The crawfish operation started with specially constructed ponds, but Austin quickly found crawfish thrive more in natural waterways. For Watt, the day's examples gave him useful information for an Extension Service program he coordinates to help agricultural producers find ways to broaden their income base through nature-related tourism offers. The program, started in September 1998, is in its formative stages. Its most recent event was a marketing workshop in San Angelo at the end of May, to which 30 ranchers from across the state were invited. One of the lessons for potential entrepeneurs was repeated during a crawfish lunch provided to tour members by Austin.
Every property is unique, so everybody tweaks the knobs and figures out their own approach.