56 SEP TEMBER 2022 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S .ORG Below, we expand on these themes through a more detailed analysis of discussions elicited during GLADs2 2021. Farming is away of life. Most farms in the Great Lakes region are small operations with few employees and the employees are often family members. All six farms featured in GLADs 2021 are family owned and operated with between two and five workers. Ozark Fisheries was the exception in that it was family run but had more employees (approximately 30). All featured farmers described spending time learning from others and networking with groups such as their state aquaculture association, local universities, North Central Regional Aquaculture Center (NCRAC), Department of Natural Resources (DNR), extension, equipment suppliers and Sea Grant. Many of the featured farmers did not initially choose aquaculture as their career; rather, they started fish farming as a hobby that then grew into a business. Furthermore, although many farmers did not receive a post-secondary education in aquaculture or fisheries science, some majored in different fields in college. For example, one farmer enrolled in two years of courses at a local community college and another attended university for structural engineering. In contrast, some farmers indicated that their children attended college for aquaculture or fisheries and then returned to work on the farm. This lack of formal aquaculture or fisheries education highlighted the important idea that, in addition to fish related skills, farmers need and value skills in construction, engineering, hydraulics, plumbing, electrical systems and chemistry, among other topics. Farmers rely on these extra skills to save money by building their own specialized equipment and fixing problems that arise without having to use outside contractors. There was a general consensus among farmers that they were not in the aquaculture field only for the money. They chose their career for both the independence it offers and alignment with their values, such as the importance of local food systems and the value of passing along their knowledge and the farming life to the next generation. Farmers also emphasized the dedication that farming requires, for example, it is impossible to take a vacation from fish care unless you have a trained employee able to fill in during an absence. Overall, all featured farmers expressed true enjoyment in working in aquaculture. One farmer described fish farming as “a beautiful way to live in harmony with the earth.” Starting small and growing graduallyworkswell. A common theme highlighted throughout the farm tours was to avoid overspending; start small and grow the business gradually (Engle 2019). Farmers emphasized that there tends to be more market than product so there is often pressure to grow rapidly. However, learning from others and adapting one-of-a-kind businesses to be successful takes time, so it is important to remain patient. Some businesses have experience and investments that allow them to start larger initially but the majority of businesses in the Great Lakes region are small. Financial stability was described as a key to success. During the first few years of a farm, often described as the “lean years,” farmers recommended having a safety net or contingency plan in case of mistakes while learning about the specifics of a system, what species work best, how to be a farmer and how to run a business. Many farms fail at this early stage by starting too large or trying to grow too fast. Most small farms typically do not have income until two to five years after starting. Farmers also suggested growing a business only when profits enable growth; in other words, do not go into additional debt to grow the business. A common model in the Great Lakes region is that aquaculture business owners begin farming part-time while they have other employment and then, as the farm becomes profitable, they are able to farm full time. For example, the owner of Lincoln Bait LLC& Berry’s Cherries Hydroponic Produce started as a fisheries guide in need of bait and more consistent income. He first started the wild harvest of baitfish but this developed into growing fish on his property so he could sell the fish as the market demanded as well to avoid impacting declining wild populations. These successful farms typically began in one of two scenarios: the farmer bought a farm as is and worked on improving/growing the system as they made profits or built a new farm using a variety of initial investments, such as money and expertise, including research and development grants, retirement funds and work with Sea Grant. Most farmers described using multiple systems on their farm and TABLE 1. A description of the farm tours from the GLADs 2021 event, with the name, location, aquaculture system type, species raised and product end-use of each farm.3 Fa rm Tour Fa rm Name L o c a t i on S y s t em Ty p e Sp e c i e s End - Us e 1 Branch River Trout Greenleaf, WI Flow-through Brook trout, Food Hatchery and Trout raceways, pond Atlantic salmon Springs Winery Food 2 Cedarbrook Trout Farm Harrisville, MI Flow-through Brook, brown Stocking and raceways, ponds and rainbow trout fee fishing 3 Hickling’s Fish Farm Edmeston, NY Recirculating aquaculture Largemouth bass Food and system (RAS) stocking 4 Lincoln Bait LLC Staples, MN Aquaponics Hornyhead chub, Bait & Berry’s Cherries common shiner, Hydroponic Produce golden shiner 5 Ozark Fisheries Martinsville, IN RAS, ponds Goldfish, koi, Ornamental & Stoutland, MO minnows, scavengers 6 Ripple Rock Fish Farms Frazeysburg, OH Mixed-cell raceways Tilapia Food and stocking (Timmons et al. 2018)
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