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 gives away product”g y p

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 VermicompostDifferentiate VermicompostCompost Vermicompost

E ll d if• Inconsistent process controls result in variable quality end product

• Excellent and uniform process control = uniform product

quality end product• Variable feedstocks• Variable microbial

– Moisture– Temperature– AerationV

communities• Inconsistent results

– Substrate• Mesophillic process

produces “plant-viable” p pmicrobial communities

• Earthworm and microbial communities truly altercommunities truly alter the nutrients (form)

It’s All About The QualityIt s All About The Quality

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 needs to settle on a single term for y gthe end product from vermicomposting– No such thing as a pure castingsg p 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. CommercialUnderstand the Differences

Retail Consumers• Less demanding

Commercial Growers• Exacting specificationg

• Willing to believe• Higher maintenance

g p• Profit is King• Scientifically driveng

• More logistics• Extensive packaging

y• Knowledgeable• Fewer clientsExtensive packaging

• Higher return ($/lb)Fewer clients

• Minimal packaging• Lower return ($/lb)• Lower return ($/lb)

Marketing Worm Power to gCommercial Growers

We targeted high end horticulture

Markets• Vineyards

• Higher value growers can j if h f

y• Nursery• Greenhouse

justify the use of vermicompost products

• Turf• Vegetable growers

Small VineyardsSmall Vineyards

• Worm Power has 17 New York vineyards yas clients– Used to establish newUsed to establish new

acreage– Side dressing g

established vines

Vineyards

Empirical Case studiesp

• Silver ThreadSilver Thread – Established 4 ac vinifera– Increased survivalIncreased survival

• Shale Stone– Side dressed 8 ac viniferaSide dressed 8 ac vinifera– Owner reports increased

vigor

Vine Nursery

AA VineyardAA Vineyard • Produces 3,000,000 vines

(rootstock) for sale annually(rootstock) for sale annually• Three year study

Y 1 Si ifi l– Year 1 Significant results– Year 2 Mixed – poor data– Year 3 No Significant

economic difference

Greenhouse

• Highest value for vermicompostg p• Large volume consumers• Very knowledgeable/scientificVe y ow edgeab e/sc e t c• High liability• Accustomed to high price inputsAccustomed to high price inputs• $1.2 Billion industry• Highly mechanized• Highly mechanized• Requires agronomic experience

• Unknown to us this future grower performed tomato

dand pepper production trials.C d• Compared seedling flats (plugs) with(plugs) with Worm Power to his conventional plug production system

lPepper Plug Production

C i l GCommercial Grower 11/2007

Elzinga Greenhouse

• Single customer has purchased 150,000 lbs of vermicompost

• Required OMRI certificationd• Extensive 3rd party support

• Worm Power required to provide d t li bilit i– product liability insurance,

– Guaranteed specifications range– delivery scheduley– No BS!– Uniform – Consistent - Repeatable

Elzinga Greenhouse

• Worm Power used as 10-15% of the potting soil

• Worm Power is also top d d th l tdressed on the plug trays

• Worm Power used as the primary ingredient in a teaprimary ingredient in a tea that is applied weekly

• OUTSTANDING RESULTS – Happy grower & Happy vermicomposter

Greenhouse

• Filling of plug trays, g p g y ,seeding, topdressing and plug transplants all done by mechanical and automated equipment.V i MUST• Vermicompost MUST flow and behave in a consistent reproducibleconsistent, reproducible manner.

Vermicompost in Potting Soil MixesSoil Mixes

• Worm Power has i i d i iparticipated in two organic

potting mix studies with Cornell University 1.40

Base

• Two vermicomposts (dairy and hog) tested had highest plant growth (biomass) of 15 0.80

1.00

1.20

er p

lant

Base

Base +Blood meal

DairyTherm

DairyTherm+ Bloodp g ( )mixes studied.

• Vermicompost is only a component of the mix 0.20

0.40

0.60

wt (

g) p

e mealDairy Verm

Dairy Vermi + BloodmealHog Vermcomponent of the mix

• Worm Power is now part of the official University base mix

0.00

0.20Hog Verm + Bloodmeal

Organic Transplant Media and Tomato Performance 2007

A j C i imix Betsy Leonard and Anu Rangarajan, Cornell University

Table 2. Final plant weights, medium pH, EC and germination rates of 21 potting mixes.

media treatment % germinationEC(uS/cm)

FinalPer plant

dry wt(g)fresh wt(g) pH

Base 0.58 iz 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 5% 5.41 c 0.65 c 5.3 gh 224 cde 90 bcBra f 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 2 5% d f d f bSesame 2.5% 3.53 de 0.39 ef 5.6 g 199 defg 94 abDairy Vermicompost 20% 3.33 de 0.49 de 6.7 cd 250 bcd 93 abDairy Vermicompost 20% plus Blood meal 9.68 a 1.19 a 6.0 f 250 bcd 93 abDairy Vermicompost 20% plus Bradfield Alf 20% plus Bradfield Alf 1% 3.58 de 0.53 cd 6.6 de 272 bc 93 abDairy Thermicompost 20% 0.78 hi 0.11 j 7.3 a 302 ab 94 ab

DairyThermicompost 20% plus Blood meal 6.98 b 0.78 b 6.4 e 356 a 95 a

Organic Transplant Media and Tomato

Dairy Thermicompost 20% plus Bradfield Alf 1% 2.66 ef 0.39 ef 7.0 bc 356 a 96 aHog Vermicompost 20% 3.74 d 0.58 cd 7.0 bc 216 cdef 94 abHog Vermicompost 20% l Bl d l 8 93 1 08 6 9 199 d f 95 b

Performance 2007

Betsy Leonard and Anu Rangarajan, Cornell University

20% plus Blood meal 8.93 a 1.08 a 6.9 c 199 defg 95 abSunGro 1.59 gh 0.27 ghi 7.2 ab 185 defg 95 aSoybean meal 1% 2.73 ef 0.27 hi 5.4 gh 251 bcd 85 cSoybean meal 2.5% 1.64 gh 0.16 ij 6.3 e 358 a 66 dz Values in the same column followed by the same letter are not significantly different at p<0.05.

Tomato Plug Production

• Two year Study with y yCornell 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 i t h t dvermicompost exhausted

35 DAP• Worm Power and aWorm Power and a

nitrogen supplement yielded outstanding results ( h )(sum greater than parts)

Organic Transplant Media and Tomato Performance 2007

Betsy Leonard and Anu Rangarajan, Cornell University

Cabbage Production

• Worm Power used as 10Worm Power used as 10 - 20% of the potting soil

• Worm Power top dressed• Worm Power top dressed on plug traysR h d ith• Research done with Cornell and growers

d tunder a grant.

Horticultural ClientsHorticultural 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 productionPederson Farms Tomatoes and Cauliflower production

• Hemdale Farms - Certified Organic Cabbage Production

• Grisamore Farms Strawberry (Jewel variety)• 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 il bl i l i i l lavailable commercial mixes in large-scale

horticultural production• Consistent physical chemical and microbialConsistent physical, chemical and microbial

properties was key!• Combining vermicompost and a supplement

(nitrogen or extract) yielded best full season resultsW P i l t f th f tilit• Worm Power is only a part of the fertility program…..NOT a silver bullet

Vermicompost in Turfp

Worm Power successfullyWorm Power successfully marketed to three (3) golf coursescourses

• Part of a divot mixPart of a divot mix8 parts sand - 1 part Worm Power -1 part diatomaceous earth

•As a top dressing after core aeration•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 di t ib ti d t t(packaging, distribution, product support, displays and financial)

• Packaging is King product is 2ndPackaging is King, product is 2• Labeling is a complex and regulated

environment• People love vermicompost in spite of cranky

vermicomposter (me)

Worm Power –Retail Experience

• Examples ofExamples of Worm Power packagingpac ag g

Retail Experience

• With Greenhouse client entered over 100 Meijer superstores in thesuperstores in the upper Midwest.

• Dropped Meijer in pp j2008 and focused in 2009 on expanding to localexpanding 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!• 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 WaterColored Water

• Worm worked vermicomposts and castings are solublecastings are 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 organicvermicomposting and production organic agriculture into highly promising and profitable areas.

• What vermicompost extracts are notWell characterized– Well characterized

– Standardized (type of vermicompost)– Material with widely documented results– Currently ready to be marketed as a

bi l hi k i i d ( ibiocontrol – think prescription drugs (time and $)

Future Commercial & Retail P dProducts

• Slowly entering the extract (tea) field.• Awarded a research grant to develop a stableAwarded 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)

ik l d d i b i• Likely to expand production by 300% in 2009

Current

Future

Work the channels

Work the market