Grant Jones raises shrimp and cattle in Nebraska. | Courtesy photonutMnAF4
A sixth-generation Nebraska cattle rancher is raising Surf and Turf on the same ranch.
Grant Jones, from Haigler, Nebraska, in the far southwestern corner of the state, started the shrimp part of his ag work, Champion Shrimp, in 2020.
A 2014 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he came back to the ranch, and wanted something of “his own” on the family operation.
He had read an article about using old hog barns to raise shrimp, and was intrigued. He did some research, and on April 1, 2020, he got his first batch of post-larvae shrimp.
His operation, housed in an old shop, consists of eight tanks of salt water, each holding 3,700 gallons. The shrimp are shipped via airline to Denver; Jones makes the six-hour round trip to Denver once a month to pick up 10,000 post-larvae shrimp, each about the size of an eyelash, housed in a Styrofoam cooler, with a couple of ice packs, in two bags.
Once they are on the Jones ranch, the PLs, as they are called, are acclimated in a 55-gallon barrel, with pure oxygen, and a siphon from the tank they’ll be placed in. After four hours, the water they’re in will match the tank water they’re going into, and, using a five-gallon bucket, Jones will put them in the new tank.
For fifteen days, they “disappear,” he says, so small, that in a 3,700-gallon tank, they’re nearly invisible.
Jones has five “rations” for his shrimp. The first three are for the babies, feed that is 400 to 1200 microns and 50 percent protein. The fourth step is 1.5 mm in size and transitions the shrimp from the nursery phase to the grow out phase.? When the shrimp get to 2.5 grams, they are fed a 35 percent protein feed with granules that are 2.4 mm in size. All are made from fishmeal (as an attractant because of the smell) and soymeal. The larger feed size is sold by Cargill and delivered by semi to the ranch, a pallet at a time.
The water in the eight tanks is never changed; it’s the same water he started with five years ago. He uses biofloc technology, a system developed in the 1970s for aquaculture that treats and converts nitrogen (which is deadly to shrimp) and increases the efficiency of feed. In other words, it’s a biological system to break down the waste, instead of using a mechanical filter. The good bacteria turns waste from ammonia to nitrates, which Jones monitors. Shrimp don’t have an immune system, he said. “They are what they eat.” The biofloc system keeps the good bacteria growing and limits the growth of bad bacteria. He monitors the water, pulling off waste when there’s too much of it.
It takes about 120 days to get the shrimp, which are Pacific White Shrimp, the most highly-farmed breed, to the weight he wants for processing, which is 20-23 grams, or about 20 shrimp per pound. “That’s a decent sized shrimp,” he said.
Jones sells them fresh, with the head on. He fills orders within a day or two, with customers picking them up at the ranch. He used to sell at the grocery store in Imperial, but found that people wanted to see where they were grown and get a tour. “The’d come out, and want to sit and talk, and ask questions,” he said.
He hopes to sell to restaurants in the near future, when he has a more reliable supply. He’d like to have an online store someday as well.
The process hasn’t been without struggles. Last summer, a storm went through and the electricity went out. He caught it quick enough, turning on a generator. He called the power company, but they didn’t come out that day, and he didn’t check on the shrimp. “I didn’t catch it, and no pumps (for oxygen in the water) were running. I lost everything but part of a tank.” It was a struggle, but he came back from it. “Finally, one day I decided I’m not going to let this defeat me.” He compares raising shrimp to the farm and ranch world, where producers are the eternal optimists. “Corn prices might be down, but we put the seed in the ground, and we’ll turn the bulls out again. It’s in my blood, and I’m just stubborn enough to do it. That’s what’s kept me going.”
Overfeeding shrimp is a common mistake he was warned against by mentors. Too much feed causes more waste, which causes more ammonia in the water and excess feed in the water.
“We’re guardians of the water,” he said. “If we keep the water quality up, the shrimp will do fine. Overfeeding compounds the problem.”
His setbacks have helped him hone in on his business goals.
He’s refined the process to where he spends less time in the shrimp barn because he doesn’t feed as much and the water quality is better.
“I’ve brought it back to basics,” he said. “This barn can only subsidize a yearly income. Can I live off that? No, but it’s a great supplement. And if I can simplify it, I won’t need to bring in more people. It’s been a huge learning curve.”
He recommends customers freeze them to make the shell easier to remove. “When you buy them from me fresh, I would put them in the freezer for 24 hours,” he said. “That gets the shell to remove from the meat. When they’re fresh, the shell doesn’t come off as nicely. It’s like hide attached to a carcass.”
Jones is a bit of a rebel, he says, and he likes to be different. “I can be a little bit black sheepish,” he said. “I like a challenge. It’s being different and I don’t care what others think of me.” He calls his endeavor “shrimp ranching” and doesn’t mind if others think he’s an oddball.
His parents, Shawn and Julie Jones, are supportive, especially his mom. “My mom is my rock on this place,” he said. “She helps me out tremendously. I always say, ‘mom, I have an idea,’ and now she says, ‘no, you don’t. No more ideas,'” he laughs.
Ranch-raised shrimp is fresher tasting, he said, like hamburger processed from your own animal.
Jones urges others to think outside the box. “It’s not like you have to raise shrimp. But think about the possibilities out there. You don’t have to raise corn and soybeans and cows.”
He’s had to be stubborn to see this project develop.
“I got told no so many times by bankers. If I would have taken no as an answer, I wouldn’t have done this. If a banker tells you no, go to the next one. Have a plan, and ask the banker why the no.
“Don’t take no as an answer. If you really truly want to do it, find a way. Go down the next path. Ask what the next option is. Don’t just close the door.”
Jones is Nebraska Farm Bureau’s 2024 Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement in Agriculture Award winner.
He and his parents, as Chundy Land and Cattle, raise Angus and Simangus cattle and have an annual production sale in March of each year. They also have a small backgrounding lot and custom graze yearlings in the summer.
More information can be found on Facebook by searching Chundy Aquaculture.
Recipe: Blackened Shrimp Your Way
Remove head and peel shell and remove tail.
Pat dry with a paper towel
Season shrimp in a bowl (Grant’s go to seasonings – Slap Ya Mama, garlic salt, paprika, chili powder)
Melt butter in pan and set heat to medium high or high.
Lay shrimp in the pan and cook for 45 seconds?then flip and cook for another 30 seconds (Do not overcook. As soon as meat starts to turn white it is done)
Enjoy!