Table of Contents - Vermiculture Information & Supplies



Worm Farming USAby Peter Bogdanov?2013 Peter BogdanovPublished by Prescott Valley, AZ 86314Table of Contents TOC \o "1-1" \n \h \z \u Worm Farming USAIntroductionWorm Farming USAWest Coast Operations—The Early DaysVermicomposting Bio-Solids in Fallbrook, CACanyon Recycling Takes OverVermicomposting Organic Residuals from MRFsRevised Legal Status of Vermicomposting in CaliforniaRainbow Worm Farm, Davis, CAEcology Farms, Temecula, CACompost Site Sells Vermicompost before Producing ItAirline Pilot Raises Earthworms in Wine CountryThe Largest Vermicomposting Operation in the USCocoon Production Holds PromiseContinuous Flow Reactor Processes Food ResidualsFrom Mushroom Farm to Earthworm FarmVermiculture in the Southern and Eastern United StatesTennessee Project Uses Disabled WorkersVermicycle Organics, Inc.Worms Deep in the Heart of TexasReferencesIntroductionWorm farming? What’s that?That’s a common reaction many people have when they first hear the term. Probably, it’s because worm farming is not very common.The concept of worm farming was new to me when I first heard of it in the mid 1990s and developed an immediate interest in the subject. As I traveled about, visiting worm farms and talking to worm farmers, I began to acquire knowledge that few possessed. In order to share that information with others, I turned to the internet, which, at that time, was still in its early stages for commercial use. I had a few books about worms and other items to sell and some folks were actually offended that we dared to use the internet to sell our information and products.Of course much on the internet has changed since then. And worm farming has changed too.One of the most frequent questions we have been asked is, “How can I visit a worm farm?” That’s not a bad question. In fact, after finding out about worm farming, that was what I set out to do. I wanted to see a worm farm for myself. And I was fortunate to visit several and build relationships with worm farmers along the way. Thankfully, they allowed me to tell their stories.What is recorded in the following pages are stories of worm farms in the US. You’ll find they are similar in many ways, yet each operation conducts its business in a little different manner from the others. Today, you may not find it easy to visit a worm farm. After all, worm farming is a business and many business owners are not too inclined to give up their valuable time to conduct free tours to folks who just might become competitors! Books like this, then, actually provide a reasonable substitute for the time, travel arrangements and expense one would incur in trying to locate an operation that would be open to the idea of conducting a free tour. Many worm farmers would actually prefer you read a book on the subject than contact them in person.Worm farming seemed to take a dramatic turn at about the time I became involved. This was largely due to increased environmental concerns about what to do with our waste. California and a few other states began firming up their regulatory oversight of waste management. It was widely reported by USEPA and other environmental agencies that up to 60% of what was thrown away as garbage was organic. This meant that, rather than bear the cost of collecting, transporting and burying organic waste in a landfill, these residuals could be recycled (closer to the source—in some cases) by composting. And, yes, even worms could have a part in this effort through what became known as vermicomposting.And so, with titles like Mary Appelhof’s Worms Eat My Garbage, interest grew in earthworms providing a remedy for our waste management problems. As it turned out, the answer had always been directly under out feet!In California, where municipalities were threatened by fines of up to $10,000 per day if they failed to reduce their waste by 50%, vermicomposting sites sprang up, offering a way to turn garbage into gold. The gold, of course, consisted of worm castings, also known as vermicompost, nature’s best fertilizer. Now it was possible for these landfill diversion sites to earn income from three possible streams: 1) Tip fees collected when organic residuals were trucked to their sites (dump trucks “tipped” their contents on the ground and paid a fee to do so); 2) sales of earthworms, since they were reported to multiply rapidly; and 3) sales of earthworm castings for use in agriculture and horticulture. While the forecast for these vermicomposting operations seemed bright (regulatory agencies were pushing municipalities to find solutions quickly, and income would come from both incoming raw materials and outgoing products!) the management of several of these businesses failed miserably. Mismanagement showed up variously through greed, disregarding regulations and best management practices, and outright fraud. In short, it wasn’t through worm error that many of these businesses failed; it was due to human error. But the demise of many of these larger operations shouldn’t discourage us. Instead, it’s possible to learn from their mistakes. What you’ll find in the pages ahead is a realistic portrayal of what the business of vermicomposting is all about.Welcome to the world of worms! What started out in the US as vermiculture (raising earthworms to increase their supply, largely for re-sale as bait), eventually became vermicomposting—using earthworms to transform organic waste into worm castings. This is the story of vermiculture and vermicomposting in the United States. Come take the tour of some of the leading worm farms in the country.Worm Farming USAThe origins of worm farming in the United States are unrecorded and largely unknown. It is likely that anglers who initially had to dig up earthworms for bait became the first customers of those who found a way to supply worms in quantity. In the 1950s, as angling began to flourish as a leisure-time activity in the US, a market developed for earthworm sales.Earthworms used for fish bait were, at first, harvested by hand. This is still the case in Canada where immigrants, many from Asia, are employed to pick up earthworms (known as Canadian Nightcrawlers) at night. Roaming in farmers’ fields, golf courses and orchards, harvesters tie cans to their legs and, bending over, try to pick up whole earthworms without pulling so much as to break them. Earthworms of this particular species (Lumbricus terrestris) do not reproduce quickly in domesticated conditions. Since their availability “in the wild” is much greater than in trying to breed them in containers, harvesting by hand has proven to be the most effective way of securing large quantities. According to biologist and naturalist Doug Collicutt, earthworm sales are a $100 million industry in Canada alone where half a billion Night Crawlers are collected annually. (D. Collicutt, n.d.)During the Depression years of the 1930s, Earl B. Shields wrote a chapter “Raising Earthworms” in his book Making Money at Home. Over the next two decades, inspired by inquiries from his readers, Shields researched the subject further and wrote Raising Earthworms for Profit. Since founding his Wisconsin-based earthworm book publishing business in 1951, the Shields family claims it has sold over one million earthworm books of its 22 titles. It is likely that from these publications, interest in worm farming grew through the United States. An untold number of backyard worms farmers began the practice of vermiculture-raising earthworms.An entire cottage industry sprang up, the number of its membership not quantifiable, hence unknown. Shields marketed a bi-annual directory, Earthworm Buyers Guide, offering advertising space to worm farmers to help them sell their products. Since there was no organization or association of worm growers, the Shields Guide served as the only means of somehow measuring at least the breadth of worm farming in the U.S., since advertisers were grouped by state. At its height, there were around 100 US advertisers in the Shields Guide. Worm farmers created their own jargon, offering “breeders” as well as “bed-run” or “pit-run” worms with unique names such as Alabama Jumper, African Nightcrawler, Tiger Worm, California Golden Worm, Red Wiggler and others. It was believed that, in some cases, a few growers gave their commodity unique names in an attempt to differentiate their stock from competitors’ and, therefore, create the illusion that they were offering a better or special product for sale. Worm farmers also spoke of “sour” conditions in their worm beds and called earthworm cocoons “capsules.” Today greater precision in language is in use as scientific nomenclature has been adopted by most worm workers thanks largely to university researchers working with educators and practitioners. Thus Eisenia fetida appears more frequently than the imprecise redworm or red wiggler and the overall vocabulary of worm workers reflects better understanding of soil ecology and organic waste management.West Coast Operations—The Early DaysInterest in vermiculture on the West Coast of the United States can be dated as early as 1936 when Thomas Barrett, physician and “Renaissance man” of many interests, established his Earthmaster Farms in El Monte. California. Here he conducted experiments in raising earthworms and recorded his recommendations in a book, Harvesting the Earthworm (Barrett, 1947).In 1967, Ronald E. Gaddie, Sr. started a vermiculture business after a disabling back injury. By 1972, Gaddie’s North American Bait Farms in Ontario, California was approaching $100,000 in gross sales and grew to over $600,000 in 1975. Gaddie co-authored Earthworms for Ecology and Profit, Vols. I and II, along with Donald E. Douglas. Over 750,000 copies of the first volume, subtitled Scientific Earthworm Farming (1975), were printed and some 250,000 copies of Volume II, subtitled Earthworms and the Ecology (1977), were later published. Gaddie’s vermiculture and book publishing business grew wildly throughout the second half of the 1970s, and an extensive network of earthworm growers was established throughout the United States. He reported that his network exceeded 1,100 growers in California alone. Earthworms were shipped to Italy, France, Korea and Japan. His Bookworm Publishing Co. earned tremendous profits from the sale of his writings and earthworm books written by others. His own books were translated into Japanese, French and Spanish. Just as the foreign markets began to surge further in sales (an order for $170,000 of earthworms to be sent to Italy was received), Gaddie was forced to close his doors in early 1980 (Bogdanov, 1996a).Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1 Ronald Gaddie's book started a revolution in vermicultureThe closure of North American Bait Farms was the result of costly litigation Gaddie faced as the alleged “kingpin” of a pyramid scheme. In 1974 the Securities and Exchange Commission began informing North American Bait Farms that a price guarantee offering to buy back earthworms from potential investors could be construed as a sale of a security that would have to be registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (Gaddie and Douglas, 1975). In spite of all attempts to warn away others from violating SEC regulations, Gaddie became caught in litigation accusing him of participating in illegal “pyramid schemes.” The great cost of having to defend himself and others eventually took its toll. The once million-dollar-per-year business in earthworms alone (not counting book sales) collapsed. Along with it, perhaps tens of thousands of other earthworm growers, by the estimate of one person who was active both then and now, found themselves in an industry locked in a tailspin (Bogdanov, 1996a). Over thirty years later the memory of this boom and bust cycle remains in the minds of those still associated with vermiculture in California and throughout portions of the US Today this story’s almost mythic proportions serves as a reminder of both the immense opportunity available in vermiculture as well as the dire consequences that may befall even the most circumspect.Vermicomposting Bio-Solids in Fallbrook, CAIn 1986, after conducting a successful pilot-scale vermicomposting program, the Fallbrook Sanitary District embarked on a full-scale program to use earthworms (Eisenia fetida and Lumbricus rubellus) for stabilization of bio-solids. The District produced approximately 0.6 dry tons (544 kg) of sludge per day on its 43-acre site in a community of about 16,000 people located in Northern San Diego County. The two-stage process included pre-composting the material to comply with USEPA’s standards to reduce pathogens. After approximately 30 days in a static pile, material was removed to vermicomposting beds where it was applied at the rate of four to six inches (10-15 cm) per week to the 8-foot (2.4 m) wide windrows of varying length. To maintain porosity, straw bulking material was added about once per month. In about six months, windrows reached a height of approximately three feet (.9 m) and were ready for harvesting. The top six to eight inches (15-20 cm) of material, containing the greatest concentration of earthworms, was removed and used to establish new windrows. The remainder, stabilized vermicompost, was screened and placed in storage where it was allowed to cure for an additional 30 days. The District sold its static pile compost for $15 per cubic yard (.76 m3) and its vermicompost for $35 per cubic yard (.76 m3). It reported that it could not keep up with local demand (Harris, et al., 1990).In 1987, when the Fallbrook project was just getting underway, the LA Times reported that Camarillo, a city in Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles, trucked four tons of sludge to Fallbrook in San Diego County (150 miles away) for vermicomposting research. Weldon Platt, a “self-taught worm expert” and avid environmentalist with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, was the “worm wizard” who ran Fallbrook’s vermicomposting project. He said the three-year pilot program would cost the city $70,000 in equipment and manpower, but expected the district would recoup its investment within two years and then begin making money. (Hamilton, 1987)Many aspects of this project were deemed successful. Fallbrook Sanitary District’s directors reported evidence that vermicomposting could serve to remove heavy metals from bio-solids. They were also encouraged by the plant growth potential of vermicompost stating that “earthworm excreta (castings) are an excellent soil-conditioning material with a high water holding capacity and ‘natural time release’ for releasing nitrogen into the soil” (Harris, et al., 1990). But other factors, such as increased requirements for production and processing, an increase in time required for vermicomposting, and an increase in surface area, meant that vermicomposting made greater demands than conventional composting.Canyon Recycling Takes OverThe Fallbrook vermicomposting project was forced to close as local residential development increased. The once rural community became a suburban community. However, interest in vermicomposting continued in San Diego County as Resource Conversion Corporation (RCC) obtained some 5,000 lbs. (2,268 kg) of earthworms from Fallbrook and brought them to Canyon Recycling in San Diego. On an eight-acre site, Canyon Recycling established twenty-two 250-foot (76.2 m) long windrows, ten feet (3 m) in width. A landfill diversion site, Canyon received tipping fees for municipal yard trimmings, manure from San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Del Mar Race Track, and construction and demolition (C&D) debris. In the early 1990s, Canyon concentrated on vermiculture, building up its earthworm population. Earthworm beds were fed and split continuously until the time came to shift from vermiculture to a vermicomposting operation (Bogdanov, 1996b). By March of 1996, John Beerman, General Manager of the facility reported that he provided his 75,000 pounds (34,020 kg) of earthworms about 15 to 20 tons (13.6 to 18.1 metric tons) of green waste every day (Barbour, 1996). Three to four inches (8 to 10 cm) of feedstock were applied with manure spreaders twice a week to each windrow. Water usage amounted to between 40,000 and 50,000 gallons per day. Earthworms were sold only rarely. Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 2 Entrance and truck scales for Canyon Recycling, Home of VermigroAfter growing its earthworm inventory for about five years, harvesting vermicompost began in earnest and sales of Vermigro?, a blend of earthworm castings with compost, were made to nurseries, landscapers, organic farmers, and the general public. The blended product was sold in bulk ($35/cu. yd.) and in bags ($7.00 retail for one cu. ft. (.028 m3). In one instance, Canyon negotiated a contract to produce 5,000 bags per month for a large retailer, but the deal never materialized. Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 3 Sacks of Vermigro earthworm castings blended with compostCanyon Recycling also sold recycled wood-fiber products to particleboard manufacturers and co-gen facilities, and produced compost and mulch used for roadside application by California’s Department of Transportation (Cal-Trans). However, the early creation of burdensome and unmanageable indebtedness pressured RCC’s directors to put Canyon Recycling up for sale in 1997. In spite of the fact that Canyon reported it could not make enough Vermigro? to satisfy the demand, other factors contributed toward the need for restructuring this facility.Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 4 Canyon Recycling's windrows measured 10 feet in width and 250 feet in lengthVermicomposting Organic Residuals from MRFsPacific Southwest Farms, a 54-acre vermicomposting facility in Ontario (San Bernardino County), California began its operation in 1994 with eleven tons (10 metric tons) of earthworms transported from the failed Worm Concern project in Simi Valley, California. Owner Barry Meijer steadily built his operation into what may have been the largest project of its kind up until its closure. PSF received the biodegradable fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW) or “green material” (as defined by California’s compost regulations) from up to three different material recovery facilities (MRFs) for a tipping fee. Initially, PSF took in about 75 tons (68 metric tons) per day and increased that amount to approximately 100 tons (90.74 metric tons) per day. Earthworm-stocked windrows measuring eight feet (2.4 m) in width and 100 feet (30.48 m) in length were fed at the rate of four tons (3.63 metric tons) of material per row per week. Situated east of Los Angeles in an arid climate, PSF’s water usage amounted to 120,000 gallons per day. Sources for water included residential sprinkler runoff and barn water from local dairies. While the water was abundant and free, pumps, irrigation lines and use of electricity added significant expense. At it zenith, PSF estimated that more than 100 tons (90.74 metric tons) of earthworms processed organic residuals in 360 windrows. Finished vermicompost was reportedly sold to agricultural users in central California. Due to the mixed quality of feedstocks which contained a significant portion of inert material (especially glass shards), the final product had to be screened to 1/8 inch and was not acceptable for retail sales to the public (Bogdanov, 1997a).Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 5 Irrigated windrows at Pacific Southwest Farms measured 8 feet in width and 100 feet in lengthPSF’s feedstocks were non-traditional in comparison to other vermicomposting sites. From the beginning of its operation, MRFs in nearby Orange County processed the commingled material they received and sent the biodegradable fraction to PSF. This material was approximately 95% organic but contained enough bits of plastic to cause a problem with site and product appearance. The particle size of the incoming product was later reduced from four inches to 1-1/4 inches, which proved to work better and contained less visible and unsightly plastic. PSF also received ground paper that had come into contact with food material or other green waste. That which was fed to earthworms is specified as “green material,” defined by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) as “any plant material that is either separated at the point of generation, or separated at a centralized facility [a MRF] that employs methods to minimize contamination. Green material includes, but is not limited to, manure, untreated wood wastes, paper products, and natural fiber products. Green material does not include treated wood waste, mixed demolition or mixed construction debris.” (California Integrated Waste Management Board, 1997a). During the time of its operation, Meijer believed PSF was the only project using MSW for vermicomposting in California.Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 6 PSF's feedstock from MRF's contained plastic and glass shardsRevised Legal Status of Vermicomposting in CaliforniaThe San Bernardino Local Enforcement Agency (LEA) effectively shut down PSF in November, 1996 by issuing a Notice and Order requiring PSF to obtain a solid waste facilities permit as a transfer/processing station. PSF was also told it could not “process” any of its incoming feedstock. Processing would include either blending with manure or pre-composting the incoming feedstock. PSF appealed this Notice and Order. In February, 1997 the San Bernardino County Independent Hearing Panel issued a decision which specified that the earthworm bed activity was excluded from regulation by the CIWMB’s compost regulations and that PSF was not required to obtain a solid waste facilities permit.But PSF’s problem continued. San Bernardino County attempted to close down PSF because of its location in a dairy zone, saying that it needed a conditional use permit and did not possess one. PSF filed an appeal of this ruling and, in April 1997, the Court of Appeal, State of California, Fourth Appellate District, determined that PSF could continue its vermicomposting operation. Citing California’s Food and Agricultural Code, the court agreed that vermiculture is an “agricultural use” and that PSF was in operation for the purpose of producing an “animal product.” (Bogdanov, 1997b)At least two victories for PSF and the practice of vermiculture in the state of California were won by these decisions. First, vermiculture continues to enjoy an agricultural exclusion from California’s composting regulations by virtue of the fact that the Food and Agriculture Code identifies vermiculture and its by-products as agriculture. And, secondly, pre-composting of feedstock prior to application on earthworm beds does not fall under the CIWMB’s compost regulations. Critics have complained that these exclusions do not allow for a “level playing field” for composters and vermicomposters alike. Additionally, the exclusions open the door for disguising a composting operation by allowing it to possess a small quantity of earthworms and call it vermicomposting. To discourage the possible abuse of vermiculture exclusions, CIWMB is amending its regulations to clarify what it will allow. In its Initial Statement of Reasons, CIWMB wrote: “A revision of the term ‘vermicomposting’ is necessary to clarify that worm castings, not compost, are the primary product of vermicomposting activities” (California Integrated Waste Management Board, 1997b). CIWMB maintains that an enforcement agency has the flexibility to determine whether an activity is or is not a vermicomposting activity. Incidental earthworm activity, in which significant amounts of biological decomposition occurs which is not related to earthworm activity, would not constitute “vermicomposting.” Therefore, according to the CIWMB, the presence of a few earthworms in a compost pile would not qualify the operation as a “vermicomposting activity.”Meijer’s Pacific Southwest Farms won only a Pyrrhic victory, however, as time-consuming litigation during the Cease and Desist order forced haulers to locate other sites to transport their organic waste. Without tipping fees and feedstocks to continue his operation, Meijer was forced into shutting down the facility.Rainbow Worm Farm, Davis, CAFor twenty-one years Al Cardoza’s Rainbow Worm Farm has seen steady growth, largely due to Cardoza’s talents and persistence in single-handedly creating a full-service operation. Cardoza obtains dairy manure from Dixon, a small community located a few miles from his vermiculture facility in Davis, west of Sacramento, California. In addition to the expense of trucking this material to his own farm, Cardoza periodically visits the dairy farm to turn the manure, speeding up the pre-composting phase of the feedstock. Four-foot wide windrows, called “ricks,” cover some 3 acres of his twenty-acre farm. Sprinkler irrigation is used to spray a fine mist on the unshaded beds where temperatures frequently hit triple digits in summer. The exclusively outdoor vermiculture operation has 30 ricks approximately 200 feet (61 m) long. “That’s over one mile (1.6 km) in length,” reports Al’s son Dan Cardoza, who took over Rainbow after Al’s retirement.The rows receive about one inch (2.54 cm) of material every two weeks, amounting to about 40-50 cubic yards (30-38 m3) per row. Earthworms (Eisenia fetida) are harvested in a trommel designed and built by Al. Custom-made earthworm harvesters and blueprints are available for sale. Harvested earthworms are packaged in wax-coated cardboard boxes and shipped by ground carrier and by air freight all over the world. Cardoza applies wax to the interior of the boxes, perforates each one with enough holes to allow ventilation, and applies a red-ink stamped warning: “Alive! Earthworms. Do not expose to heat or cold.” A specially blended bedding mix of peat moss, shredded paper and oyster shell flour is used in packaging earthworms for shipment. The senior Cardoza has designed a heavy-duty blender for mixing earthworm castings with other ingredients to create custom potting soils for nurseries. He also has designed bagging and sealing machines that are used for packaging Rainbow Worm Castings, available in one-quarter and one cubic foot (.028 m3) bags. Cardoza’s how-to video thoroughly covers all aspects of his operation: sprinkler set-up, creation of ricks, feeding, harvesting earthworms and vermicompost, making wax-coated cardboard boxes, and shipping procedures that include preparation of bedding and bagging. (Bogdanov, 1998).Ecology Farms, Temecula, CAFigure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 7 Vermicomposting operations in arid regions such as Temecula, CA, use considerable waterIn February 1995, George Bodlak, together with several partners, started Ecology Farms in Temecula, California. The ten-acre site raises Eisenia fetida on pre-composted yard trimmings adding 10-15% steer manure in the winter. Three different systems for raising earthworms are in use. Shade-cloth covered breeding beds are used to raise earthworms in a closely monitored environment. Moisture content of 80-85% and a temperature of 72° F (22° C) are maintained. From these beds, earthworms are then moved to a second system, fully exposed windrows for “conditioning” where the key process variables are not as ideal and earthworm reproductive activity slows. A third system uses fiberglass bins that were formerly used in trucking agricultural produce. A two-tier design in these bins allows for the collection of “earthworm tea” which Bodlak claims has restorative properties when used as a foliar on plants, although this has not been validated. Demonstration gardens showcasing the benefits of both vermicompost and “earthworm tea” are in use at Ecology Farms as they are at several other vermiculture sites in California.Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 8 George Bodlak recycled fiberglass produce bins hauled by trucks into irrigated worm bins with leachate collection underneathEarthworms have been shipped in large quantities of 5,000 lbs. (4.53 metric tons) or more. Trucks equipped with a “walking floor” trailer expedite the shipping of entire windrows. But this vermiculture operation has also put strong emphasis on its sales of vermicompost as well. Under the “All-In-One” product label, earthworm castings are blended with compost, sea kelp, gypsum, bat guano and saponin from yucca trees. Screening and bagging are done on site by some of the ten employees. Expansion of Ecology Farms to include additional large-scale vermicomposting projects has been reported (Riggle, 1996b).Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 9 Ecology Farms' exposed windrow sits astride a shadecloth-covered windrowCompost Site Sells Vermicompost before Producing ItJoe Lundstrom, site manager for Cascade Forest Products in Novato, California, took the experience he gained as site manager at Canyon Recycling in San Diego and added a vermicomposting emphasis to the conventional composting performed at the Novato site. But in this case, sales of vermicompost actually preceded the production of vermicompost. Initially, since there was no on-site vermicomposting, Lundstrom searched his own Marin County as well as adjoining counties in Northern California for earthworm castings that could be included in his product blends. Knowing that the addition of vermicompost created a “value-added product,” Lundstrom contacted vermiculture operations to purchase their earthworm castings. Once obtained, castings became part of the several blends Cascade has created under its own name and used in the custom blends it makes for others (Bogdanov, 1997c). Offering an extensive line of soils, amendments and mulches, at least six products, appended with the words “with worm castings,” are sold in bulk by Cascade: Super-Premium Planting & Container Mix, Planter Mix, Amended Loam, Premium TopSoil, Super Compost, and Garden Compost. Within these blends, and in addition to vermicompost, are found fir bark fines, perlite, peat moss, lava rock, poultry manure, redwood fines, sand, bio-solids, composted yard trimmings, and forest humus. In addition to their own bulk sales and the custom blends they prepare for local distributors such as Shamrock Earth Blends, Cascade provides ingredients for the Gardner and Bloome line of retail bagged products.Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 10 Joe Lundstrom examines composted bio-solids blended with earthworm castingsSoon after his arrival at the Novato site, Lundstrom inoculated five windrows, one hundred feet (30.5 m) long and ten feet (3 m) wide, with approximately 5 tons (4.53 metric tons) of earthworms. Cow manure and co-composted bio-solids were used as feedstocks. Situated next to a lagoon that continues to accept bio-solids under a grandfathered arrangement made many years ago, Cascade Forest Products finds that the compost made with bio-solids adds a darkness of color to the finished products that their customers find appealing. Earthworms (Eisenia fetida) thrive on the combination of co-compost and manure in the outdoor windrows. Lundstrom finds he still cannot make enough vermicompost to satisfy the demand for his blends. Cascade Forests Products continues to purchase earthworm castings from vermiculture operations many miles away, but freight costs have made some transactions prohibitive.Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 11 Cascade's "Super Compost" and "Planting Mix" both prominently feature worm castings in labelingAirline Pilot Raises Earthworms in Wine CountryIn 1992, Jack Chambers, a commercial airline pilot purchased a five-acre farm in Sonoma, California from a chicken rancher who also raised earthworms on poultry manure. Chambers expanded his Sonoma Valley Worm Farm by adding outdoor windrows to the existing covered row system, by obtaining dairy manure, by installing an irrigation system, and by purchasing equipment (tractor, trommel screen). Today, earthworms and vermicompost are sold at wholesale and retail prices. Earthworms (Eisenia fetida) are most commonly sold in 1,2,5, and 10-pound units, but larger amounts have been sold to bait dealers. Vermicompost is sold at $40 per cubic yard (.76 m3) (retail) and $30 per cubic yard wholesale.Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 12 Jack Chambers stands near straw-covered outdoor, irrigated windrowsChambers has experimented with feedstocks such as alfalfa and has discovered variations in earthworm activity according to the amount of moisture applied to earthworm beds (Riggle, 1996 b). Seasonal predators, robins, have caused problems by removing earthworms from windrows over a period of a few weeks before migrating. To facilitate harvesting vermicompost, Chambers covers a three-foot (.9m) section on one end of a windrow, (thereby withholding food and water), which encourages earthworms to move laterally in search of food. The cover is removed several days later to harvest vermicompost.Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 13 Sonoma Valley Worm Farm's covered windrows provide shade and protection from excessive rainChambers sold about 2,000 pounds (907 kg) of earthworms, most in one and two-pound (.45-.9kg) orders, through a voucher program offered in the City of San Jose in 1996. This was in connection with earthworm bin sales by another vendor in the municipally-sponsored program and accounted for nearly one-half the entire amount of earthworms Sonoma Valley Worm Farm sold for the year.The seasonal nature of earthworm sales is clear to Chambers who speaks of a “bell-curve” in the annual cycle. “The phone starts ringing in late March and [continues] fairly steadily in April. Things really go until the Fourth of July, when there’s a little dip, then they start soaring up again to the top of the bell-curve until about October, and that’s when it starts to cool down,” he says. Sonoma Valley Worm Farm’s advertising is limited to a few listings in Bay Area Yellow Pages. Having a toll-free number stimulates sales, Chambers says, and association with Master Gardeners and Master Composters has also been advantageous. (Bogdanov, 1997d)The Largest Vermicomposting Operation in the USAmerican Resource Recovery (ARR) is located in Vernalis, California, ideally situated along Interstate 5 in California’s agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley, about 90 miles south of Sacramento. Part of its 320 acres consists of two paved airplane landing strips covering 75 acres, a remnant of the military air base once located there, providing an added benefit for its waste management operations. Another 70 acres in used for vermicomposting. Non-hazarardous commercial wastes (organic residues) totaling more than 75,000 tons are processed by earthworms annually. Principal feedstocks consist of short fibers (paper pulp) generated from recycling cardboard. Additional wastes are added, including tomato waste, green waste and manure. Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 14 Water usage at ARR is measured by the acre foot where its 450 rows can stretch over a quarter mile in lengthThe earthworm inventory was steadily built beginning in 1993 with 50 pounds of earthworms purchased from Al Cardoza’s Rainbow Worm Farm in Davis, CA. By 1999, ARR management estimated it had half a million pounds of earthworms on its site that continue to multiply within 3-foot wide outdoor windrows, some of which stretch as far as one-quarter mile in length.ARR obtains up to 300 tons per day of short fiber sludge from a cardboard recycling plant. It is a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week account. The material is ready to apply to windrows when it arrives. It is loaded on a spreader truck and laid on the rows about 8 inches in thickness. It arrives fluffy and wet. The worms begin eating the material immediately. ARR applies this feed four or five times a year, perhaps more often in the summer. Just before winter begins, ARR feeds the rows heavily because of the difficulty of getting trucks to the rows in the winter. On the average, ARR’s six “cells” contain about 75 rows, each row about 1,000 feet long. Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 15 Site Manager Mario Travalini demonstrates double trommel screens used to separate earthworms from castingsIn 1997, ARR began processing and selling earthworm castings. During its busiest season, the facility has shipped up to 100 tons of vermicompost per week. In the spring of 1998, ARR began offering earthworms for sale, harvesting, packaging and shipping them throughout the US Later, then began shipping earthworms outside the US (Bogdanov, 1999) ARR is the largest vermicomposting site on the West Coast and may very likely be the largest vermicomposting facility in North America. Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 16 Darkly pigmented earthworms after being separated from their bedding by trommel screen.Cocoon Production Holds PromiseFigure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 17 Environmental Recycling Systems' entranceEnvironmental Recycling Systems (ERS) of Alpine, California is located on a five-acre parcel of land east of San Diego. Founder Sherrel Hall has been an active proponent of vermiculture for over twenty years and claims to have developed an intensive, mass production breeding system whereby earthworm cocoons may be harvested and shipped in significant quantities for inoculation of earthworm beds to produce a substantial number of hatchlings.Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 18 Sherrel Hall demonstrates trommel screen earthworm harvesterHall claims that his earthworm breeding facility can produce 50 million baby earthworms every 30 days. After 75 days, the approximate weight of young earthworms would total 25 tons (22.68 metric tons). He says his building space allows for an earthworm population of up to 400 million young hatchlings (200 tons) per month (White, 1996). Most of the earthworm production from ERS as of Spring 1996 was going to a ten-acre site in East San Diego County that received 40 tons (36.3 metric tons) per day of municipal green waste along with dairy and horse manure. ERS also reported that it would “provide earthworms of a different species” to be inoculated into soil of a planting area in a land reclamation project in San Diego (Riggle, 1996a).Continuous Flow Reactor Processes Food ResidualsDan R. Holcombe is the founder of Oregon Soil Corporation, established in February 1988. His continuous flow reactor, designed and developed by Dr. Clive Edwards of The Ohio State University, has been in use in Clackamas County, just outside of Portland, Oregon since the early 1990s. The raised vermicomposting bed measures 128 feet (39 m) in length, 8 feet (2.4 m) in width and is 3 feet (.9 m) deep. A manually operated, two-ton capacity gantry feeder, riding on rails fixed to the top of the plywood sides, disburses up to six tons (5.4 metric tons) of blended organic materials daily. About 80% of the feedstock is pre-consumer food waste picked up from over 20 Portland-area supermarkets and food processors. Composted yard trimmings and shredded paper are blended in as bulking agents along with the wet organics (Riggle and Holmes, 1994). A chain-driven breaker bar mechanically scrapes vermicompost from the raised mesh floor, allowing the finished material to fall to the floor under the unit. A recovery scraper then moves the vermicompost from one end of the reactor for collection at the other end. One of the advantages of the continuous bottom discharge is that few earthworms are lost from the greater biomass working in the upper level.Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 19 Oregon Soil's Contiuous Flow ReactorDaily applications of thin layers of organics allow earthworms to work in the upper level of the reactor as earthworm-worked material descends toward the mesh floor. Total time from feedstock application to harvesting vermicompost can take from three to four weeks. Vermicompost is packaged in 1 lb. cardboard boxes and 1 cu. ft. (.0283 m3) bags and labeled as Oregon Soil “Earthworm Castings.” The one-pound product is sold as plant food with directions recommending that one-teaspoon of castings should be added to a quart of water and used with every watering. One tablespoon of castings may also be mixed in for each quart of other potting media. The one cubic food bag is described as an all-purpose planting mix. It contains the admonition, “Use no concentrated plant food in conjunction. Our castings are a complete and balanced plant food. The pH balance of this product is 6.8.”Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 20 Earthworm Castings are packaged in drums and 40-lb bagsIn 1991, Oregon Soil Corporation received a grant for $93,300 from Portland Metro’s “1% for Recycling” program which allowed Holcombe to put up a greenhouse-type structure and procure some equipment to build a pilot reactor. In February 1993, Oregon Soil began doing business with the Fred Meyer chain of “one-stop shopping” stores in the greater Portland area. Of the 20 stores with food departments, Fred Meyer’s estimates that each store produces an average of 45 tons (40.8 metric tons) of garbage per month. OSC’s staff continues to make daily pick-ups of organics and delivers them to the vermicomposting site.In 1997, Holcombe disassembled his unit from a farm in Clackamas County and moved it to an existing compost facility within Portland’s city limits. The current plan is to continue to work in conjunction with Metro on vermicomposting food residuals while also taking advantage of the pre-composted yard trimmings available from the compost facility (Bogdanov, 1997e).From Mushroom Farm to Earthworm FarmThe Yelm Earthworm & Casting Farm, formerly the site of a mushroom-producing operation, was converted to an earthworm farm in 1991 under the ownership of Resource Conversion Corporation (RCC) of San Diego, California. RCC used the Yelm farm for R&D experiments with the hope of stocking other vermicomposting projects it had planned to start in addition to its Canyon Recycling project. Earthworms bred in Yelm were sold in quantities of up to 5,000 pounds (2.26 metric tons) and were shipped as far as Texas. In 1997 the farm came under the ownership of Sound Resource Management, an environmental consulting firm based in Seattle, Washington (Bogdanov, 1997f).Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 21 Yelm Earthworm & Castings Farm's stackable bins under coverNestled in Smith prairie southwest of Mt. Rainier, the far is located approximately 20 miles (33.86 km) east of Olympia, Washington. Jim Jensen, a principal and consultant with SRM, oversees the Yelm project. No stranger to vermicomposting, Jensen provided planning, development and implementation for the Food Lifeline Waste Reduction Demonstration Project in Washington’s King County from the end of 1991 to the beginning of 1994. During the 18-month active vermicomposting phase, Food Lifeline diverted nearly 50 tons (45.37 metric tons) of food scraps and yard debris by utilizing earthworms in pallet-box bins. Unsalvageable food collected by Food Lifeline that could not be vermicomposted was distributed to pig farms (Sound Resource Management Group, 1992).The Yelm operation uses two systems to grow earthworms and convert treated dairy manure to vermicompost. The Yelm farm pays for delivery of manure that has been separated after sitting in a lagoon. The solids are removed and the manure passes through a heating process. The farm’s vermiculture system utilizes 4’x6’ (1.2 m by 1.8 m) wooden trays formerly used for mushroom production. The fairly shallow trays (6 inches—15.24 cm—deep) are stackable and maximize floor space in the covered portion of the facility estimated to be 33,000 square feet. Periodically, perhaps every two months, half the contents of the trays (earthworms, castings and manure) are removed and used to start a new tray or bin. The second system uses sprinkler-irrigated windrows, located both indoors and outdoors. Typically, rows are fed until about 30 cubic yards of material is ready to be harvested. Jensen estimates each row contains about 1,500 pounds (.68 metric tons) of earthworms (Eisenia fetida). Overall, he figures his operation currently has about 38,000 pounds (17.24 metric tons) of earthworms (Bogdanov, 1997f).Managing one of the largest vermiculture operations of the West Coast, Jensen says the Yelm farm is adequately prepared to make large, bulk sales of earthworms and vermicompost (Jensen, 1998). Smaller quantities of products are also packaged and sold. Earthworms are packaged for shipment in wax-coated cardboard boxes, but Jensen has also experimented with shipping small quantities of earthworms in breathable plastic bags. Vermicompost is sold in 8-quart and 1 cubic foot (.0283 m3 ) labeled “Earthworm All Purpose Potting Soil; Natural Castings and Bedding.”With some ten acres available, Jensen anticipates using the extra land for processing leaves and wood chips. By combining these materials with dairy manure, a darker-looking vermicompost may be produced. Adding more windrows outdoors and using “floating” row covers will help create additional indoor space for product development, packaging and warehousing. The potential also exists, says Jensen, for establishing in-vessel systems and becoming a testing ground demonstration center where people can come to see different technologies in operation.Vermiculture in the Southern and Eastern United StatesA search for earthworm-growing businesses in the United States will find the highest concentration in the more temperate regions. In the southern US, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas are principal vermiculture locations with Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee also well represented. North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida predominate along the Atlantic coast, but vermiculture is also practiced in parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and even into some New England states. It appears that most growers in these regions use a business name such as “XYZ Worm Farm” and advertise to those interested in using earthworms for bait. Here are found many species of earthworms offered for sale, with scientific nomenclature supplanted by descriptive or common names. African nightcrawlers, native nightcrawlers, gray nightcrawlers, jumpers, red wigglers, brown nose worms, swamp worms, tiger worms, and a host of other names are used promoting earthworms for sale.In some instances, vermiculture in the southeastern United States differs from West Coast operations in terms of feedstock and design. Today, reportedly hundreds of rabbit breeders throughout the southeastern US use earthworms to convert manure dropped from rabbit hutches. Vermiculture represents a secondary industry in many of these instances. The construction of covered pits, both above ground and in-ground is fairly common. Earthworm growers speak in terms of creating “bedding” and may use peat moss and topsoil mixed with manure. While manure from herbivorous animals is a common feedstock, pulverized grain feeds are also in popular use. Poultry mash, alfalfa meal, and other finely ground high-protein feeds are added in thin layers or applied in trenches. Problems with “sour beds” occur when too much of this material accumulates in the bed. Concern with developing “fatter,” larger earthworms for the bait industry prompts earthworm growers to experiment with a variety of feedstocks. Bait producers distinguish between large “breeder” or bait-size earthworms and a mixed variety they call “bed-run,” consisting of a mixture of sizes that includes juveniles and hatchlings. Many growers sell earthworms in Styrofoam cups to fishermen or may sell larger quantities to bait dealers. Since the smallest unit (cup) usually contains a certain count of earthworms (e.g. one dozen nightcrawlers), sales of larger quantities of earthworms have adopted the earthworm-count system as well (e.g. 10,000 breeders for $80). Since earthworm counts are nearly always converted to weight amounts (e.g. 1,000 breeders weigh approximately one pound), many farms show their prices in earthworm weight as well. But this is less typical where a number of different species are sold and earthworm weights differ according to the type and size of earthworm sold.Tennessee Project Uses Disabled WorkersIn February 1995, Goodwill Industries of Chattanooga, Tennessee, along with consultant Larry Martin, constructed two 50-foot (15.24 m) long earthworm beds placed on a concrete floor. The 6-foot (1.8 m) wide beds, 2 feet (61 cm) in height, each have a capacity for about 22 cubic yards (16.8 m3) material, mostly cow and rabbit manure, along with some shredded paper and produce. Also known as the “Goodworms” project, the system is tended by disabled workers who also make bags for selling earthworms and vermicompost (Riggle, 1996a).By heavily watering the earthworm beds, excess liquid percolates through the system and forms puddles between the two beds. “Earthworm tea” is collected with a 10-gallon shop-vacuuming device, strained twice and sold for $1 per two-liter plastic container. Larger quantities, such as 5-gallon buckets and 55-gallon drums are also planned to be sold.Larry Martin of Vermitechnology Unlimited, Inc. in Orange Lake, Florida is chief consultant for the project and has been involved in the vermiculture industry for over two decades. Martin began experimenting with earthworms in 1974 from an initial 2-pound (.9 kg) purchase made from Ronald Gaddie’s North American Bait Farms. Martin claims that since his original purchase, made over 20 years earlier, he has never bought additional earthworms to expand his operation (Martin, 1996). Martin’s company manufactures modular, insulated earthworm beds, four feet (1.2m) wide by 18 inches (45.7cm) high with varying lengths from 45 to 65 feet (13.7 to 19.8m) These are prefabricated units and can be set up in about four man-hours. A unit set up for a Chattanooga school used R-30 insulation, heavy duty shade cloth on the bottom of the bin to keep out moles, and shade cloth as a cover (Bogdanov, 1997g).Martin is also active on a vermicomposting project for a 2,500-acre hog farm in North Carolina. Swine manure is flushed out of a hog barn twice a week and then passed through a solids separator. The solids are applied to low technology earthworm beds and converted to vermicompost (Riggle, 1996a). US News & World Report wrote in September 1997 that Martin’s company “sells around 100 tons of worm droppings—also known as castings—to local organic growers” (Koerner, 1997). Later Martin said, “what I’ve sold isn’t a drop in the bucket to what I could have sold” (Bogdanov, 1997g).Vermicycle Organics, Inc.In 1994 Tom Christenberry, son Chris Christenberry, and partner Michael Edwards formed Vermicycle Organics, Inc., based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Having experimented with vermiculture for 20 years, the partners were ready to tackle large-scale projects vermicomposting hog manure in eastern North Carolina. In this region of the state are located many huge corporate hog farms with hundreds and even thousands of animals per acre. On most of these farms, swine manure is usually flushed into open lagoons and the liquid fraction is later sprayed on fields of Bermuda grass. Concern over the environmental impact of these long-in-use practices is serving as motivation to explore alternative means of handling this wastestream. After evaluating several pilot projects, the team settled on the use of an automated solids separator installed between the swine house and the lagoon at a hog farm. After separation, the material is placed on a concrete pad and the remaining effluent is piped into a lagoon. Thereafter, the manure solids are taken to earthworm beds measuring 190 feet (58m) long by 2 feet (.6m) wide (Riggle, 1996b)Vermicycle Organics, working with group of hog producers, is constructing a series of greenhouses to accommodate more waste. Each 220-foot (67m) by 35-foot (10.7m) greenhouse provides shelter for three earthworm beds. On one site alone a total of 16 greenhouses are scheduled to process about 7,500 tons (6,806 metric tons) of manure per year (Riggle, 1997).Another part of the operation is called the “nursery,” where earthworms (Eisenia fetida) are grown prior to their introduction into the vermicomposting systems. Earthworm castings have been sold in 2 lb. (.9kg), 10 lb. (4.5kg), and 25 lb. (11.3kg) bags since 1995 under the name Vermicycle?. Local markets such as garden centers, supermarkets, and organic farmers have been very receptive to the product that costs twice the price of compost. Vermicycle Organics is also looking to export its vermicompost to foreign countries such as Japan, and is considering vermicomposting feedstocks other than swine manure in order to market earthworm castings to certain Muslim countries. Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 22 Vermicycle's Colorful bag touts Nature's Ultimate Plant FoodThe principal focus of the company is to convert pig manure into earthworm castings to be sold under the trademarked name Vermicycle? (Nature’s Ultimate Plant Food). In the eastern portion of North Carolina, it’s not unusual for hog farms to have 5,000 to 10,000 animals per acre, in a state that is home to over nine million hogs. For the most part, manure from the swine houses is sent to lagoons, a practice that results in odor complaints, groundwater contamination and other environmental concerns. Hog farms usually flush droppings directly into lagoons where bacteria consume many of the nutrients over time. The remaining liquid is then sprayed on fields, usually of Bermuda grass, which is later harvested as cow feed. Vermicycle Organics’ program, while not solving all the farmers’ problems, reduces nutrients in the liquid waste by as much as 50 percent. And it may reduce the number of acres farmers need for spraying the treated liquid. “There’s no doubt that any type of technology that removes nutrients from the liquid manure prior to the lagoon is going to have a positive impact on water quality…as well as odor,” said Mike Williams, director of the Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center at N.C. State University who also served on the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Study Commission of Animal Waste in 1994-95. In an August 1996 article on Vermicycle Organics, published in The Charlotte Observer, Williams called Vermicycle’s process one of the more promising among 500 or so commercial hog-waste management proposals he has received.Vermicycle Organics’ three partners obtained an $80,000 Small Business Administration loan in 1995, purchasing 8,000 pounds of earthworms and building test beds at Clover M Farm in Wilson, North Carolina. There they refined their process for producing castings from hog waste. As it exits the hog house, the waste is diverted to a machine called a separator that squeezes liquids from the solids. The liquids flow into a lagoon and the solids are temporarily placed on a concrete pad where the remaining effluent also runs off into the lagoon. Then the solids are transferred to worm beds, measuring from 2-4 feet wide and 200 feet long. After several months within the beds, the material is sifted, separating earthworms from their castings. The end product is then packaged in 2-pound, 10-pound and 30-pound plastic bags imprinted with the yellow-blue-and-green Vermicycle logo. Trucks then deliver the product to 30 garden centers, grocery stores, farms and nurseries in the Carolinas. Stores sell a 2-pound bag for between $3 and $4, and the 10-pound bag for $15 or $16. The 30-lb. sack retails for $24.99.Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 23 Earthworm Castings from hog manureThe partners rejected using an open field method of vermicomposting as unsuitable due to difficulties with weather and poor end product. So they tried enclosing the worm beds in 30-foot by 200-foot greenhouses, each containing about six worm beds with wooden sides. A spreader delivers manure to the beds while moisture and temperature are managed using shade cloth, an automatic mister, fans and greenhouse curtains. Besides the beds at Clover M Farm, Vermicycle Organics built 12 greenhouses and several dozen worm beds at another farm in Wilson. That operation was scaled to produce 80,000 to 100,000 pounds of castings per year. At full capacity, a centralized processing facility was planned to include 16 greenhouses that would handle around 7,500 tons of manure per year.After experiencing problems due to severe weather and eventual changes within the partnership, Tom re-located his operation to yet another farm in eastern North Carolina. Greenhouses were again constructed, designed to follow the patterns established earlier. Here, as Rhonda Sherman-Huntoon, an Extension Solid Waste Specialist of North Carolina State University in Raleigh reported in the November 2000 issue of BioCycle, “the beds that run the length of the greenhouse extend nine-inches into the ground and eight inches above ground. The sides of each bed are lined with high-density polyethylene reinforced with boards and steel pipes. A rubber hose that runs along one side of each bed has nozzles that spray automatically for 15 minutes daily. There is enough space between each bed to accommodate the wheels of a tractor with a manure spreader driven over each bed to distribute the hog manure solids. Worms are fed daily, averaging 1,000 pounds of manure per bed each week.”At one time Christenberry experimented with the design of the Continuous Flow Reactor developed by Dr. Clive Edwards and his colleagues at Rothamsted in the United Kingdom during the 1980s. But Christenberry did not find the elevated-bed system compatible with his own ideas of vermicomposting hog manure, preferring to accept the advantages and disadvantages of setting up worm rows upon soil. Sherman-Huntoon writes, “One advantage of this system is that if the worm beds get too hot, worms can burrow deeper into the bed where the temperature remains below 75° Fahrenheit. Another advantage is the system can be left alone for up to three days, as compared to automated reactors that need to be checked daily for moisture and temperature levels. A disadvantage is that the worms and castings must be separated manually. Migrant workers use pitchforks to remove the top 4 inches of the beds for use in starting new beds. Pitchforks and shovels are used to harvest the finished castings, which are then run through a trommel screen to separate the worms.”The company engaged in market research that revealed that the public’s awareness of earthworm castings and their benefits was low, but that interest in good quality organic fertilizers is growing. From a market trial, Vermicycle Organics found that 70 percent of the targeted retailers accepted an initial stocking of their product, despite a retail price that was more than twice that of compost. The company also found that the largest potential markets were in foreign countries, such as Japan.How have customers responded to Vermicycle? “I was skeptical,” said Jerry Howard, a wholesale plant producer. “Vermicycle overwhelmed me with its results. My plants had double the foliage and buds over my control plots.” Edwin Jordan, a greenhouse propagator said, “Propagation is a delicate procedure that fertilizers can jeopardize. Vermicycle doubled my root growth without harming my plants.”“We sold quite a bit of it this spring,” said Jesse Campbell, owner of Campbell’s Greenhouses, in Charlotte, NC. Campbell said he tested the product before agreeing to carry it. “We used it on bedding plants and we got remarkable growth on them.”Consumers spent an estimated $22.2 billion on lawn and garden supplies in 1995 and that figure is growing several percentage points a year, according to the Burlington, Vermont-based National Gardening Association. Bruce Butterfield, the association’s research director confirmed, “the interest in environmentally friendly products certainly is something that’s particularly hot.”Research performed at The Ohio State University with pig manure castings produced by Vermicycle Organics showed that this earthworm feedstock usually outperformed castings from cow manure, paper waste and food waste. In July 1998, Dr. Scott Subler, Dr. Clive Edwards, and Dr. James Metzger published “Comparing Vermicomposts and Composts,” in BioCycle: The Journal of Composting and Recycling. At the conclusion of their study, after testing 13 different treatments of various composts and vermicomposts, the authors stated: “We have found that, just like composts, vermicomposts have the potential for improving plant growth when added to soil or container media. Furthermore, it appears that there may be important differences between specific vermicomposts and composts: both in the nature of their microbial communities, and in their effects on plant growth. From the studies that we have described here, and from others that we have conducted, it is apparent that the pig solids vermicompost we tested consistently outperformed the other vermicomposts and composts. (emphasis added) We are still attempting to identify the biological mechanisms responsible for the consistent performance of this material, as well as for the unique and remarkable plant growth responses that continue to be widely observed and reported for other vermicomposts and earthworm castings.”Worms Deep in the Heart of TexasJay Mertz started Rabbit Hill Worm Farm in 1990 in Corsicana, Texas with an unemployment check and twenty pounds of earthworms. Today Mertz markets his line of over twenty products within a 200-square mile area from Houston to Austin and into the Dallas-Fort Worth area as well. He estimates the population in this area to be about 10,000,000 individuals. “It’s really kind of comical how we got into business,” Mertz said. “For years I designed commercial buildings, supermarkets in particular, around the country. I got tired of traveling and decided to stay home. We decided we would like to grow commercial organic produce and began studying the soil.” One valuable source of information Mertz recommends is the monthly publication Acres USA. “We’re all learning. “I’ve been in this industry for several years. Do I have all the answers? Ain’t no way! We started the rabbits years ago as an FFA project with our son and we’ve basically gone from there.”Mertz reveals genuine transparency by his candor and shows a generous spirit in his willingness to share financial aspects of his business in great detail. “The first thing people want to know about is finances. We can talk about how to do this all day long, but if you don’t make any money, what the heck are we doing it for? It’s a great hobby, but we really need more than a hobby.” Mertz revealed a detailed log of his sales and expenses for nine months of the 2003 calendar year—a Profit and Loss statement from January 1st to October 3rd. Perhaps the most striking thing about this so-called “worm farmer” is that he really is not in business to sell earthworms. “We’ve only sold $5,340 of earthworms for 2003. This has been the worst year for earthworm sales we’ve ever had. But even last year, when we sold $14,000 of earthworms, we didn’t have any competition. Competition is rising. When we first started, we might have had the only ad for earthworms in Texas Gardener magazine. Now, in the spring, you might find seven ads in the same magazine. Organic Gardening magazine is the same situation. We could probably sell a lot more earthworms if we wanted to advertise a lot more. One worm farm in Georgia probably spends about $1,500 a month in advertising. But you’d better believe they’re making a lot more than that in sales if they’re willing to spend that much in advertising. The worms are [merely] one of the ways for us to get there.” Mertz reported that his sales of worm castings for the first 9 months of 2003 have amounted to $23,471, which is 5.5% of his overall sales. However Rabbit Hill adds anywhere from 15-20% earthworm castings to its complete line of Soil Products, and sales of its complete line of soil products in the first three quarters of 2003 totaled $142,310, an amount representing 39.3% of its total sales volume. “We concentrate on quality and production, not volume,” Mertz emphasized. Judging by the figures Mertz presented, Rabbit Hill Farms finds its greatest volume of sales in the soil products (i.e., soil blends) category, while sales of earthworms and earthworm castings represent a smaller fraction of overall sales.To make many of his products, Mertz spent $62,294.53 in compost and other soil products ingredients. To produce the earthworm castings he sells, Mertz spent $10,387.40, an amount that was more than doubled in castings sales. Another significant portion of Mertz’s castings were added to his other soil products. Rabbit Hill Worm Farm found nearly 16% of its sales in private labeling for Redenta’s Garden, a chain of retail garden centers in Texas. Three of these stores rank within the top five in sales volume in Mertz’s Top Ten list of Texas stores, averaging about $20,000 in product sales for each of the three stores. Rabbit Hill’s total sales for the first nine months of 2003 amount to $361.886.46. Total Cost Of Goods Sold was $179,601.30, an amount that is 49.6% of total gross sales. After $84,917.58 in expenses were deducted (23.5%), Mertz was left with $97,367.58 in net profit, 26.9% of total sales.“We don’t do newspaper advertising and we don’t do radio advertising,” Mertz reports. “We’ve got Howard Garrett, the Doctor of Dirt. A one-minute commercial on his radio program is $430. I’m at the point where I’m turning down new customers. Why do I want to give Howard Garrett $430 of my net profit? Ain’t gonna happen! I don’t have to do it. But you’ve got to take all of those things into consideration. What you do want to do, if you can, is become a guest on a radio talk show. We also publish in little regional magazines. None of this ever hurts. We do a lot of vermicomposting and soil lectures. Earlier this week I spent time with some Dallas area garden club officers. We had 82 ladies there and we had the wildest time you’ve ever seen. And we always donate products.” “We don’t have our own website, but we have it reserved,” Mertz admits. “Other people mention us on their websites. The Arlington Organic Garden Club uses our products in their raffles and our potting mix for their plant sales. They’ve been responsible for a lot of business coming our way.” Mertz cautioned that it was important to play by the rules. “It’s amazing to me how many folks don’t think you have to pay payroll taxes, get a federal identification number, etcetera, etcetera. You’d better have them or they’re going to get you. Our payroll expenses are over $35,000 this year.” Of his $97,000 in net ordinary income out of $300,000 in sales, Mertz felt, “that ain’t bad. Yeah,” he said, “I gripe about what I have to pay the government. They didn’t have to get out there and shovel any manure to get that.” This income represents the earnings of Mertz and his wife Joanne together. She is not on the payroll, but works in the business. “Let’s face it,” he continued. “What she’s capable of doing and the things I used to do, we could probably make more money than that together on an annual basis. But I feel like, most importantly, we’re leaving this earth a lot better place than we found it, and maybe, thank goodness, for whatever reason, I am not profit-motivated. When we come up with a formula, I don’t look at it and see how much profit I’m going to make. I look at it and ask, Am I doing the best thing for the soil and for the plant. Profit takes care of itself.”Jay has a list of his Top Ten customers, stores throughout Texas that carry his products. Leading the list is Green Mama’s, a store that waited eighteen months to get Mertz’s blends. So far, this year, they have purchased $44,314.81 in Rabbit Hill Worm Farm inventory. Mertz has found outlets from Austin to Dallas-Fort Worth, making deliveries himself and picking up payment in full upon delivery.“We’re delivering to about 55 nurseries, 15-20 farmers and 12-15 landscapers,” he reported. “We will lose a couple old customers a year if they go out of business. The nurseries are not raving about how great their overall business is in this present economy.”Mertz returned to the issue of how he got started in the worm business. “When we started this, we were going to do fishbait,” Mertz began. “But we figured out real quick, gasoline is expensive to make that route around the lake. But, by the same token, fishbait might work for you. But I could tell real quick that wasn’t going to be my thing. So we kept digging and reading. Then we stumbled across a radio program one Sunday, Howard Garrett the Dirt Doctor. He had a radio talk show on Saturday and one on Sunday mornings that lasted for four hours. I’ll tell you what, if it wasn’t for Howard, we probably wouldn’t sell 25% of the total products in the market that we sold. He has been tremendous for our growth.” Then Mertz found he could favorably compete with another product by visiting a retail outlet one day. “A friend of ours, Patty, had a store and we were talking to her about supplying her with organic produce starts and organic herb starts,” Mertz said. “We looked over on her store shelf and noticed a product, Wiggle Worm worm castings. “Patty, is that product any good?” I asked. “I don’t know,” she said, “but we sell quite a bit of it.” “Let’s look at it,” I said. So we opened up the bag. We saw black peat and a little bit of grain added to it—they leave the worms in it for about fourteen days, screen it off, bag it and call it pure worm castings. “Hey, we can do this. In fact we can give you one that’s better.” So now, all of a sudden, with produce starts and herb starts, we’ve got worm castings and potting mix. Today that has reached the point where we have 24 products that we utilize in other products that we bag with the Rabbit Hill label on it. We actually have 23 products that we blend at our facility in Corsicana. We have another 15 products that we distribute for other companies and we’re private-labeling for two companies. And that gets us up to where we are today.”Mertz then turned toward the issue of what to feed earthworms. “You’ve got to figure out what you’re gonna feed them critters,” he began. “People who call me today who want to get into this, the first thing I tell them to do is to look around to see what they can get to feed their worms for free. Can I haul in horse manure or dairy cow manure? What can I get that’s not gonna cost me a lot of money? In my case in Corsicana, you’d think I could get the slop from the restaurants and the waste produce from the grocery stores. No. I’d get shot about the third day by a hog farmer. We’ve got loads of hog farmers that pick up that stuff and feed it to their hogs, even though they’re not supposed to. We purchase all our raw materials to feed our worms, other than the free leaves we get every fall from the City of Corsicana. They will bring us out about 60 large dumpster loads of leaves. We blend five manures: rabbit, horse, sheep & goats, dairy cattle, and a little bit of poultry manure. Along with the five manures we include peanut hull because it’s really good at growing fungi. We feed cotton waste material from the cotton gins, oak leaves, some shredded cardboard, and some chopped hay. We add humate, we add molasses, we add Agrispon, and we add Montmorillonite. That goes through about 5 heating stages. Then we take it down, and it’ll usually heat up one more time when we move it, then we let it cool, then it goes on the worm beds, six inches to start with, and then each week, a one-inch layer. And then we leave it on the worms anywhere from 45 to 60 days. In the winter time we’ll usually leave it on longer.”Figure 24 Jay Mertz among his manure producers at Rabbit Hill Worm FarmMertz told about the requirements that various states have with respect to labeling. Due to the differences in requirements, Mertz has decided not to export his products to nearby states, saving himself the headache of dealing with the changing complexities of state codes.Mertz recommended that folks start with a Business Plan, even though he did not. “Did I ever do one?” he asked. “No, not really. We just took it a day at a time. When we first started this, we could make our deliveries from the back of a Dodge minivan. From there we went to an old 1968 Dodge pickup and then to a pickup with a trailer. Then we went to a flatbed. Now we’re using a one-ton Cummings diesel Dodge with a flatbed with a trailer that can handle 22,000 pounds. Typically we go out six days a week with 12,000 to 18,000 pounds on that trailer.” Mertz also talked about screeners he uses as well as other equipment, including a tractor, front-end loaders and forklifts. “We have a 15-acre site,” he said, “but only utilize about 5 acres for the business.”What kinds of things might help Rabbit Hill market its products in the future? “Right now,” Mertz said, “what we’re getting requests for are Rabbit Hill Farm T-shirts. All the clerks in all the stores want us to get them Rabbit Hill Farm T-shirts and they all tell me they’ll sell twice as much of what they’re selling.” For those just starting out in the business Mertz recommends, “Start slow, stick with the basics, and K-I-S-S….Keep It Simple, Stupid. Go out and look at the nurseries in your area. What are the organic opportunities? Do you have an intelligent radio talk-show host who knows what organics are? Can you visit with him a little bit, maybe give him some product so that he can promote you a little bit. Walk in that nursery, look on the shelves, see what they’ve got. Before we started making rose fertilizer we manufactured for another company. Then we decided we could do the same thing by changing the formula. We added worm castings and rabbit manure and, by golly, we’ve got a winner. Observe. Be very observant. Don’t go in that store like you’ve got all the answers, because you don’t. I still don’t. Know your product. If you need to give a store owner a sample of your material, for goodness sake, don’t hesitate. Work with a local garden club. Become a member of a local garden club. Get them to use some of your products. We get more new customers from individuals walking into a store who say, “You don’t have Rabbit Hill Farm? I want Rabbit Hill Farm!” I don’t make sales talks. I really don’t know how to give a sales talk. I just don’t do it. I haven’t from Day One. They come to us. We’ve built a name and a reputation and they come to us.”Mertz refuses to submit his products to a soil laboratory for testing. “I don’t have my products analyzed ,” he stated. “My laboratory is my customer. If my product wasn’t right and if it didn’t work, would I still have Peggy Lancaster from Texas Blooms and Ruth from Redenta’s after 12 years? Now you might get asked for that, and you may have to go to a laboratory to get that done. But I don’t do it. I’ve never done it and I don’t know that I ever plan to. I may be forced into it someday, though.”Shipping costs have kept Mertz in the wholesale side of the business that he prefers to being a retailer. “If you ship a ten-gallon bag of worm castings to a customer, it will cost them as much in shipping as the wholesale value of the product they’re buying. We sell a one-gallon bag of worm castings wholesale for $2.20 a bag. They retail it for $3.95 a bag. We sell a 10-gallon bag for $11.20. I guarantee you that to put it in a box, it’ll cost you $11.00 to ship. So we basically try to stay in the wholesale business.” Mertz has found that it pays to offer a wide variety of products. “We put our name on more than 20 different products,” he claims. “If we’re bringing in cottonseed meal to make products out of, why not bag that cottonseed meal? Why not bag the soft-rock phosphate? Why not bag the dried molasses? And so we do, and it really helps add to our sales volume. And we really are not fancy. When we make our fertilizer blends, they are so alive, we have to let them go through a curing period. When we mix the rose food, it has to go into larger sacks and it has to age for about a week and a half before we can bag it. It’ll crank up to about 140 to 150 degrees.” Mertz believes part of the secret to his success is that he doesn’t look like one of the Big Guys. “Labels are made on a copy machine. We buy inexpensive but quality plastic bags that aren’t easy to break. Those labels are laid on a special cellophane tape. A little glue is sprayed on the back and then applied to the bag. We save a lot of money by doing our own labeling. We use clear bags because the customer likes to see what is in the bag. We keep it as primitive and simple as we can.” And he insists that marketing a wide-range of products is the only way to go. “God help me if I ever decide that all I’m going to do is market worm castings,” Mertz exclaimed. “How many more stores do I have to call on, how much larger an area do I have to market to, if all I’ve got is one or two products? That’s why we’ve got over 20 products! That’s why we’ll add another two to three this next year. I want to keep adding products and increasing my individual customer’s business.” (Bogdanov, 2003)ReferencesBarrett, Thomas J. Harnessing the Earthworm. Boston, MA: Wedgewood Press, 1947.Barbour, J. “Hard-Working Worms: Turning Green Horticulture Waste into Greenbacks.” The Register (Orange County, CA), March 1, 1996.Bogdanov, Peter. 1996a. Commercial Vermiculture: How to Build A Thriving Business in Redworms. Merlin, OR: Petros Publishing.________. 1996b. “Canyon Can’t Make Enough Castings.” Casting Call, August, 2-3.________. 1997a. “Interview with Barry Meijer, Pacific Southwest Farms, Ontario, CA.” Casting Call, June, 4-8.________. 1997b. “California Proposes Changes to Compost Regulations.” Casting Call, June, 1-4.________. 1997c “West Coast Vermicompostsing Operations: Low to High Tech Systems.” Casting Call, April, 1-5.________. 1997d. “Interview with Jack Chambers, Sonoma Valley Worm Farm, Sonoma, CA.” Casting Call, April, 8-10.________. 1997e. “Oregon Soil Corporation Contracts with Portland Metro to Vermi-Process Food Residuals.” Casting Call, October, 1.________. 1997f. “Interview with Jim Jensen: Yelm Earthworm and Casting Farm.” Casting Call, August, 5-8.________. 1997g. “Interview with Larry Martin.” Casting Call, December, 4-10.________. 1998. “Interview with Al Cardoza, Rainbow Worm Farm.” Casting Call, February, 4-8.________. 1999. “Interview with Mario Travalini, American Resource Recovery.” Casting Call, April, 6-10.________. 2003. “Worms Deep in the Heart of Texas.” Casting Call, December, 1-5.California Integrated Waste Management Board, 1997a. Initial Statement of Reasons, Title 14, Division 7, Chapter 3.1, Article 1, Section 17852, Subdivision (II). May 13.California Integrated Waste Management Board, 1997b. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Title 14, Division 7, Chapter 3.1 Composting Operations Regulatory Requirements, Article 1, section 17852 (u).Collicutt, Doug. “Living in Wormland.” Pegasus Publications, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (accessed 1-4-2013).Earthworm Buyer’s Guide 1998-99: A Directory of Earthworm Hatcheries in the USA and Canada, Shields Publications, Eagle River, WI.Gaddie, Ronald E., Sr. and Douglas, Donald E. Earthworms For Ecology & Profit. Vol. 1: Scientific Earthworm Farming. Ontario, CA: Bookworm Publishing Co., 1975.________. Earthworms For Ecology & Profit. Vol. 2: Earthworms and the Ecology. Ontario, CA: Bookworm Publishing Co., 1977.Hamilton, Denise. “Worm Castings Central in Sludge-to-Cash Act.” Los Angeles Times, November 5, 1987. (accessed 1/3/2013)Harris, George D.; Platt, Weldon L.; and Price, Benton C. “Vermicomposting in a Rural Community.” BioCycle, January, 1990, 48-51.Jensen, Jim. “Applications of Vermiculture Technology for Managing Organic Waste Residues,” Ninth International Conference on Solid Waste Management, November 14-17, 1993.________. “The Worms Crawl in, The Worms Crawl out…” Resource Recycling, May, 1994, 24-27.________. “Worm Farm Takes on New Challenges.” BioCycle, January, 1998, 56-57Koerner, B.I. “It’s All Business for Worms; Yuck! Vermiculture Is Booming Once Again,” US News and World Report, September 22, 1997, 53.Machalaba, D. “Many States Worry about Using Worms to Lure Investors,” Wall Street Journal, June 5, 1978.Riggle, David. 1996a. “Scaling Up for Commercial Vermiculture.” BioCycle, February, 39-44________. 1996b. “The Business of Vermicomposting.” BioCycle, September, 54-56.________. 1996c. “Worm Treatment Produces ‘Class A’ Biosolids.” BioCycle, October, 67-68.________. “Vermicomposting in the Carolinas.” BioCycle, January, 1997, 71-72.Riggle, David and Holmes, Hanna. “New Horizons for Commercial Vermiculture.” BioCycle, October, 1994, 58-62.Sound Resource Management Group, Inc. Food Lifeline Composting Plan: Final Plan for Composting Food Waste Using Redworms. Seattle, WA: King County Solid Waste Division, 1992. Subler, Scott; Edwards, C.A.; and Metzger, James. “Comparing Vermicomposts and Composts.” BioCycle, July, 1998, 63-66.Through its internationally acclaimed website, VermiCo has established a highly regarded earthworm products enterprise from 1996 to the present, offering new vermicomposting products and information resources such as books, e-books, a newsletter and DVDs. VermiCo’s conferences and seminars, including its Best Management Practices in Vermicomposting seminar, have attracted over 1,200 persons from some 30 US states and over a dozen countries outside the US.For more information about vermiculture, vermicomposting, worm castings in soil fertility, and organic waste management, please visit us at ................
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