STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 31
everyone partakes.
Micah said her husband, Andy, was the one who first became interested in raising prawns. He found a YouTube video of a prawn producer located in California, and began thinking about raising his own prawns. He called the University of Kentucky, where studies had been conducted about how to raise prawns. The university got him in touch with a prawn producer in Montana – who became Andy’ s mentor.
Other producers are located in Indiana, Tennessee and Missouri, Micah said.
“ It’ s becoming more popular, but there’ s still only a few that do it,” Micah said.
Prawns come in batches of 20,000 post larvae, or PL. In 2023, Andy and Micah asked for a batch of only 2,000 prawns. Sadly, the first batch all died, but they were more successful with the next batches of 20,000.
“ It’ s been an adventure,” Micah said.“ It’ s a learning process.”
Each of their three tanks has a specific“ carrying capacity,” which means only so many prawns can be placed in each tank.
“ Once you hit that pound – it doesn’ t matter how many prawns, it could be five prawns – if you hit that carrying capacity, they’ re going to start dying off, because there’ s just not enough space,” Micah said.
Andy, who Micah said is the“ brains” of the operation, said
FOR ALL THE LATEST up-to-date details on DOWNTOWN STILLWATER EVENTS and to learn how you can support the DOWNTOWN STILLWATER ASSOCIATION, please visit downtownstillwater. org
OUR GOAL...
WE BELIEVE DOWNTOWN STILLWATER is the economic and vibrant heart of the community. Our mission is to be the # 1 advocate and resource for Stillwater’ s historic commercial district. We strive to preserve our past while building our future.
Micah Chapman holds up a prawn
it’ s not about farming the prawns, it’ s about farming the water. The two carefully manage the levels of chemicals and compounds in the water, such as the nitrates, nitrites, PH, ammonia, oxygen percentages and salinity( salt).
Andy and Micah have been approached by commercial buyers, but want to expand their business to eight tanks before agreeing to sell to restaurants.
“ We’ ll start with farm-to-table restaurants … maybe ones that have‘ this is the special for that week,’” she said, or a special for the weekend.
For now, they’ re content to sell word-of-mouth or at Farmers’ Markets in Logan, Payne and Oklahoma County.
They offer local pickup and delivery of their prawns, as well as tours of their farm – by appointment only – by calling 405-400-3255. In addition to selling prawns, they also sell pansies and own chickens, ducks, goats and sheep.
“ We’ re working towards becoming an agritourism location,” Micah said. SwOk
STORY BY: JESSICA MARSHALL Stillwater Oklahoma Magazine
PHOTOS PROVIDED
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 31