Freshwater prawns farming began in Illinois in 2000 with Tanglefoot Ranch as the first Illinois freshwater prawns farm. In 2001 Tanglefoot Ranch owner, Grover Webb, helped start the ever popular Golconda Shrimp Festival in at attempt to promote the city. For years Tanglefoot freshwater prawns were predominantly sold at the Golconda Shrimp Festival or on the farm.
Last year the Golconda Shrimp Festival named the best food festival in Illinois by National Geographic.
Tanglefoot Ranch Prawns are a “Pope County Original” offered here on Tanglefoot Ranch! For over a decade prawns lovers would either flock to the Golconda Shrimp Festival for a shrimp fix or they would visit Tanglefoot Ranch to buy frozen prawns.
Now prawns lovers can visit Tanglefoot Ranch for Farm Dinners served in a quaint dining room overlooking the peach orchard and beautiful farm views in our new dining facility.
Our shrimp ponds grow an abundant supply of the highest quality prawns that customers can’t get enough of. Our prawns are closely monitored in the nursery phase then placed in clean aerated water until harvest. During the grow-out phase the water quality is checked daily and food is provided as required.
The Webb family has been raising freshwater shrimp, also called prawns, on the farm in Southern Illinois since 2000. The State of Illinois Alternative Agricultural Land Program enabled us to start a prawn enterprise. Currently we operate a regional prawn nursery that helps supply local growers with pond stocking animals. We also have six ¾ acre grow out ponds that are filled with clean water from a reservoir. Juvenile prawns are stocked in the end of May and harvested in the end of September. After harvest, prawns are sold whole on ice or processed in our State inspected facility. From time to time we also supply stores, restaurants and catering companies with our Illinois raised prawns.