In 2022, Andy and Micah Chapman bought a pot farm in Guthrie, OK, and shortly after, transformed it into the only prawn farm in Oklahoma, and are working with the agriculture department on peanut research. Now, they are aiming to work with Langston University’s agriculture department to help teach students about prawn farming.
Only a very small portion of the Chapmans’ yard is dedicated to the peanut research, but this is going to be expanded next year. The Chapmans were told that the peanut research is to prove that peanuts can be grown in Oklahoma. So far, the peanut plants are flowering and should grow peanuts in the upcoming weeks.
The Chapmans chose to farm prawns after researching different kinds of farms they could run, and prawns seemed to be the right choice. Because no other prawn farm existed in Oklahoma, it took six months for the farm to be fully certified. The rest of the transformation of the farm was easy, and some of the leftover equipment was able to be used with the prawn.
I got to tour their farm and see the prawns in person. For now, the drying room of the old pot farm is the only one being used for prawns, and the greenhouses are empty. One of the greenhouses had a dismantled pool in it, but it was for swimming.
The prawn room is fully insulated with spray foam and is kept warm for the prawn. They used a pump system with PVC pipes in the pools, and the prawns like to enter the stream for fun. The prawns are also easy to startle and will start jumping out of the water when the lights are shut off.
The whole farm is low-tech, and many of the parts were normal things anyone can buy. The prawns live in large swimming pools with a biofloc system, which incorporates different bacteria to keep the water clean and give more food for the prawns to eat. They also reused tanks left by the last owners of the property.
Unfortunately the biofloc system makes the water murky so they cannot be seen in the water. Luckily they have a tank in the front of the building to show them in clearer water.
Prawn are a lot like shrimp but there are a few differences between them. Prawn are bigger than shrimp and also taste sweeter. Shrimp turn pink a while after dying, but the farm sells their prawn so fresh they never have the chance to change color, so they stay their clear color.
Prawn are harmless and I even got the chance to net a few and hold them. When out of the water, prawn can only jump with their tails.
The Chapmans are planning on buying another property to expand their farm and to eventually set up another building for prawns on their current property. Their ultimate goal is to transition to an agritourism business model with more tours and to work with Langston’s aquaculture department.
After the tour of the prawn building, I got to see the other animals they have on the property. They have goats, a couple sheep, chickens, and ducks. They even have a trampoline to sit on.
Jeremy Arballo
Jeremy Arballo is a sophomore broadcast journalism major. He likes to write about topics that are interesting, and he wanted to write for the Gazette as a creative outlet. He believes the work matters because it helps spreads information students may not otherwise find themselves. Jeremy is interested in photography and has taken nearly all of the photos featured in his stories. He can be reached via his email, jearbal@langston.edu or his instagram JeremyArballo1.
