From sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.eduTue Aug 27 20:07:23 1996
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 06:29:31 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Tom Hodges (moderated newsgroup)" <sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.edu>
To: Principles of Sustainable Agriculture <sustag-l@listproc.wsu.edu>
Subject: Re: First question. (fwd)



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 22:38:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <london@sunsite.unc.edu>
To: "Tom Hodges (moderated newsgroup)" <sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.edu>
Cc: windle@gnv.fdt.net,
    Principles of Sustainable Agriculture <sustag-l@listproc.wsu.edu>
Subject: Re: First question. (fwd)

:
Lawrence F. London, Jr., Venaura Farm, Chapel Hill, NC USA 
mailto:london@sunSITE.unc.edu - http://sunSITE.unc.edu/london
Organic Gardening & Farming, CSA, Permaculture & Renewable Energy Information
:
On Fri, 23 Aug 1996, Tom Hodges (moderated newsgroup) wrote:
> Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 23:53:36 -0400
> To: sustag-l@listproc.wsu.edu
> From: The Windles <windle@gnv.fdt.net>
> Subject: First question.
> 
> Here in Florida, we have set up a prototype system on a local dairy farm
> where we are currently feeding roughly 1000 pounds of manure, taken from the
> solids separator, to red worms per day. The system has proven itself to be
> very effective. After we had the "castings" analyzed we found we had a
> rather mild fertilizer (1.7:.6:.3), but in essence, a perfect "potting"
> soil. At this time, we are prepared to go into full production, handling up
> to 300,000 pounds per day of dairy manure, and we are also looking into the
> possibility of converting "food wastes" at the municipal level. I have a
> question that I was hoping someone might have an answer to:
> 
> When we feed the raw manure to the worms, we find a layer of fiber left
> behind after they have eaten the waste. Though this material disappears on
> its own as more feed is added to the beds, I believe the coarseness of this
> material might be slowing the worms down at least somewhat. In the intersts
> of achieving maximum production, we have been looking into using a bacterial
> agent added to the manure as a means of "pre-digesting" or breaking down
> this fiber. We have tried a couple different mixtures at the suggestion of
> the farm's consulting biologist, but with very little success. Any suggestions?

You might want to contact:

Matthew Werner
Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
University of California
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA
408/459-4661
408/459-2799 fax
werner@zzyx.ucsc.edu

And read his article on Cuban vermiculture in the June 1996 issue of BioCycle
magazine (Journal of Composting and Recycling). This article is on of 
several under the heading "Working With Worms". You might find other 
appropriate resources in this excellent magazine. I should think that 
finding the right microbiological agents to predigest your cow manure 
would be fairly easy, considering the need for such a thing in the dairy 
industry and the number of consulting firms involved in such technology.
Jim "Mr. Compost" McNelly might have a lot of information for you on this 
topic: 
(this is from a 1995 post from him)
Jim Mcnelly 
Please note new E-mail address
compost@cloudnet.com
------------------============<>=============-----------------
   Granite City Connection (612) 654-8372 28.8K 3 Lines
   Email: jim.mcnelly@midwest.org (Jim Mcnelly)
------------------============<>=============-----------------

I have a small archive of vermiculture info in my archives:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/london/orgfarm/vermiculture

Good luck,

Lawrence 

