An employee at the Agriculture Research and Development Center in Mead holds a prawn, which the ARDC is growing in an abandoned hog barn that has been renovated with plastic shelving and water tanks to house the prawns. Photo courtesy of Keith Glewen.
	Keith Glewen, left, extension educator at the ARDC in Mead, shows a tank system that houses prawns to Gene Kozal, center, and Travis Kozal, both of Lincoln. The Kozals came to Mead to learn about the center's work growing prawns. Photo by Kim Davis.
	Jim Rosowski, marine biology professor at UNL, works on the water system that houses prawns at the Agriculture Research and Development Center in Mead. Rosowski was contacted by extension educator Keith Glewen about the possibility of raising prawns in Nebraska and worked with the center to convert a hog barn to a facility that houses tanks and shelving units where the prawns are raised.
	A plate of prawns at a tasting at the ARDC in Mead.
	UNL Food Industry Consultant Dave McLaren has been working with the ARDC in Mead to develop the possibility of raising prawns at farms in Nebraska. He says that the short-term demand for Nebraska-raised prawns is high, but it's unknown how long it will take for the market to become saturated. He attended a prawn-tasting event to demonstrate ways to prepare and cook the Nebraskan-grown prawns. Photo courtesy of Keith Glewen

Nebraska Seafood

NU researchers are working to learn if prawns can bring extra income to state's farms

By Kim Davis, University Communications

As an extension educator at the University of Nebraska's Agriculture Research and Development Center in Mead, Keith Glewen is used to providing information and helping solve problems for farmers and others in Saunders County. But one inquiry in particular more than a year ago caught him off guard.

"I got a call from a land owner who wanted to know if we could grow freshwater prawns (shrimp) in Nebraska," Glewen said. "To be honest, I had no clue. I told him I'd find out and get back to him."

Glewen contacted UNL Marine Biology Professor Jim Rosowski, who knew a lot about prawns and was familiar with similar research happening in other parts of the country. Rosowski was sure Nebraska had all of the ingredients for success and was eager to join a project to try growing them here.

"Shrimp and prawns generate a lot of interest," Rosowski said. "They can be grown with feed ingredients grown here in the state and we can utilize empty poultry and hog facilities. There are exciting possibilities."

So the ARDC began renovations of an abandoned hog facility at Mead. The building was quickly transformed into the indoor culture systems that are now home to thousands of blue-clawed prawns.

Rosowski, with help from his students, worked to develop a system capable of providing the special conditions prawns require.

"In nature they would live on the bottom of the pond. So we created mini-bottoms with plastic shelves for them to inhabit as the bottom gets crowded," Rosowski said. "This also allows more space and gives the prawns a safe place off the bottom when they molt."

Because prawns eat food made primarily from soybeans and other byproducts, the research gained funding from Nebraska's Soybean Board, as well as a lot interest from area producers.

"I average about two calls a day from individuals all over the state who are interested," Glewen said. "In Nebraska, we have a lot of farm families looking to generate more income on their farmstead. If we can find a way to make 5, 10, 15 thousand dollars of extra income per operation, it may make a difference in keeping people on their farm."

The research is still in early stages, and specialists are still unsure this is economically viable for Nebraska farmers. Besides the costs of production, there are questions about the prawn market.

"Most of the freshwater shrimp or prawns that are available in the market today are imported from Southeast Asia," says UNL Food Industry Consultant Dave McLaren. "The advantage to producing them in Nebraska is that they are fresh and not frozen. That has value; how much value, I don't know."

The marketing possibilities are endless. Ideas range from live prawn tanks in grocery stores to selling them exclusively to local restaurants. Researchers are waiting for opportunities to test some theories and find the best marketing strategy.

"Short term, I think there will be a high demand. But we want to find out how big the market is and how long before it becomes saturated," McLaren said. "Seafood consumption is going up in the United States, but in Nebraska, we're red meat and potatoes people."

Worldwide, the shrimp industry brings in more than $4 billion a year, Rosowski and McLaren said. However, it will take some time before it's known just how much of that market can be captured in Nebraska.

While researchers currently have more questions than answers about the prawn industry in Nebraska, they all have agreed on one fact: They taste good.

Perlman finalizes third round of cuts

UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman has announced his final decisions on the third round of budget reductions at UNL. Perlman announced his decisions Nov. 20 in an e-mail to all UNL faculty and staff. The full text of that e-mail, as well as the recommendations for the reductions given to the chancellor by the Academic Planning Committee, can be read at <www.unl.edu/pr/chancllr /index.shtml>.

The University of Nebraska system was told to reduce its fiscal year 2002-2003 budget after a special session of the Nebraska state legislature met in August. UNL's share of this budget reduction was $7,513,953. This is the third reduction of the university budget for this fiscal year; earlier reductions amounted to nearly $9.8 million. This amounts to a total reduction from the base budget beginning this biennium of almost 6 percent.

Perlman announced his recommendations for making this $7.5 million cut on Sept. 12. Those recommendations were then discussed by the APC, which held hearings that were open to the UNL community for debate. The APC returned its recommendations about these reductions to the chancellor, who considered them before announcing his decisions Nov. 20.

On the Web Details of the chancellor's decisions on the third round of budget reductions can be found at www.unl.edu/pr/chancllr /index.shtml.

Special Thompson Forum is possible

E.N. Thompson Forum officials are expected to announce Nov. 22 a just-added speaker to this year's slate of Forum events. As of the Scarlet's presstime on Nov. 19, officials were mum on the name of the speaker and other details because negotiations were ongoing.

Should the event be scheduled, information about tickets and other details will be found at <www.unl.edu>.

For more information about the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues, visit <www.unl.edu/unlpu b/special/thompsonforum/> or <www.cooperfounda tion.org/World_Issues.html>.