Apr 26, 2023
Shelby Smith never expected to be a farmer, so it may be fitting that she's a kind of farmer almost nobody thinks about. Shelby is a cricket farmer. Right in the heart of the Midwest.
She describes this space as one changing quickly and compares it to the reality there was a time most Americans probably thought avocados were odd and wondered why others ate them, while some of us now absolutely crave having guacamole now. We talk with Shelby about whether crickets may be the next big thing in foods and why she believes that.
We also talk about:
- Shelby's background growing up on a farm and stumbling into cricket farming when doing research for her next career
- Trying new foods thanks to a diverse palate -- crickets, tongue tacos, etc. Some people may not like the visual aspect of certain foods
- What a cricket barn is like and why climate control is critical
- Buying and growing crickets
- Feeding practices for crickets
- New cricket barn excitement
- Biosecurity and pest control on the cricket farm
- Food safety considerations for crickets
- Age is not a barrier to trying cricket-based products.
You can see a tour of the farm at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIaVPVUkYOw&t=7s
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