My Story - Heartland Processing

Heartland Processing was founded in 2007 by Dr. John Holden, a practicing Reproductive Endocrinologist and avid outdoorsman. The idea was spawned the year earlier while visiting his alma mater in Provo, Utah. He discovered that the source of the environmental tragedy that has plagued the once-pristine Utah Lake for over a century was not man-made. Instead, the misguided introduction of common carp during the 1880's eventually led to the destruction of the ecosystem of the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States.

But once back home in Illinois, he soon discovered a much larger problem laying at his very doorstep. Another species of carp had overrun the Mississippi River watershed in a mere 15 years. Since escaping from southern catfish farms during 1993 flooding, the giant Asian Carp (actually four subspecies: Bighead, Silver, Grass, and Black) have succeeded in overwhelming the riparian environment of over half of our country. Even worse, these monstrous (growing upwards to 100 pounds) prolific breeders threaten to invade our Great Lakes -- putting at risk a $4.5 billion fishing industry that is shared with our neighbors to the north.

Hoping to avoid this international ecological embarrassment, Dr. Holden sought a use for the billions of unwanted fish. A search for ways to suppress these invasive species in an environmentally responsible way led him to Auburn, Alabama.

With exclusive access to innovative technology developed by AUquaTein, Inc. and Auburn University, Heartland Processing is able to process the fish with virtually no malodorous or toxic emissions and no waste water. The end result is a pure American-made fish meal and fish oil product. We at Heartland Processing are proud of our commitment to solving the problem of invasive carp, cleaning our nation's waterways, providing new employment, and preserving the commercial as well as sport fishing industry.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions.