Our newest local producer is Taylor Fish Farm in Cedar Grove. They’re supplying our stores with fresh tilapia.
Siblings Valee Taylor and Renee Stewart own Taylor Fish Farm. They began the farm in 2009 with help from aquaculture experts at the NC Coop Extension and NC State. The tilapia grow in an indoor recirculating system that has six 25,000-gallon tanks. The water, which comes from wells, is exchanged rapidly, which results in healthy, safe fish. (Tests have shown that the farm’s fish have the lowest level of carcinogens and dioxins.) The water is eventually used to irrigate pasture and hay fields.
The fish eat a soybean meal diet that boosts their ratio of omega fatty acids. They are raised without anabolic steroids, added growth hormones, or antibiotics and do not contain mercury because of their controlled environment and feed. The farm has the Institute of Marketecology (IMO) certification for eco-friendly and socially responsible products: the fish are safe to eat and humanely raised. They are also Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certified for safety by the USDA. And, the fish taste great.
The Taylor family donated the land for Anathoth Community Garden, which provides nutritious food in rural Orange County, youth programs for at-risk youth, and community events. They have volunteer programs to empower and educate people in sustainable farming. (Read more.)
The first shipment of local tilapia arrives Thursday, January 28. We’ll receive boneless, skinless fillets. Read more about the farm at www.taylorfishfarm.com.