Large Scale Vermicomposting

Thomas Herlihy US Composting Council

Worm Power January 30, 2013
 Differentiate Vermicompost
Vermicompost Compost
Excellent and uniform Slow 9-12 month
process control =
uniform product Inconsistent process
controls result in
Fast 75 Days
variable quality end
Mesophillic process product
produces plant-viable
microbial communities Large variations within
Earthworm composting batches (cross section)
truly alter the availability Variability leads to
of nutrients inconsistent grower
Vermicompost sold for results.
$425/cu-yd Manure compost sold
for $35/cu-yd
Background Waste Issues
Economics of manure management (the CRUCH)

Larger farms (compensate for lower revenue/animal)

More animals = more manure
Regulations limit manure application rates (tons manure/acre)
Results in more land needed solely for manure (acreage)
Application costs increase dramatically as distance from farm to
field increases

Excess manure becomes a waste issue,

as the value of manure can not offset
handling costs
($/ac spreading costs > $/ac fertilizer value)
 Liability Asset

Excess manure: Synthetic inputs:

$ Vegetable/ fruit $
Dairy operation
grower
Environmental Environmental
problem problem

$
Single Consistent Feedstock
Vermicompost is not an
elemental product what BUFFALO ROCHESTER SYRACUSE

comes out, depends on

what goes in
AVON
FINGER

Decided that sales of end- LAKES

product is the goal vs.

tipping fee from accepting
variable materials
Worm Power mantra
ConsistentUniform
Repeatable
Single Source Feedstock -
Coyne Farm Our coworkers

1,000 Registered Holstein

milkers & 600 heifers.
5th Generation family
owned and operated
Dairy of Distinction
Not organic certified
Cows feed very
consistent diet
Holsteins in NY (avg)
Consume 310 lbs/day of
feed and water
Yield 85 lbs/day of milk
Generate 120 lbs/day of
manure and urine
 Feedstock Preparation
Very few materials are instantly ready for large scale vermicomposting

Manure separators Ver 1.0 & 3.3

 Manure Management
Integrating Plant and Animal Agriculture

1,000,000 & 7,000,00 gallon

manure effluent lagoons
 Manure Management
Integrating Animal and Plant Agriculture

Effluent from separator is pumped

from lagoons through 5,000 of
drag hose to subsurface injector.

Conserves nutrients
Reduces
Odors
Road traffic
Soil compaction
Application costs
 Production Process
Manure Screening
Lagoon

Vermicompost
Raw Material Worm
Water
manure Castings
+
Worm
VERMICOMPOSTING Compost
Manure Liquid Flow-Through Digesters
Separator Manure (Worms Worms and more Worms)

Storage

Hay/corn Manure Solids Composted

Silage (nitrogen) Dairy Manure
(carbon)
Distribution

Pre-Vermicomposting
Conditioning (composting
Mixing (C/ Mixed active aeration)
N Ratio)
Material TARGET MARKETS
Pathogen Reduction
Weed Seed Destruction
 Compost Preparation
All materials stored under
cover
Materials are mixed with
large agricultural
equipment to a specific
recipe (16 ton batch)
Porosity, MC, C:N ratio,
bulk density
Consistent mixes can
produce consistent final
products
 Composting
Mixed materials loaded into
aeration bays

Thermophillic Composting
21 days with one turn
Min of 3-days @ 55 degree C
Weed seed deactivation
Pathogen reduction (PFRP)

Oxygen, temperature, and

moisture are monitored --
feedback to metered air flow
 Vermicomposting
Vermicomposting in large flow through digesters
Designed around the biology of the earthworms
Green compost is layered on the top
Finished vermicompost is removed from the bottom
Worms move upwards towards new food source
Retention time of ~47 days (worms are never moved)
Much more than just worms involved - Mesophillic processing.
 Earthworms farm microbes
The external rumen for manure dwellers

INPUT
Decomposed more available nutrients

microbes
Organic
matter

OUTPUT
cast

[Swift 1979, Brown et al. 2000]

 Flow Through Digester Feeding

Material is spread in a uniform 1 layer

across the surface of each digester.!
 Process Controls
Worms are fed the green
uncured compost
o Only when ready!!!

Building engineered with

automatic ventilation,
watering, heat and directed
lighting systems - happy
worms = a good nights
sleep.

Harvested and moved by

multiple hydraulic systems
 Process Controls
Good animal husbandry of
worms is MOST critical

Control moisture content

of material

Monitor temperature
continuously (tipping
point)

Look for cocoons and

reproduction.
 Animal Husbandry

Good vermicomposting requires basic

animal husbandry
If you treat your worms like a garbage
disposal dont be surprised by the results
Careful feeding, watering and
environmental controls lead to healthier
and larger worm populations surprise!
Use your nose as part of your monitoring
program.
Harvest Worm worked material is removed!
from bottom of each digester!
Screening
Product is screened into
5 classes based on end-
user (shaker deck)
Overs, minus - 1, , and 1/10

Bulk packaging in 2 cu-yd

sacks
Retail packaging

All finished product kept in

enclosed buildings
Vermicompost Products
Solids
Bulk in 1 & 2 cu-yd containers
(commercial growers)
Retail in a variety of small packages

Liquid extracts
Bulk - 275 gal IBC Tote
 Phase II Expansion

Original Phase I Facility

Phase II Facility 800% increase

in produc0on (completed
October 2011
Worm Powers Avon, NY Facility
Largest agricultural vermicomposting facility in Western Hemisphere
Total site ~ 10 acres
8 buildings totaling over 89,000 sq-ft under roof
All process water from rain fed cisterns
21 total earthworm digesters
Process over 10,000,000 lbs/year of dairy manure
Final product sold at 12X over compost to large growers and Agricultural
companies (Syngenta, SunGro Fafard)
 Its All About The Quality

To market vermicompost for top value the

product must be uniform, consistent and
reproducible
Vermicompost is not an end product
its a component in the end-users
growing system
Truly understand the targeted growers
expectations, production methods and its
associated costs.
 Research and Development
Awarded sixteen peer-reviewed
research grants from Federal and
State Agriculture Agencies.

To characterize our material, Worm

Power has invested seven-years and
over $2,000,000 in R&D

Long standing research collaboration

with multiple Departments at Cornell
University and a new arrangement
with Cal Poly.
 Sleeping Beauty Paradox

[Lavelle et al. 1995, Brown et al. 2000]

food
Earthworm gut
Viable
microbes Mixing and
grinding
Eisenia fetida 2.5 hr

Water secreted

Intestinal mucus
secreted

Water and mucus

reabsorbed

Size of microbial community

Species composition
casting

[Brown et al. 2000, Hartenstein et al. 1981, Sampedro et al. 2006]

2. Vermicompost suppression of
Pythium damping o
Allison Jack, Plant Pathology, Cornell University
The Spermosphere

Allison Jack, Plant Pathology, Cornell University

Allison Jack, Plant Pathology, Cornell University
Allison Jack, Plant Pathology, Cornell University
Allison Jack, Plant Pathology, Cornell University
 Liquid Worm Power Extract
Non-inoculated Inoculated

Sand

Sterile
VC
Extract

VC
Extract

Allison Jack, Dept Plant Pathology, Cornell University