Shrimp netted Bill Rich a little extra money. The shrimp were stocked June 1 and harvested Sept. 28. Freedom Freshwater Shrimp has 60 growers, mostly in Tennessee and Kentucky. Elder expects to have 300 ponds in production next year, and that won't come close to filling demand. Freedom gives producers the option of contracting to sell back their shrimp at the end of the growing season.
Producers can market their shrimp themselves.
The business does have its pluses. Also, consumer demand is high. It's not like we have to build a market. Using a medium production rate, it takes two to three years to pay off pond construction. Depending on the yield of either crop, a 1-acre shrimp pond will replace about an acre of burley.