Earthworm make money raising

Raising earthworms for profit is not complicated, especially as a sideline. This account describes how Doris Hubbell and her business partner Art Muzzin earned a full time from their worm farm. Art muzzini and Doris Hubbell packing worms for shipment. The earthworm—once regarded as a mere creepy-crawler found on the road after a nice soft rain—has risen in status. This underground creature now often dwells in bins, barrels, washtubs, and other containers.

There, it gives many people a new lease on life by putting bread on their tables and clothes on their backs One such person is Doris Hubbell, owner of the Charmer Worm Farm in Sacramento, California.

How to Start a Worm Farm for Profit: 7 Steps (with Pictures)

As Doris puts it: When my husband had to retire from the construction business because of a bad asthmatic condition we were faced with a real problem: What kind of work could he do that would fully support us and yet not be too hard? Then, since there are at least 90 million fishermen in the United States—including us—we decided that raising earthworms to sell for bait might be just what the doctor ordered. The Hubbells started their new "farm" with four 4' X 7' bins of red hybrid earthworms.

The Charmer Farm also ships its worms and their castings all over the United States and Canada. The red hybrid earthworm which saved the day for the Hubbells should not be confused with the everyday angleworm. The hybrid is a real moneymaker Today's red earthworms are larger than their ancestors: The creature is very adaptable to widely varying climates and conditions and will not become restless and crawl away if it's provided with adequate food and moisture. Like the ordinary angleworm, the hybrid is bisexual It can—upon mating with another of its species—produce an egg capsule every seven to ten days.

Raising Earthworms for Fun and Profit - Sustainable Farming - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

The capsules, in turn, each incubate in two or three weeks and release from two to twenty young. During the following 60—90 days, the newly hatched worms themselves mature to breeding age. This prolific wiggler sells far better to anglers than any other worm because it is tough and lively, stays on the hook and—with its bright red color—excites fish into biting faster.

Gardeners are also anxious to buy the hybrid worms because—just like the common varieties from which they were developed—they've proven their worth in the vegetable patch.

Earthworms are now recognized as highly effective natural agents for soil improvement and are especially helpful in loosening and aerating the ground. The little creatures initially perforate the top layers of earth and then gradually penetrate into the subsoil, where their burrows open passages for plant root growth. The worms also eat soil and organic debris and the resulting droppings or "castings" are a valuable fertilizer in finely granulated form. Jacobson of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station have made very thorough chemical analyses of earthworm castings and uneaten soil collected from the top six inches of a field.

Want to Make Extra Money While Being Green? Try Worm Farming - AOL Finance

They report that the casts contained about five times as much nitrate, seven times as much available phosphorus, three times as much exchangeable magnesium, eleven times as much potash and one and a half times as much lime calcium as the plain dirt.

The increases came from the organic material consumed and digested by the worms. Earthworm castings are, in short, one of the finest organic fertilizers available.

They can be purchased from some nurseries and at almost any worm farm Earthworms are sold throughout the year although spring and summer are the busiest seasons and the initial investment in breeding stock for a wiggler ranch varies with the individual "farmer" and the kind of project he plans. Doris Hubbell feels that the raising of earthworms for profit is fairly easy work that doesn't require much initial investment. You don't, for instance, need a fancy or costly container in which to keep your stock.

Barrels cut in half, wood pits built around trees or anything else you can dream up will be suitable. Even a simple washtub will accommodate as many as 3, worms before the population has to be divided. Climate—and how deeply you want to get into worm raising—will guide you in your choice of a "stable" for your "livestock". Cement bins or cinder-block structures two blocks high are also suitable hdfc dollar selling rate warm regions.

In a cold area it's best to build such containers three blocks high—with two units below ground level—for better protection from chilly weather. It's even possible to run a small worm-raising operation stock market trading simulation game inside a basement or other heated room.

Seal the seams of the container to prevent the creatures from escaping. You should also fit the top of the box with a frame covered with hardware cloth you can make the setup very convenient by hinging the lid to the bin and adding a small screen-door earthworm make money raising as a fastener.

Several small drainage holes should be drilled in the bottom of each bin the worms do have to be watered regularly, you know and covered with fine-mesh copper screen tacked to the wood. If the boxes are kept in a place where they can't drain freely, small tin cans can be set under the holes to catch the excess drippings. A basement farm of this type can produce as many as half a million bait or breeder—or an even greater number of pit-run—worms per year.

Even mobile vr forex owners can—and do—go into this business No fancy food is required to keep earthworms happy.

They'll flourish on all kinds of waste organic material: Although many worm growers favor a bedding mixture of equal parts peat moss, soil, and rotted manure or compost, Doris and Art have successfully raised big fat wigglers on steer droppings alone. Occasionally they add calf meal to this substance many breeders use ground cornmeal, poultry mash, soybean meal or similar products.

Such feed may be very thinly sprinkled on top of the bedding or buried in trenches through the middle or around the sides of a pit, but should never be mixed into the sister wives how much money do they make per episode where it might heat and kill the worms.

The small grower will find that a box of earthworms makes a good garbage disposal unit. Any kitchen refuse-or grass clippings and dried leaves—can be used to feed the creatures, and they'll thrive on it. Unlike the ground feed mentioned above, such garbage may be mixed in with the bedding material to eliminate odors.

The harvesting of worms—the first step in getting them ready for sale—can be done in various ways on large farms earthworm make money raising operation is often done on a moving belt with assembly-line efficiency. During the summer Doris and Art hire a number of helpers, some of whom stock trader trainee at benches or tables of convenient height for sitting or standing.

These particular workers bring the worm-filled compost from the pit to the sorting area in flat shallow trays. Other employees, however, harvest the stock while kneeling directly over the pits.

One female worker can pick well over 20, wigglers per day from a heavily populated bed. There's no need to think on such a grand scale for a backyard operation, however. Harvesting at such a location usually requires only two people: Most breeders count their online work from home in vasai individually or in lots of five or ten when preparing the wigglers for the containers in which they are to be sold.

Various types of packaging are used for shipping worms Doris and Art pack their hybrids in slightly moistened peat moss placed in both cartons and bags.

For further protection, the small containers are then put in either corrugated boxes or lightweight wooden containers for long distance shipping by parcel post uninsured.

The price for which worms can be sold fluctuates throughout the country. The success and earnings of your business will vary with locality, season, and demand If you intend your worm farm mainly as a service for fishermen, tell all your sportsman friends—and the neighborhood kids! You can also advertise in the newspapers and in hunting and fishing magazines and put up a brightly colored sign to attract attention. Nor should you overlook the possibility of distributing your worms through dealers, tackle shops, filling stations, nurseries, boat docks And don't forget your other potential customers: As you can see, earthworms are useful, profitable and not too demanding of one's time.

Since red wigglers don't bark, bite, scratch, smell, chirp, or need to be watered twice a day and bedded down at night, they are indeed the nearly perfect commercial livestock to keep in your backyard. You can pack up your fishing gear, go away for a weekend, and the lively worms will be there—breeding, producing egg capsules, hatching their young, and growing big and fat—when you return.

As Doris Hubbell says, "This business is here to stay Check to see if there are earthworms present. If not, have your soil analyzed—most nurseries will do this for nothing—and correct any major problems.

Then introduce worms to the vegetable patch. Earthworms bought to improve a garden or compost pile should be purchased in the fall. At that season many of the wigglers are young and—with the advent of wet, cool weather—will become extremely active and feed on the organic debris in and on top of the ground.

This high level of activity continues through autumn and the two seasons that follow. By late spring most of the worms should be mature and—with the coming of summer—will become less and less lively and exert a smaller effect on the soil. If you can keep your earth moist and cool, however, your helpers will remain quite vigorous.

The late Earl B.

Shields, for many years a keen promoter of the worm farm as a home business, also became a major supplier of "how-to" literature on raising wigglers for profit. Shields Publications is still your best bet if you want to do some homework on the subject Includes many useful tips on the culture and sale of earthworms and other live bait. At MOTHER EARTH NEWSwe are dedicated to conserving our planet's natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources.

You'll find tips for slashing heating bills, growing fresh, natural produce at home, and more. That's why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan. Canadian Subscribers - Click Here Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here Canadian subscriptions: Sign In or Register. MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF Slideshow. Buying Stock Earthworms are sold throughout the year although spring and summer are the busiest seasons and the initial investment in breeding stock for a wiggler ranch varies with the individual "farmer" and the kind of project he plans.

Feeding Your Earthworms No fancy food is required to keep earthworms happy. Harvesting Earthworms The harvesting of worms—the first step in getting them ready for sale—can be done in various ways on large farms the operation is often done on a moving belt with assembly-line efficiency.

Where and How to Market Worms If you intend your worm farm mainly as a service for fishermen, tell all your sportsman friends—and the neighborhood kids! A Nearly Ideal Business As you can see, earthworms are useful, profitable and not too demanding of one's time. Featured Content Profitable Permaculture Principles A Passion for Heritage Pigs Country Lore: Most Popular How to Build an A-Frame Foraging the Fresh Taste of Spring: Wild Chickweed Salad and Wild Chickweed Pesto Recipes Argan Oil: Its Benefits, Uses and Purity Foraging the Fresh Taste of Spring: Wild Chickweed Salad and Wild Chickweed Pesto Recipes The Health Benefits of Honey.