I first came up with this idea about a year ago when I was researching the possibilities of selling worm castings. I was so impressed with the results that I personally was having with using worm castings on starting transplants and in veggie production in the garden, that I wanted to see if there was a demand in the organic farming community for the castings.
I sent out a few questionaire emails to
local organic farms and I was immediately blown away by the responses. At the end of the email, I asked if they would be open to accepting bids on castings for their next year production. None of the farms responding used worm castings, mainly because they couldn't produce
enough for their
land and get all the other farming tasks done as well. Most were only using
compost to enrich their soils.
The very first response to my email from a local organic farm requested a bid for 80 tons of castings for the 40 acres they plant for the next spring growing season. The recommended application is 2 tons per acre applied immediately prior to seed planting. Needless to say, my brilliant idea came to a screaming halt!
Then I remembered that there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of "worm farmers" in my state alone, not to mention the entire country. Most worm farmers use at least some of their castings in their own gardens and I would have to say that most individuals have little understanding of marketing their leftovers. I think they would love an "outlet" to
sell their castings.
So my idea is to set up a questionaire to research local interest in participation. Developing guidelines for quality control so that you get the same product every time. Find a centralized location for monthly drop offs and develop a budget for the co-op operation.
The question is: what do you think of this idea and if you are a worm farmer does this idea appeal to you? I have attached a
video link about the benefits of using castings in seed planting. Please let me know what you think.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/359373245240051386/
