Farmers urged to put worms to work
Robbie and Rosanna Dick, of Central
Wormworx, Cromwell, can count their livestock in the millions, and they are keen to encourage more farmers to build worm farms to utilise farm waste naturally.
The resulting worm castings can be spread on paddocks to enhance soil quality, add organic matter, and attract more worms, insects and micro-organisms. ‘‘Why treat the soil like dirt?’’ Mr Dick said.
The couple rear and sell tiger worms, sending them throughout New Zealand, and their method has been copied around the world. Mr Dick said they had clients ranging from people who want to make home worm farms to dairy farmers, vineyards and plumbers who buy them for composting toilets.
Central Wormworx is on Cemetery Rd, and their operation includes long rows of composting material, each containing about 6000 worms per metre.
Each row is kept moist, and protected from drying out or the cold by irrigation and protective covers.
Every week Mr Dick blends tonnes of fruit and vegetable waste from a supermarket, and orchards, cardboard and organic material in to a feed-out wagon, which he then spreads on the rows.
The worms can easily convert the waste into castings over the week. He also feeds out tonnes of dairy shed waste, which the worms are equally as enthusiastic about. As the waste decomposes, it generates heat.
‘‘It can be between 18 and 25degC, which is the optimum temperature for the worms during the cold winter months,’’ he said.
Water is pumped through a filter to remove deadly chlorine and other chemicals.
Mr Dick would like to see more farmers make their own worm farms and he is happy to provide advice as well as oversee their management if required.
‘‘This system has no fish-hooks. ‘‘We want to get out there to show people they can do it organically and get a better result at the end of the day,’’ he said.
Sheep and beef farmer Peter Barrett, owner representative of Linnburn Station, Paerau, wanted to implement a natural, holistic/ regenerative approach to farming the 9000ha property, using biological stimulants, non-tillage and cover crops.
He bought 29 tonnes of worm castings last year to spread on some of the station’s paddocks at about 750kg/ha, and visited Wormworx to discuss establishing his own worm farm.
Mr Barrett also grows a cover crop, including sunflowers and about 30 other plant species, which provide shelter for the worms and encourages other insects and microorganisms to take up residence.
‘‘When we used synthetic fertilisers on the station, we saw no worms and the soil was challenged,’’ he said. ‘‘Everything composts down and enhances life.’’
He said it lifted the organic matter and carbon levels in the soil, using plants and organisms to take CO2 from the atmosphere and returning it to the soil as carbon.
Mr Barrett also adds fish hydrolysate, humates, soluble sea weed, lime and molasses to the mix.
Since introducing the castings and other ingredients, he has seen a rapid increase in soil life, bees and birds.
He introduced a no-tillage policy, preferring to direct drill instead of turning over the soil, which leaches carbon into the atmosphere.
‘‘The key thing in my mind is regeneration agriculture is gaining more momentum,’’ he said.