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Worm Farming in NYS

May 1, 2018

Today’s Guest Blog, an interview with the Bio Soil Farm (Glenville, New York), is by Noelle Dommasch, Schenectady County Recycles Master Composter Master Recycler.

BioSoil Farm logoThe BioSoil Farm was a pleasure to visit. It was impressive to see the worm farmers closing a loop in the waste stream and using food waste to produce high quality soil amendments. The farmers produce worm castings, potting soil and liquid nutrients at their facility in Glenville, New York.

The workforce producing these products? One hundred and fifty thousand Night Crawlers living in low-rise bins on the farm. In communities of around 10,000 per bin, the worms are fed organic waste grain and compost from a farm in Vermont to create microbe rich castings. After two weeks, they receive a gentle tumble in a trommel screen to separate the worms, their eggs, and the worm castings. The worms are then returned to their boxes to begin life once again and the farmers are left with worm castings loaded with beneficial bacteria, fungi and microbes.

Thank you Bio Soil Farm for taking the time to answer some questions about your farm and what you are creating. Schenectady County Recycles is always looking for ways to inform the public about new businesses working to divert waste.

In your own words, why is waste reduction so important?

Waste reduction is the reason we began BioSoil Farm. We all share the responsibility of improving our Earth and we wanted to give concerned farmers and gardeners an alternative to the soil sterilizing synthetic fertilizers.

We wanted to explore ways to use food waste in a way nobody else was doing - by marrying our worm castings with nutrients that are cold brewed from food waste vegetables and fruits, we can stop thousands of pounds of pre-consumer food waste making it into landfills and create a product that is eco-friendly, which protects our water systems by not adding agriculture pollutants.

What led you to start BioSoil Farm?

We began as a worm farm, using our specialty worms to create premium castings. As we explored the many benefits of our castings, we discovered how to create a liquid soil amendment from extracting nutrients from food waste- and our “Naked Nutes” were born. Finally, we came up with an answer to the chemical ridden fertilizers of the past and can offer a nontoxic, environmentally friendly alternative.

What is your mission at BioSoil Farm?

We began BioSoil Farm as a part of our quest for better solutions to our ailing soil and to close a loop in the waste stream. Our mission is to provide gardeners with a plant based, non synthetic nutrient blend to give their root systems a microbial burst without any side effects usually experienced with conventional fertilizer. We would like to create sustainable growing systems that ensure better soil and plant health, while remaining environmentally beneficial and using materials that are recycled or would otherwise end up in a landfill.

What kind of products do you produce on your farm? What makes them different than other fertilizers that are made of synthetics?

We produce worm castings, potting mix, seeding mix and naked nutes liquid fertilizers. Our products are unique for a variety of reasons some of the most important aspects of our products are how safe they are to use.

Our products are completely nontoxic; after treating your lawn or garden with our product, it is safe for both your pets and children to use their outdoor space without fear.

We are offering an alternative to synthetic fertilizers, which can be poisonous to humans, as well as the naturally occurring organisms that live in the soil. Our plant-based products are designed to give the plants what it needs, without harming the environment.

Let’s talk about worms. Are they a high maintenance staff? How do you care for them?

The worms are our true heavy lifters of the farm, so we wouldn’t dream of selling them. They live here on the farm with us, nice and cozy in their bins. We use a special breed of Night Crawler to ensure we get the best combination of microbes in our castings. What makes us special are those microbes, which live in the bellies of our worms - it helps us to create all of our products and ensure we are offering the best soil amendments on the market.

How does BioSiol Farm work to divert material from the waste stream? What are some of your sources of wasted food/food waste?

We are a zero waste company, which means we have uses for all the byproduct that is made at our farm. We interrupt the waste stream by using waste grain to feed our worms and herbaceous compost to house them until they die and find their final resting place in our fishpond. We also use food waste to brew our nutrient rich microbe formulas, diverting it from a landfill and giving waste a new purpose, bettering the soil quality of the Earth. We use the food solids left and dehydrate the fibrous pulp to use as a potting mix base. Nothing is wasted at the Farm

How can people learn more about your business?

Right now, you can learn about all of our products online on our website, though we are working with local retailers now to offer our products to environmentally conscious gardeners and urban farmers alike. You can always come by the Farm to make any purchases and we love to show folks around!

Noelle Dommasch is a resident of Troy, New York. She is a NYS certified teacher, a community gardener, and a Master Composter-Master Recycler volunteer with Schenectady County Recycles (Cornell Cooperative Extension, Schenectady County).

NERC welcomes Guest Blog submissions. To inquire about submitting articles contact Athena Lee Bradley, Projects Manager at athena(at)nerc.org. Disclaimer: Guest blogs represent the opinion of the writers and may not reflect the policy or position of the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.

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