A town that claims a title in writing
Belzoni in Humphreys County calls itself the Catfish Capital of the World, and the claim rests on pond acreage and processing rather than on folklore.
Ponds & PlantsSection 1 of 5
The crop the town is named for
Levee ponds, feed, plants and a labelling fight.
A field with water in it
A catfish pond is a levee-built rectangle a few feet deep, aerated mechanically, and its shape is dictated by the flat ground and the water table.
Ponds & Plants
The margin is in the feed conversion
Feed is the dominant cost, so the industry's viability tracks grain prices as much as it tracks fish prices.
Ponds & Plants
A labelling argument that reached Congress
Imported basa and swai were the subject of a long labelling and inspection dispute, which is why the word on the package is regulated.
Ponds & Plants
Processing is the other half of the industry
The processing plants set what the ponds can sell, and plant closures have taken pond acreage out of production directly.
Ponds & PlantsEverything in this section
- A town that claims a title in writingBelzoni in Humphreys County calls itself the Catfish Capital of the World, and the claim rests on pond acreage and processing rather than on folklore.
- A field with water in itA catfish pond is a levee-built rectangle a few feet deep, aerated mechanically, and its shape is dictated by the flat ground and the water table.
- The margin is in the feed conversionFeed is the dominant cost, so the industry's viability tracks grain prices as much as it tracks fish prices.
- A labelling argument that reached CongressImported basa and swai were the subject of a long labelling and inspection dispute, which is why the word on the package is regulated.
- Processing is the other half of the industryThe processing plants set what the ponds can sell, and plant closures have taken pond acreage out of production directly.