Dairy Industry Poop Problems Solved....by breeding TONNES of worms?!?

Wanna see a photo of a farmer holding up a bunch of cow "effluent" (?) crawling with worms eating it?  Then The Southland Times article "Spreading The Word For Worms" is just what you're looking for!

As if introducing creepy ass Australian Dung Beetles wasnt crazy enough!
"A Cromwell tiger worm farmer wants more such farms scattered around the south to add value to dairy effluent by creating a nutrient rich fertiliser.

Central Wormworkz owner Robbie Dick said a tiger worm could eat its own bodyweight in waste and turn sloppy, stinky cow effluent into a dry, odourless matter with the consistency of sand.

The fertiliser would mean dairy farmers would need to use less urea and nitrates, he said.

"Nobody can do it safer than nature does."

Ideally, worm farms would be scattered across the province, with each servicing up to 20 dairy farms, he said.

Time-poor dairy farmers often neglected worm farms so a third party to run the farm was necessary, he said.

Running a worm farm would be ideal for retired farmers and the worm stock would double every month if there was enough food made available, he said.

The worms stopped populating if food became scarce.

"They have more brains than we do."

Each worm farm would need three or four tonnes of worms which could eat their weight in effluent every 10 days, he said."


"Soil Foodweb institute owner Cherryle Prew said she examined the biology of soils and the soil structure on farms where raw effluent was spread pugged easily and required urea for grass growth.

Valuable nutrients and minerals were added by composting the effluent with worms, she said.

And the grass grown was more palatable and nutritious for stock.

Environment Minister Amy Adams wrote to Mr Dick encouraging him to submit an application for funding from the ministry's Waste Minimisation Fund and to apply for the Primary Industry Ministry's Sustainable Farming Fund.

Mr Dick said he sent tiger worms to plumbers across New Zealand to put in environmental-friendly toilets.

The toilet separated the urine from the faeces for the waiting worms below, he said.

He had also sent worms to be working crew members in a toilet on a boat in the Doubtful Sounds."


Perhaps farmers could be introducing Genetically Engineered Dung Beetles and Worms to eat up nuclear waste too?  Would sure help out containing Chernobyl !




The Southland Times article "Spreading The Word For Worms"