Old Ridgeway school building is home for Sherlock Shrimp

A typical size shrimp is weighed.

Forrest Gump would be surprised to learn that you don't need the ocean to raise shrimp.  Adding to crops like corn and soybeans, herds of cattle and hogs, the Midwest now can offer fresh, tasty shrimp — and it's started right here in northeast Iowa.

The old closed elementary school in Ridgeway has become a shrimp farm. Sherill Ryan and husband Jeff launched the unusual farming business this summer after buying the defunct school building for $15,000 last year.  The gymnasium looks like a sales showroom for above-ground swimming pools but is filled with 85-degree water and thousands of shrimp. 

The Ryans began selling shrimp to the public in late June.  Fresh shrimp are being sold for $20 per pound at the building in Ridgeway from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., Wednesdays through Fridays.  Customers have been coming in from all over.  Sellouts are typical.

Sherlock Shrimp ("Elementary My Dear") is located at 435 County Street in Ridgeway.

A tiered system for improving shrimp production is underway at Sherlock Shrimp.

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