Minnow Business Booming Thanks To Air Freight

Minnow Business Booming Thanks To Air Freight 29-1-8 Since Jamie Anderson started shipping his farm-raised minnows on FedEx, business has been booming and customers are getting fresher bait. "We used to ship all our minnows by truck loads of 1,500 to 5,000 lbs.," says Anderson, of I.F. Anderson Farms. "An 18-wheeler heading to the East Coast might make 12 to 15 stops, dropping off 100 to 1,000 lbs. of minnows at a time." Even with the best aeration, shipping wasn't easy on the fish. They would be pulled from a pond, then go through a day of grading before spending a day or more on the truck. Finally, they might be held by the wholesaler or dealer for up to a week before being bought for bait. "The quality goes steadily down hill," says Anderson, a fourth generation minnow producer. His family operates the largest minnow farm in the country with 3,500 acres of ponds near Lonoke, Ark. They produce and sell more than 250 million gold fish, golden shiners, fathead, black fathead, Israeli carp, pink fathead and other baitfish every year. Maintaining quality wasn't the only problem. Every year they would lose shelf space as bait shop owners would retire or sell out. Many big chains don't want to handle bait. The answer to both problems was selling direct and shipping by air. Now Anderson can ship 5 lbs. of minnows anywhere in the country and have them arrive the next day. "Folks on a small lake or pond may not be able to find a bait shop, but they can build a holding tank on the lake and keep their minnows as long as they want," says Anderson. Anderson Farms recently developed a new saltwater baitfish called the "Black Salty." It has opened new markets for Anderson and for their bait shop customers on salt water. It is hard to find small salt-water baitfish in the winter. Even when available, salt-water baitfish have to be kept in salt water, which is a problem even in warmer seasons. Anderson's solution to the problem was to breed a fresh water minnow that could survive in salt water for up to 8 hours. "Wild bait just doesn't hold up. You may lose 50 to 75 percent in a day," says Anderson. "Now bait shops can hold the bait in fresh water as long as they want and salt water fishermen have a 12-month supply of fresh, hardy bait. Ninety-eight out of 100 that have tried the Black Salty say it stands up better than wild bait." Anderson still ships by truck to large customers. Adding air shipment has made it possible to service new areas such as Arizona and Nevada where they don't truck and local suppliers have gone out of business. Anderson also sells forage fish for bass farmers and pond owners who want to supplement available food for their bass. Again, the type of shipment, air or truck, depends on quantity needed. Buyers don't have to worry about introducing disease into their ponds, either. Anderson has their fish tested twice a year for possible diseases and doesn't bring fish in from other farms. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jamie Anderson, I.F. Anderson Farms, 4377 Hwy 70 West, Lonoke, Ark. 72086 (ph 501 676-2716 or 800 976-4666; website: www.andersonminnows.com).

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