Buyers from far and wide snap up Reece farm’s turtles
Posted on Sunday, October 5, 2008
LESTER — Reece Turtle Farm is no side attraction for travelers passing through northeast Arkansas. The decades-old family operation sells to a restaurant on the West Coast and customers in China.
Originally known as Irwin Turtle and Fur Co., the business in Lester is run by descendants of founders Charles Irwin and Melve Irwin.
Brothers Charles and Brandon Reece raise about 200, 000 turtles on their 8 acres off Arkansas 135.
The inventory includes some 50, 000 hard-shelled red-eared turtles, 35, 000 to 40, 000 pounds of softshell turtles, 20, 000 pounds of common snappers, 15, 000 toy turtles and 40, 000-50, 000 baby turtles.
The brothers sell the reptiles by the head or by the pound, depending on the type. The price ranges from $ 2. 50 for a baby to more than $ 135 for a softshell adult.
Some of the softshells go to a seafood restaurant near Los Angeles and are served for $ 50 a plate, Charles Reece said.
Hard-shelled turtles are transported to China, where they are used for clocks, cigarette cases and dog food.
Reece said turtles are smarter than one would think. He has watched a turtle work to climb a plant or weed, putting enough weight on it to topple it to the ground. Other turtles then can munch on the plant.
From Arkansas 135, motorists can see the tin the brothers use for 12 turtle ponds, all shaded. The ponds have to be oval-shaped. Otherwise, the turtles would pile up in a corner to climb out, Reece said. Also, when the turtles climb on top of one another, their shells get damaged, and that’s not good for business.
Turtle farm operations, such as the Reeces and others in Amagon, Gould and near McDougal, are regulated by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Turtle farmers are required to have a turtle breeder permit, a pond permit, an aquatic harvest turtle permit, a commercial fishing and sportsman license, a $ 4 tag for each net, and a commercial fishing and hunting license.
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