Harvesting Worms and Capsules - Packing Vermicast for Sale Or Transport
Once you have sorted the worms and capsules from the breeding and growing boxes you will be left with a potentially large amount of worm castings which are ready to use or sell for a large variety of uses.
Worm castings (or vermicast) can be used as a soil conditioner, solid or liquid fertiliser, potting mix filler and feeder, top soil or topsoil additive, and a host of other purposes.
Vermicast is a profitable part of your worm farming enterprise.
Many breeders focus only on the production of vermicast as the main income stream from their worm farming business.
Vermicast will always contain a certain amount of worm capsules, juvenile worms and living bacteria that is beneficial for plant growth.
This should be given consideration when considering ways to pack it.
There a several options for bagging vermicast from simple Hessian bags to specially made calico bags.
If selling in large quantities such as by the trailer or truck load you do not need to worry about options for bagging it.
Vermicast is relatively light and fluffy if allowed to dry a little prior to packing.
Bags will usually hold between 25 and 50 litres with a typical bag containing 30 litres.
Bag closures will usually be stitched but could also be left open if the bags will be stored and transported in an upright position.
Worms are usually removed from vermicast by light retraction.
This simply means worms a small portion of vermicast is scraped from the surface and placed in a container for future packing.
When the worms retract from the light more vermicast is removed and the process repeats until all that is left is a pile of worms in one box and a pile of vermicast another.
If selling your product by the bag it is best to pack and sell it to order.
Packing too early could leave the vermicast stale or potentially lower in nutrient content.
When you first start out with your worm farming enterprise you will be doing all the labouring work yourself when it comes to packing the vermicast for sale.
A small shovel or scoop can be used to manually fill the bags.
As your Business grows you could invest in a mechanical packing machine or employ someone to assist you with this job.
Transportation will be your largest expense, particularly if you have customers any distance from where your worm farm is located.
I would recommend focusing on marketing your product within a 50 kilometre circle from your location.
The less you spend on production costs the more likely your business will be a success.
© Eric J.
Smith
Worm castings (or vermicast) can be used as a soil conditioner, solid or liquid fertiliser, potting mix filler and feeder, top soil or topsoil additive, and a host of other purposes.
Vermicast is a profitable part of your worm farming enterprise.
Many breeders focus only on the production of vermicast as the main income stream from their worm farming business.
Vermicast will always contain a certain amount of worm capsules, juvenile worms and living bacteria that is beneficial for plant growth.
This should be given consideration when considering ways to pack it.
There a several options for bagging vermicast from simple Hessian bags to specially made calico bags.
If selling in large quantities such as by the trailer or truck load you do not need to worry about options for bagging it.
Vermicast is relatively light and fluffy if allowed to dry a little prior to packing.
Bags will usually hold between 25 and 50 litres with a typical bag containing 30 litres.
Bag closures will usually be stitched but could also be left open if the bags will be stored and transported in an upright position.
Worms are usually removed from vermicast by light retraction.
This simply means worms a small portion of vermicast is scraped from the surface and placed in a container for future packing.
When the worms retract from the light more vermicast is removed and the process repeats until all that is left is a pile of worms in one box and a pile of vermicast another.
If selling your product by the bag it is best to pack and sell it to order.
Packing too early could leave the vermicast stale or potentially lower in nutrient content.
When you first start out with your worm farming enterprise you will be doing all the labouring work yourself when it comes to packing the vermicast for sale.
A small shovel or scoop can be used to manually fill the bags.
As your Business grows you could invest in a mechanical packing machine or employ someone to assist you with this job.
Transportation will be your largest expense, particularly if you have customers any distance from where your worm farm is located.
I would recommend focusing on marketing your product within a 50 kilometre circle from your location.
The less you spend on production costs the more likely your business will be a success.
© Eric J.
Smith
