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Young farmer raising shrimp in southwest Nebraska

Nebraska is known for its robust beef industry, but one young farmer hopes to also put the state on the map for seafood.

Grant Jones, of Imperial, started Chundy Aquaculture in 2018 and since 2020 has been supplying fresh shrimp to buyers from his southwest Nebraska farm.

“I bring PLs (post-larval shrimp) out of Florida and Texas. They come in on Southwest Airlines into Denver, and I go pick them up. From there, I bring them home. I get them acclimated to my my water and my system, and they spend about four months with me, and they’ll be about as big as my hand,” he says.

He tells Brownfield there’s a lot of hurdles to the operation.

“A lot of people don’t realize that they come with health certificates, just like we do when we bring in cattle to our state. I have to go through all that process. I have to apply to to bring them in. I have to get a permit to bring them in and then I have to supply the health papers,” he says.

Jones says raising shrimp has some similarities with livestock production.

“When I get up there in the morning, I first go and analyze all the tanks. From there, I start calling feed for the day. I’ll do water tests for ammonia, nitrates and different things like that. On days that I’m trying to test water, I’ll spend a little extra time testing water. I also try to weigh weekly and that helps me determine how many shrimp I have in the tank,” he says.

Jones says it’s been tough to make the operation work, but he’s encouraged to be part of a small network of Midwest shrimp farmers.

He was recognized with the Achievement Award at the 2024 Nebraska Farm Bureau annual meeting in Kearney, Nebraska.

Photo courtesy: Nebraska Farm Bureau

AUDIO: Grant Jones, Chundy Aquaculture