Vermicompost Marketing:

Applications to Commercial Growers

and Retail Outlets

Thomas Herlihy NC State Vermicomposting Workshop

RT Solutions, LLC -Worm Power June, 2009
 A Word of Caution

“We will hunt down any vermicomposter who

ggives away
y pproduct”
Tom Herlihy & Jack Chambers – NC State 2008

This stuff is hard to make and if you don’t value it, don’t
expect the customers will
 Differentiate Vermicompost
Compost Vermicompost
• Inconsistent process • Excellent
E ll andd uniformif
process control = uniform
controls result in variable product
quality end product – Moisture
• Variable feedstocks – Temperature
• V
Variable microbial – Aeration
communities – Substrate
• Mesophillic process
• Inconsistent results
pproduces “plant-viable”
p
microbial communities
• Earthworm and microbial
communities truly alter
the nutrients (form)
 It’ss All About The Quality
It

To market vermicompost for top value – the

product must be uniform, consistent and
reproducible
Don’t think of “castings" as the end product –
it’s NOT,
Truly understand your targeted growers’
expectations, production methods and costs
Don’t over promise results – better to exceed
than come up short
 Vocabulary
• Industry
y needs to settle on a single
g term for
the end product from vermicomposting
– No such thingg as a ppure castings
g
– Ask what are the benefit to claims of castings
vs. vermicompost
• Nutrients
• Microbial diversity
– With conflicting terms & claims its difficult to
educate consumers
– Quality comes from production and validation
testing
 Retail vs. Commercial
Understand the Differences

Retail Consumers Commercial Growers

• Less demandingg • Exactingg specification
p
• Willing to believe • Profit is King
g
• Higher maintenance • Scientificallyy driven
• More logistics • Knowledgeable
• Extensive packaging • Fewer clients
• Higher return ($/lb) • Minimal packaging
• Lower return ($/lb)
 Marketing
g Worm Power to
Commercial Growers
We targeted high end Markets
horticulture • Vineyards
y
• Nursery
• Higher value growers can • Greenhouse
j if the
justify h use off • Turf
vermicompost products
• Vegetable growers
 Small Vineyards

• Worm Power has 17

New York vineyards
y
as clients
– Used to establish new
acreage
– Side dressingg
established vines
 Vineyards

Empirical
p Case studies

• Silver Thread
– Established 4 ac vinifera
– Increased survival
• Shale Stone
– Side dressed 8 ac vinifera
– Owner reports increased
vigor
 Vine Nursery

AA Vineyard
• Produces 3,000,000 vines
(rootstock) for sale annually
• Three year study
–YYear 1 Si
Significant
ifi results
l
– Year 2 Mixed – poor data
– Year 3 No Significant
economic difference
 Greenhouse

• Highest
g value for vermicompost
p
• Large volume consumers
• Very
Ve y knowledgeable/scientific
ow edgeab e/sc e t c
• High liability
• Accustomed to high price inputs
• $1.2 Billion industry
• Highly mechanized
• Requires agronomic experience
• Unknown to us
this future grower
performed tomato
andd pepper
production trials.
• C
Compared d
seedling flats
(plugs) with
Worm Power to
his conventional
plug production
system
Pepper Plug
l
Production
Commercial
C i l Grower
G
11/2007
 Elzinga Greenhouse
• Single customer has purchased
150,000 lbs of vermicompost
• Required OMRI certification
• Extensive 3rdd party support
• Worm Power required to provide
– product
d t liability
li bilit insurance,
i
– Guaranteed specifications range
– deliveryy schedule
– No BS!
– Uniform – Consistent - Repeatable
 Elzinga Greenhouse
• Worm Power used as 10-
15% of the potting soil
• Worm Power is also top
d
dressedd on the
th plug
l trays
t
• Worm Power used as the
primary ingredient in a tea
that is applied weekly
• OUTSTANDING
RESULTS – Happy grower
& Happy vermicomposter
 Greenhouse

• Fillingg of plug
p g trays,
y,
seeding, topdressing and
plug transplants all done
by mechanical and
automated equipment.
• V
Vermicompost
i MUST
flow and behave in a
consistent reproducible
consistent,
manner.
 Vermicompost in Potting
Soil Mixes
• Worm Power has
participated
i i d in
i two organici
potting mix studies with
Cornell University 1.40
Base
1.20
• Two vermicomposts (dairy Base +Blood meal

and hog) tested had highest 1.00

er plant
DairyTherm

pplant ggrowth (biomass)

( ) of 15 0.80 DairyTherm+ Blood

wt (g) pe
meal
mixes studied. 0.60 Dairy Verm

Dairy Vermi + Blood

• Vermicompost is only a 0.40
meal
Hog Verm
component of the mix 0.20
Hog Verm + Blood

• Worm Power is now part of 0.00 meal

the official University base Organic Transplant Media and Tomato Performance 2007

mix Betsy Leonard and Anu

A Rangarajan,
j C
Cornell University
i i
Table 2. Final plant weights, medium pH, EC and germination rates of 21 potting mixes.
Per plant Final

media treatment fresh wt(g) dry wt(g) pH EC(uS/cm) % germination

z
Base 0.58 i 0.11 j 4.8 j 139 g 95 ab

Base plus Blood meal 0.86 hi 0.10 j 6.0 f 184 defg 94 ab

Bradfield 1% 2.12 fg 0.34 fgh 5.0 ij 168 efg 94 ab

Bradfield 2.5% 3.61 de 0.47 de 5.0 ij 193 defg 94 ab

Bradfield
Bra f 5
5% 5.41 c 0.65 c 5.3 gh 224 cde 90 bc

Alfalfa 1% 1.58 gh 0.28 fghi 5.0 ij 167 efg 93 ab

Alfalfa 2.5% 3.32 de 0.46 de 5.2 hi 191 defg 93 ab

Alfalfa 5% 3.84 d 0.52 d 5.6 g 197 defg 91 ab

Sesame 1% 2.78 ef 0.39 efg 4.8 j 147 fg 93 ab

S
Sesame 2
2.5%
5% 3.53 de
d 0.39 ef
f 5.6 g 199 defg
d f 94 ab
b
Dairy Vermicompost
20% 3.33 de 0.49 de 6.7 cd 250 bcd 93 ab
Dairy Vermicompost
20% plus Blood meal 9.68 a 1.19 a 6.0 f 250 bcd 93 ab
Dairy Vermicompost
20% plus Bradfield Alf
1% 3.58 de 0.53 cd 6.6 de 272 bc 93 ab
Dairy Thermicompost
20% 0.78 hi 0.11 j 7.3 a 302 ab 94 ab
DairyThermicompost Organic Transplant
20% plus Blood meal 6.98 b 0.78 b 6.4 e 356 a 95 a
Media and Tomato
Dairy Thermicompost
20% plus Bradfield Alf
Performance 2007
1% 2.66 ef 0.39 ef 7.0 bc 356 a 96 a
Hog Vermicompost
Betsy Leonard and Anu
20% 3.74 d 0.58 cd 7.0 bc 216 cdef 94 ab Rangarajan, Cornell
Hog Vermicompost University
20% plus
l BlBlood
d meall 8 93 a
8.93 1 08 a
1.08 69 c
6.9 199 defg
d f 95 ab
b
SunGro 1.59 gh 0.27 ghi 7.2 ab 185 defg 95 a
Soybean meal 1% 2.73 ef 0.27 hi 5.4 gh 251 bcd 85 c
Soybean meal 2.5% 1.64 gh 0.16 ij 6.3 e 358 a 66 d
z
Values in the same column followed by the same letter are not significantly different at p<0.05.
 Tomato Plug Production

• Two yyear Study y with

Cornell Horticulture
• Two treatments used
Worm Power in 20% of
the potting soil
• Worm Power also used
with blood meal as a
nitrogen supplement
 Tomato Plug Production
• Vermicompost show as an
excellent supplement
• Nitrogen content of
vermicompost
i t exhausted
h t d
35 DAP
• Worm Power and a
nitrogen supplement
yielded outstanding results
(
(sum greater than
h parts))

Organic Transplant Media and Tomato Performance 2007

Betsy Leonard and Anu Rangarajan, Cornell University
 Cabbage Production

• Worm Power used as 10

- 20% of the potting soil
• Worm Power top dressed
on plug trays
• R
Researchh done
d with
ith
Cornell and growers
under
d a grant.
t
 Horticultural Clients

Worm Power products in production agriculture:

• Honeyhill Farm - Certified Organic Garlic

Production

• Fraser’s Garlic Farm - Certified Organic Garlic Production

• Pederson Farms - Tomatoes and Cauliflower production

• Hemdale Farms - Certified Organic Cabbage Production

• Grisamore Farms - Strawberry (Jewel variety)

• Cobblestone Valley Farm – Strawberry

(Jewel variety)

• Glover Perennials - Cut flowers

 Greenhouse Lessons Learned

• Do your homework and don’t BS

• Vermicompost used as 10 -20% of a potting soil
mix performed as well as (better ?) than the best
available
il bl commercial
i l mixes
i in
i large-scale
l l
horticultural production
• Consistent physical,
physical chemical and microbial
properties was key!
• Combining vermicompost and a supplement
(nitrogen or extract) yielded best full season
results
• W
Worm Power
P is
i only
l a partt off the
th fertility
f tilit
program…..NOT a silver bullet
 Vermicompost
p in Turf
Worm Power successfully
marketed to three (3) golf
courses

• Part of a divot mix

8 parts sand - 1 part Worm Power -
1 part diatomaceous earth
•As a top dressing after core aeration
(mixes with sand 9:1)
•Huge underserved market for
sustainable turf management in golf
 Worm Power –Retail Experience

• Worm Power dragged kicking and screaming

into retail product markets in 2008.
• Steep learning curve – new sets of issues
( k i distribution,
(packaging, di t ib ti product
d t support,
t
displays and financial)
• King product is 2nd
Packaging is King,
• Labeling is a complex and regulated
environment
• People love vermicompost in spite of cranky
vermicomposter (me)
Worm Power –Retail Experience

• Examples of
Worm Power
pac ag g
packaging
 Retail Experience

• With Greenhouse
client entered over
100 Meijer
superstores in the
upper Midwest.
• pp Meijer
Dropped j in
2008 and focused
in 2009 on
expanding to local
lawn and garden
centers
 Worm Power –Retail Experience

• Worm Power built an internal

product packaging line and
filled 5,000 units in 3 days.
• Be careful what you wish for!
• Cash flow is more difficult -
(container, label, labor,
shipping) – slow pay
• 2009 is better than 2008
 Vermicompost Extracts, Teas &
Colored Water
• Worm worked vermicomposts and
castings are soluble.
soluble
• Think about the claims you want to make
• Different vermicomposts will yield
different extracts (QUALITY is a MUST)

• What extracts are

– A product with the potential to move
vermicomposting and production organic
agriculture into highly promising and
profitable areas.
• What vermicompost extracts are not
– Well characterized
– Standardized (type of vermicompost)
– Material with widely documented results
– Currently ready to be marketed as a
bi
biocontrol
l – think
hi k prescription
i i drugs
d (i
(time
and $)
 Future Commercial & Retail
P d
Products

• Slowly entering the extract (tea) field.

• Awarded a research grant to develop a stable
extract product (subcontractor Cornell
University).
• JUST awarded a major USDA grant with
Cornell to develop disease suppressive
products based on vermicompost (Allison
Jack)
• Likely
ik l to expandd production
d i by b 300% in i
2009
Current

Future
Work the channels
Work the market