system. Once the postlarvae reach sufficient size, they will be transferred to the nursery tanks in the company’s 30,000-square-foot prototype production building.”
The production building has four growout tanks that hold 135,000 gallons of water each. After about six weeks in the nursery tanks, the shrimp will be transferred into the growout tanks (35 x 150 x 3.5 feet) for approximately 12 weeks and then harvested at about 6 inches and more than 20 grams. When fully operational, the facility will yield consistent crops in excess of 1,000 pounds a week.
The company’s site in Beaver Dam has room for two more production buildings. “We also hope to expand our business by creating a contract grower program under which Magnolia will provide postlarvae and production expertise to contract growers, creating an alternative farming opportunity for Kentucky farmers,” said Boudreau. Under an agreement with the contract growers, Magnolia will then purchase the shrimp from the growers and distribute them through its marketing network. Boudreau said Magnolia’s site in central Kentucky allows it to cost-effectively deliver fresh shrimp to a number of major markets in the heart of the United States.
Dr. Jim Anderson, president of Magnolia Shrimp and former manager of SyAqua’s international operations, said that Magnolia would use a heterotrophic bio-floc system, oxygen for aeration, shrimp feeds produced by Zeigler in Pennsylvania and genetically improved broodstock that was purchased from SyAqua. SyAqua has shrimp hatcheries in Mexico, Brazil and Thailand. Dr. Michael Timmons, a co-founder of Magnolia Shrimp, has worked in aquacultural engineering for 20 years as a researcher and extension specialist. He currently occupies the J. Thomas Clark Professorship of Entrepreneurship and Personal Enterprise within the Biological and Environmental Engineering Department at Cornell University.
Over the past year, Magnolia has conducted a series of trial production runs using facilities at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, one of the top five aquaculture universities in the country. The trials, conducted under a joint research agreement with KSU, helped Magnolia perfect its production system and prove that it could produce tasty marine shrimp at an inland location. Magnolia and KSU will continue to conduct joint research on shrimp growout. Magnolia is also working with the University of Kentucky in Lexington on some of the engineering challenges with indoor shrimp production systems.
Information Source: Brian Boudreau, (270) 799-3401, or brianboudreau01@yahoo.com, Web page www.magnoliashrimp. |
