Can we take a minute to consider how amazing earthworms are? They’re great for the soil. This is one “creepy crawly” we want to see in our gardens. The tunnels they build allow more oxygen to get to the plant roots. These tunnels can also help with water drainage and provide more area for plant roots to grow. In addition, they work wonders in helping the environment of the soil stay microbe-rich. As the USDA puts it, “they feed primarily on organic material in soils, eating fresh and decaying material from plant roots, including crops like corn and soybeans.” We also know as they eat they move around in the soil and leave behind their waste. This helps to create that microbe-rich soil. In fact, the soil that comes out of them as waste ends up being even better for the plants than it was originally!
Vermicomposting is more nutrient-rich than standard compost
As we discussed, when earthworms leave off waste, this waste can be beneficial for soil and plants. This is where vermicomposting comes into play. This is when worms are used for composting. They create an organic fertilizer. Overall, vermicomposting has more nutritional value than regular composting. It’s been shown to have more phosphorous, potassium, and nitrogen in it. Vermicompost products can help growers improve crop yield and plant performance overall. This is because it can increase root development and plant nutrient uptake.
Vermicomposting at Worm Power
While you can feed worms various things to create vermicompost. At Worm Power, we use cattle waste. It has valuable nutrient and microbial components that cannot be used in its current form. However, worms can convert this waste into a usable and valuable product.
At Worm Power, we have 80,000 square feet of covered and indoor space which makes it one of the largest controlled environment vermicomposting facilities in the world! We use four stages to leverage the natural pathways of organic matter conversion. The stages are feedstock mixing, thermophilic composting, vermicomposting, and screening and extract production. During the vermicomposting stage, we move compost and convey it into the vermicompost building. This is where it gets loaded into the feeding bins. These feeding bins then put the new food on the top of the worm digester beds. Each of the beds contains about 2,000,000 worms! The worms then eat the compost and they push out their castings. We add new feed material about once a week and scrape off pure solid worm castings. When our vermicompost is harvested out of the beds it’s paddled and conveyed over to our finishing screening building. This is where we screen solids through 1/4-inch screens to remove big chunks.
We know firsthand how amazing earthworms are. It’s surprising what these small creatures can accomplish. Through the power of worms, you can have healthier soil, stronger plants, and a better crop yield. Learn more about our process and Worm Power Liquid Extract by visiting our website.