U.S. Freshwater Prawns
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By Glynda Phillips Freshwater prawns are a healthy, delicious food grown right here in Mississippi. Each year, Dolores and Steve Fratesi produce about 14 acres of prawns on their Lauren Farms in Leland. Dolores says they have mastered a “full circle” in the production process: from hatching, stocking and feeding to harvesting and marketing. “One of the beauties of growing freshwater prawns is the probiotic or feed conversion aspect,” Dolores said. “Prawns eat the natural productivity of ponds, stimulated by an organic fertilization practice that uses such commercially available products as corn gluten pellets, range cubes and alfalfa pellets. We only feed one to one and one-half tons of feed per acre over the entire growing season. No chemicals are used. Another plus is that freshwater prawns are a non-invasive species.” The Fratesis were thrilled when U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish and U.S. Freshwater Prawns received the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Best Choice” designation. Environ-
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MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER