PHILPOT, Ky. – Census of Agriculture data from the USDA shows that Kentucky had more than 136,000 working tobacco farms in the early 1950s. That number dropped to 62,000 farms by 1987, and by 2022, just 984 operations were still growing the crop in the Commonwealth.

Today, North Carolina is the leading producer of tobacco at 260.1 million pounds. Kentucky ranks second, contributing 85.6 million pounds to the nation’s output. Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and Pennsylvania round out the top seven.

With dwindling tobacco demand, most Kentucky growers shifted to corn, wheat and soybeans. Some, like those at the Fischer Family Farm, of Daviess County, took to aquaculture and microgreens.

Tobacco fields dotted the Fischer Farm landscape, as they did in most Kentucky farms, in the mid-1950s. The generation that followed has learned to evolve to more profitable crops.

Kenny and Becky Fischer, along with their daughter Laura Dalton and son-on-law Quincy Dalton, now operate Fischer Family Farm, which includes corn, soybeans, canola, hay and cattle. But it’s their unique foray into aquaculture and greenhouse production that has set them apart from most family farms in the region.

“My dad started this place back in ’54,” Kenny said. “We bought in around 1989 and took it over in the early 2000s. Back then, it was tobacco, cattle and row crops. When tobacco started playing out, we got into greenhouses and shrimp. We were just trying to find things to diversify. Now, we’re featuring shrimp and microgreens.”

The Fischer’s shrimp operation began as an experiment but quickly grew into a local success story, supported by guidance from Kentucky State University (KSU). The family once raised tilapia as well, but shrimp has become their main thrust.

“We’ve never had trouble selling shrimp, it’s getting the little ones that’s hard,” Kenny said. “The guy we usually buy from just isn’t supplying them anymore.”

Laura said shrimp farming has been a steep learning curve, describing the creatures as “very sensitive to change.”

The Fischers reached out to KSU researchers for assistance, starting with the water. Researchers at KSU have assisted the family in refining their process and collecting water data for a research collaboration.

“They’ve told us we’re not raising shrimp, we’re farming water and that the shrimp are the byproduct,” Laura said. “We test the water and weigh the shrimp weekly, sharing all the data with the university.”

Their Pacific white shrimp live in heated pools in a converted barn, surrounded by aerators, pumps and filtration systems. The family also manages a greenhouse where they grow lettuce and microgreens to sell at the Owensboro Regional Farmers Market.

“Plants and fish require very different environments,” Laura said. “We tried combining then under aquaponics but found we got better-quality produce and better-quality shrimp when we kept them separate.”

Quincy added that locally sourced seafood may cost more but offers a safer, cleaner and fresher product.

“Once you see where some imported shrimp are raised, you’d never touch them again,” he said.

The Fischers, along with many other farmers in Kentucky who have ventured into aquaculture, leaned heavily on those at KSU’s Aquaculture Research Center, which has 33 research ponds, a 3,000-square-foot hatchery that houses spawning, holds and experimental tanks, as well as a 3,500-square-foot nutrition laboratory that also contains a wet laboratory for aquarium studies.

The Aquaculture Research Center also has a 14,400-square-foot indoor aquaculture production technologies laboratory for researchers who can test and develop technologies to raise fish in a controlled environment.

Though the Fischers no longer raise tobacco, their efforts with row crops have helped them stay connected to both traditional and innovating farming. Farming (this time fish farming) is what now binds the family. Through social media, they’ve found new audiences who are curious about their new, locally grown food.

“Social media is a free marketing tool,” Laura said. “It’s helped people see that harvest season isn’t just row crops anymore.”

According to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA), Kentucky’s aquaculture industry is growing, supported by educational programs, research initiatives, and favorable environmental conditions for fish farming.

“Kentucky benefits from suitable soil for pond construction, limestone water that is excellent for fish production, and its strategic location within a day’s drive to half of the U.S. metropolitan areas,” the KDA said in a recent report.

According to KyFoodandFarm.info, “the aquaculture industry in Kentucky is poised for growth, with increasing demand for local fish and seafood products. The integration of aquaculture into existing agricultural practices is seen as a win-win for local farmers, enhancing their portfolios and contributing to the state’s economy.”