ABOUT

OUR HISTORY

Key Milestones & Dates

The Legacy left behind of Walter Carl Haring, Sr.

Walter Carl Haring, Sr. better know as Pete Haring began his career picking cotton in Belzoni, Mississippi at the early age of seven. At the age of 16 he moved to Memphis, TN where he enrolled in trade school to become a Machinist.  After completing trade school he was hired by Illinois Central R.R. Co.





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MILITARY

Army Draft


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MILITARY

Honorable Discharge

In 1944, Pete was drafted by the United States Army to fight in World War II.  He was stationed in the Philippines and later in Germany.

After his Honorable Discharge from the Army in 1948, he moved to, Wisner, Louisiana, and began a logging and sawmilling partnership with Wade Buffkin.




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Life in Wisner

An Entrepreneur Finds Success


In 1950 he purchased a café named Charlie’s that also served as a dance hall in Sicily Island, Louisiana.  Two years later he acquired a gas station where he sold minnows he caught in rivers and streams.  His enterprise expanded adding another two bait stands in Wisner and Monroe.  The market for minnows increased so tremendously that he approached his Uncle Walter McGehee for a partnership deal in starting a minnow farm.  Pete became the first person to raise minnows commercially.  That same business, Wisner Minnow Hatchery, INC is still in operation today.




Did you know?

Family Business

7 members of the Haring Family still work in the industry today.


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BUSINESS EXPANSION

Catfish Processing


By the early 1960s we hatched our first crop of catfish fingerlings and by 1970 were farming over 700 acres of catfish.  It was also in 1970 that we opened our first processing plant, with a capacity of only 25,000 pounds per week.  From 1982 on we began increasing our production capacity to keep up with the expanding market.  Today we process over 300,000 pounds per week.




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SUSTAINING SUCCESS

Feed Mill


In 1989 we opened our own feed mill, Topwater Feedmill, allowing us to control our catfish diet.  We have specially formulated a high-protein feed which are a mixture of soybeans, corn, wheat, cotton seed meal vitamins and minerals.  Our feed floats so the fish eat at the top of the water, giving our catfish an excellent flavor.

We are very proud of our accomplishments in the catfish industry but even more proud when we are recognized by our peers.  We have received the Louisiana Catfish Farmer of the Year Award, Catfish Farmers of America Award of Excellence, and The Small Business Person of the Year Award by the U.S. Small Business Administration.




Address

3889 Highway 562
Wisner, LA
71378


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Opening hours

Mon-Thu: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Fri: 7:00 am – 12:00 pm
Sat & Sun: Closed


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