It contains high-quality protein and is now used to feed not just cattle, but as Dave Kinard of the NCPA told me, "just about any critter at all, " including horses, hogs, chickens, turkeys, sheep, and mules.

NPR: Texas Cotton: 'Farmer Profits at Every Step'

As a result, Abdel Hadi says, her experiments show that chickens raised on a crayfish feed diet lay more, stronger, higher-protein eggs.

CNN: The incredible, edible crayfish?

But the company has discovered that its algae can be processed into other useful things: feed for fish farms, protein powders for food supplements and omega-3 fatty acids used in a variety of supplements and pharma products.

FORBES: Names You Need To Know: Aurora Algae