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Vermicompost production: how to start a business? Vermicompost production technology. The necessary set of equipment for the production of vermicompost

Modern people prefer to buy organic vegetables grown using vermicompost. This is a very valuable technology that helps preserve human health. In addition, this is one of the quite promising and profitable directions activities for aspiring entrepreneurs. We will talk about how to start humus production at home in this article.

Why do you need vermicompost?

Almost all fields in our country are contaminated with pesticides and various mineral fertilizers. Farmers constantly complain that crop yields decrease every year and, accordingly, profits decrease. Pests and all kinds of diseases destroy plants right at the root.

Vermicompost is an organic fertilizer that has unique properties. Of course, this is not a panacea that can solve all problems, but nevertheless, such a drug has real help. Nowadays, it is widely used in agriculture instead of chemical fertilizers for growing organic vegetables.

Business Features

It is most convenient to produce vermicompost at home for those people who raise cattle. In this case, the entrepreneur will not have to purchase raw materials. California red worms are most often used to produce this organic fertilizer. They live 4 times longer than ordinary earthworms and reproduce much more actively. You can purchase these amazing worms online. They are delivered to any region of our country without any problems. Before you start doing this, you need to draw up detailed business Vermicompost production plan. This will help you correctly plan all stages of your activity and organize your work correctly.

Process

Now let’s figure out where to start producing vermicompost. First of all, you need to prepare the substrate and purchase worms. This matter should be approached very responsibly. Typically, worms are purchased from specialized vermifarms. Genetic population must contain at least 1,500 individuals, including both young worms and cocoons. Before purchasing worms for vermicompost, prepare a place for them. You can use compost heaps or ordinary wooden boxes for this. Also, read about at home.

Scheme: Production of vermicompost

Traditional technology for the production of vermicompost consists of four stages:

Preparation of nutrient substrate. Bird droppings and coarse manure are used as compost. cattle. To improve its quality, you can add vegetable leaves, food waste, as well as a mixture of peat and lime at the rate of 20 kg per 1 ton of substrate;
Bookmarking worms. This stage requires careful preparation and careful attention. For 1 sq. 750–1500 worms are laid per meter of compost. They are evenly distributed over the entire surface along with the nutrient substrate. Since worms do not like bright light, the pile should be covered with dark material that does not allow air to pass through;
Feeding. Ridges with worms should be loosened and watered periodically, because they are very sensitive to decreased humidity. Watering is carried out with settled water, the temperature of which is 20–24 degrees. The compost in the bin is divided into three zones. The top layer is food for the worms. It should be replenished periodically to provide them with nutrition;
Sampling of vermicompost and worms. Once the density of worms in the nutrient substrate begins to exceed permissible limits, there is a need to sample them. First, the worms are kept hungry for several days, after which a layer of food is applied to which they move. After 2-3 days it is removed along with the worms. The procedure is repeated 3 more times over 3 weeks. The remaining vermicompost is collected with a scoop, dried a little and packaged for storage.

WITH home production vermicompost, you can get stable high profits if you find sales channels in advance finished products.

Equipment

To produce organic fertilizers in larger volumes, it is necessary to purchase special equipment for the production of vermicompost. You will need composters and a mechanical sieve to sift the finished fertilizer. In addition, you need to buy scales and a special packaging device.

It is worth noting that the price of equipment for the production of vermicompost largely depends on the type of construction. Approximately you will have to spend from 50 to 125 thousand rubles. A sieve and scales will cost you 30–40 thousand rubles. You also need to purchase working equipment - shovels, carts, instruments for measuring soil acidity and temperature. You will spend another 30–40 thousand rubles on this.

Sales

Before you draw up a business plan for vermicompost, you need to find reliable sales channels. The success of your enterprise largely depends on this.

Pure vermicompost is sold in bags of various sizes. In addition, you can also sell worms. They are bought by poultry farms, fishermen, pet stores, as well as producers of organic fertilizers.

The main consumers of vermicompost are owners of personal plots, farms and flower nurseries. Fertilizers are purchased in large quantities by wholesalers for further resale. Since the cost of vermicompost is quite affordable, this product is used in great demand. There are usually no special problems with its implementation.

Financial calculations

You will have to spend 150–500 thousand rubles on the purchase of equipment and worms. In addition, you need to take into account constant payments - wages to workers, raw materials, payments for utilities.

Now let's talk about income. To calculate them, you need to find out how much vermicompost costs. One kilogram of organic fertilizers sells for 10–15 rubles. If you produce about 15 tons of vermicompost per year, the net income will be 150–200 thousand rubles. To increase profits, you can mix pure vermicompost with other substrates. The initial investment pays off in 1.5–2 years. The profitability of the enterprise reaches 150–170%. In the future, income will only grow.

Vermicompost production

Before setting up the production of vermicompost as a business, you should familiarize yourself with all the nuances of this line of activity;
First of all, you should remember that rats, moles and other rodents feed on earthworms. Therefore, worm containers should be placed in a room with hard floors and impenetrable walls;
In addition, you should consider how you will store and transport semi-liquid fertilizers. As a rule, tractor trailers are used for this. In addition, you should take care of packaging. Mostly, such products are purchased in small quantities, so appropriate packaging will be required.

Conclusions

Experts believe that the production of vermicompost using worms is a fairly promising and profitable line of business. Of course, it won’t make you a millionaire in 2-3 years, but despite this, you can make a good profit from selling vermicompost. To succeed in this area, you need to constantly look for new wholesale buyers. This will help you get a positive result.

Even home business worth registering. Just open the IP and indicate OKVED code 01.49– “Raising other animals.” It will take no more than $30-40 to complete the documents.

Purchase of livestock

An ordinary earthworm can also produce fertilizer, but for production scale and quick profit making, the Californian one (miner worm) is better suited. It processes the soil faster, so you can get the first portion of humus in a week or two.

It is best to purchase ringed ones from worm farms. You need to buy a genetic unit: adult worms along with “young ones” and cocoons. Worms for the production of vermicompost are purchased from foreign soil and then transferred to a specially prepared substrate. The average cost of a “family” of 1,500 individuals is $35-40.

Vermicompost production technology

The work will need to be organized in several stages.

Soil preparation. The basis of vermicompost is chicken manure and rotted cow manure. Here we add a little lime and peat (at the rate of 200 grams per kg of substrate), food waste, vegetable peelings, silage, hay.
Laying the substrate in boxes. Before adding it to the soil of prospectors, it should be “seasoned” a little for 5-6 days. Every two to three days the soil is mixed and moistened with warm water. Under the influence of fermentation processes, it heats up to 45-50 degrees, and then the temperature drops to the optimal: 25-30 degrees. Then you can populate the prepared trays.
Launching "pets". To prevent the production of vermicompost with your own hands from being interrupted at the very beginning, it is worth releasing a “test batch” (50 pieces) into the prepared soil. If they feel normal during the day, the rest are launched. On average, 700-1000 pieces are needed per cubic meter. They need to be poured out not in one pile, but evenly distributed over the tray. After this, the “house” is covered with cloth to protect the “pets” from bright light.
Feeding. Over the next few weeks, your “pets” feed, reproduce and actively process the soil.
Removing humus. When the soil population density becomes too high, they will need to be planted and then collected vermicompost that has accumulated at the bottom of the container.

Equipment for the production of vermicompost

The minimum set of equipment for work: containers for dilution, a sieve (cell diameter 4-6 mm), scales, shovel, instruments for measuring acidity and soil temperature. If you make “houses” with your own hands, total costs for equipment will not exceed $300.

You can raise prospectors in a special pit outside, but this is dangerous due to the penetration of ordinary worms, exposure to low temperatures and makes it difficult to collect humus. A purchase or self-production containers will allow you to do business all year round, adapting any room for this (garage, shed, storage room, etc.)

The box for vermicompost is usually wooden or plastic. You can make a wooden one from sheets of plywood 2.5-3 cm thick. Standard dimensions of the container: 1x2x0.5 m. To prevent rodents from getting inside, the seams of the box should be reinforced with tin. Holes are drilled in the bottom to collect vermicelli; place the container on low blocks at a slight slope to drain the liquid. Under the box we place a container-substrate with a solid bottom surface. The lid can also be made from a sheet of plywood with air holes.

To save space, trays can be stacked on top of each other. This is a great option on how to make vermicompost at your dacha with minimal expenditure of money and space. For a small vermifarm, a well-ventilated room with an area of 14-15 square meters is sufficient.

Can be adapted for breeding even cardboard boxes and an old refrigerator. They must also be installed at an angle. But the boxes will have to be changed often.

California Worm Care

A few content rules:

The ideal temperature is within +4...+40 degrees. In other conditions, animals die;
If prospectors are kept outdoors, in winter they must be moved indoors and covered with warm material;
The compost moisture level should be 70-80%;
In hot weather, the soil should be regularly watered with warm, settled water;
Permissible acidity of the substrate: 7-8 points;
To maintain the necessary heat and humidity, it is recommended to cover the boxes with straw. It allows air to pass through and maintains the necessary conditions.

Loosening

To ensure that animals can “breathe” freely, loosen the compost 1-2 times a week. This way there will be enough air in their “houses”. Loosening is carried out with a small spatula and extremely carefully, without damaging the “tenants”.

Feeding

The production of vermicompost using worms involves the formation of the correct diet for “pets”. This is almost any waste from your food activities: old tea leaves, peels and skins from vegetables and fruits (carrots, bananas, potatoes, apples, beets, etc.), moldy bread and buns, spoiled boiled vegetables and overcooked porridge.

The top layer of compost is the food of the miners. It should be renewed every 10 days, applying fertilizing in a layer of 5-6 centimeters. For the first month and a half, the ringeds adapt to the new habitat and eat little, then they adapt and begin to reproduce. The temperature is set at the optimal level of +24…+25 degrees. During this period, increase feeding. Regularly check how much nutrient substrate remains on the surface.

Collection of vermicompost

After approximately three to four months, the preparation of vermicompost ends - the “tenants” process all the nutrient soil in the container. Before sampling, they are forced to starve for a while, and then a 5-7 cm layer of food is added to the surface of the ground. Hungry individuals gradually move into it. After a few days, this layer is removed along with the “tenants”. The procedure should be repeated 2-3 times in order to select the entire livestock along with the young animals that have just emerged from the cocoons.

Liquid vermicelli is collected at the bottom of the “substrate” under the tray, and the remaining contents of the container after the “pets” have been evicted are sifted through a sieve, dried, and packaged.

There is a little trick to make collecting valuable fertilizer even easier. Initially, you will need an empty box with a solid bottom, into which you place another container with a holey bottom and stock the livestock in it. When the soil in the second container is processed, place the next container with a lattice bottom with a good layer of fertilizer in the second box. Hungry ringed ones will completely move to the top within a week, and you will be left with ready-made humus.

A family of 1,500 individuals produces approximately 2 tons of humus in four months. And after all this time there will be many more of them. This will allow you to increase production volumes or sell the “extra” for breeding or fishing.

Sales

The finished product should be sold to wholesale resellers or directly to the owners farms and land plots, flower farms. Average price per ton – $170-190. The offspring should be offered to pet stores, fishermen, poultry farms, and organic fertilizer companies. One individual costs approximately $0.02.

Costs and profits

To organize the production of vermicompost at home, you will need to invest up to $400 in the business. The costs are recouped in the first year of operation. Having purchased a family of 1500 heads, it is realistic to produce 8-9 tons per year (earnings are approximately $1500) Saving total number within 2000 pieces, sell the rest. It will bring additional income in the amount of $100-150 per year. Total annual revenue is around $1600, net profit – 1200 $.

If we consider the production of vermicompost as a business, then on a small scale it will be more of a simple side hustle. To receive from $500 per month, it is necessary to increase the livestock to at least 10,000 ringed animals.

Fertilizers that are harmful to health are used in agriculture. But there is an environmentally friendly alternative. Even at home, you can open vermicompost production as a business. Technology, profitability, advantages of producing natural plant food over chemicals are presented in detailed business plan.

Fertilizers are means to increase productivity and reduce crop diseases. However, pesticides, herbicides and nitrates from the soil end up in food and then into the human body. It is much safer to use organic vermicompost, which has the parameters of chemical fertilizers, but is not harmful to health.

Production process

Biohumus is also called vermicompost or worm compost due to the original production technology involving worms. The raw materials are fed to the worms, and the output is fertilizer.

The raw material used is a rotted mixture of waste from cattle, small animals or birds. To increase nutritional properties, leaves, food waste, sawdust, lime and peat are added.

The resulting substrate is placed in wooden boxes or special containers with sides of 25-30 cm and covered with a layer of hay. The compost is watered and stirred over several days to allow it to mature. Then the worms are poured over the raw materials in an even layer and covered with dense, opaque material so that the temperature inside is maintained and light does not enter.

Due to the fact that worms are engaged in vermiculture, they are called technological. In fact, these are earthworms of the Californian or Vladimir variety. To process 1 sq. m. of humus requires 1500-3000 individuals.

The process of processing the substrate into vermicompost lasts 4-5 months. During this time, you need to care for the beds and maintain the microclimate:

Carefully loosen the soil when it cakes.
Add nutrients three times a month.
Water with warm, settled water to maintain humidity at 70%.
Maintain the temperature not lower than 19°C and not higher than 30°C.

Advice from experienced producers: before populating boxes with thousands of worms, you need to test the quality of the nutrient medium on ten to twenty individuals.

Worms not only process the substrate into fertilizer, but also reproduce. The growth is determined in this way: 10 square meters are collected from the box. cm of soil and the number of worms in it is calculated, the resulting figure is multiplied by 100. They begin to choose vermicompost when the vermiculture population exceeds standard values.

Collection is carried out in two ways:

Sift the whole mass through a sieve.
A little fresh humus is poured into the box and the worms come up in search of food. The procedure is repeated several times, removing a layer of soil each time. The remaining mass is vermicompost.

From 10 kg of substrate, about 5 kg of fertilizer is obtained, and the number of worms increases by 5-10 times. The surplus population is sold to fishermen or entrepreneurs starting humus production.

Business plan

To start a project, you need to draw up a business plan for the production of vermicompost:

Organizing a site for a farm.
Purchase of equipment, tools and materials.
Purchase of raw materials and worms.
Business registration.
Sales organization.
Economic calculations.

Venue

The production of vermicompost as a business is opened in several ways:

Based on an already existing agricultural direction, for example.
Launched as a separate project.

In the first case, you will need to allocate a barn, an empty barn, or even part of a basement. In the second, you will have to rent territory, preferably not far from a poultry farm or livestock farm. To produce trial small batches of fertilizer, an entrepreneur can start production at home.

Depending on the planned scale of production, it is necessary to equip an area of up to 80 square meters. m. for placing beds, packaging equipment, and a warehouse for finished products. Experts believe that the average annual volume of vermicompost production on a site of 1 sq. m. is 300 kg.

To maintain necessary conditions and microclimate, the farm premises must be equipped with heating, ventilation, running water, and electricity. To minimize heat loss in winter, you need to fill the floors with concrete, caulk all holes in the walls, including windows, and lower the ceiling as low as possible.

Equipment

To produce humus at home, it is enough to build boxes for the substrate, purchase working tools, scales, plastic bags, and a sealing machine. Temperature and humidity can be adjusted manually according to indications measuring instruments.

Industrial production vermicompost requires more serious investments to equipment:

Rack installation for filling humus with worms.
Drip irrigation system.
Crusher.
Mechanical sieve for sifting humus.
Packing equipment.
Instruments for measuring and controlling the microclimate in the room and substrate.
Shovels, buckets, carts.
Tractor with trailer for moving large volumes of manure.

If you additionally engage in the production of aqueous extract from vermicompost, then the cost of equipment will increase several times. Manufacturing technology involves the use of extractors, equipment for fermentation and purification of the product.

Raw materials and worms

2 main components for the production of vermicompost:

manure;
worms

The larger the volume planned to be produced, the more raw materials need to be purchased. That is why a highly profitable business with low cost is possible on an animal or poultry farm where there is constant access to free manure. If raw materials are purchased from outside, then preference is given to cattle manure.

The substrate also includes compost, sawdust, and hay. According to technology, before waste becomes suitable for worms to eat, it must rot within 5-6 months. To store a mass of humus, you need to equip a special site or enter into an agreement with a supplier for the delivery of already matured raw materials.

Red Californian worms are used in the production of vermicompost for the following reasons:

Lifespan is 4 times longer than ordinary earthworms.
The reproduction rate is 10 times higher.
High resistance to diseases.

There are Vladimir worms bred by Russian developers that are superior to Californian worms in certain indicators. They buy worms from vermifarmers, who breed them on an industrial scale.

Registration

To receive legal income from the sale of vermicompost, you must register a business. The form is suitable for operating a small farm individual entrepreneurship, it is better to register large-scale production as a limited liability company. It is advantageous to pay taxes using a simplified scheme.

No special permits or licenses are required for the production of vermicompost. When concluding sales agreements with stores and farms, you will need a quality certificate for the products.

Sales

The main difficulty of business planning is to establish constant sales of fertilizers. Target Audience very extensive:

private farms;
state agricultural enterprises;
plant nurseries;
flower shops;
fisheries;
greenhouse owners;
summer residents.

Vermicompost is usually sold in plastic bags weighing 1 kg, 5 kg, 10 kg, 20 kg. The easiest way is to sell products through a wholesale network; it is enough to find one or two buyers for large quantities. You can open a point in the market, create an online store.

To inform buyers about the advantages and benefits of vermicompost, you need to create packaging with text printed on it, which will indicate the characteristics of the fertilizer, rules of use, and expected yield.

Also, do not forget about advertising in specialized magazines, newspapers, and the Internet. Agricultural fairs and exhibitions are held in many localities; it is imperative to take part in them with samples of finished products.

Video: technology for the production of vermicompost.

Economic calculations

Estimate size necessary investments The production of vermicompost allows you to calculate the costs of starting a project. Calculations are given for developing a business at home using 20 tons of your own raw materials:

№	*Name of expenses*	*Amount, rub.*
1	Preparing the premises	60 000
2	Equipment	120 000
3	Worms, substrate additives	30 000
4	Sales costs	20 000
5	Other costs	10 000
Total		240 000

For six months, while the worms produce humus, you need to pay public utilities. In winter, heating costs account for the majority of expenses.

Average market price in retail network for 1 kg of vermicompost is 15 rubles, in bulk - 7 rubles/kg. Worms are bought in packs of 30 rubles. for 50 pcs. Also, if there is demand, you can sell earthen mixtures based on vermicompost. Calculation of annual income from the sale of produced fertilizer and:

During the first year of operation of the farm, the invested funds will be fully recouped, the profitability of the business is 100%. It is possible to increase profitability by increasing production volumes. In this case, the farmer will have to hire assistants and include wages and taxes in the estimate.

Any business in agriculture is associated with many difficulties, vermiculture is no exception. It is economically profitable to produce organic fertilizers only at low costs, which is possible if you have your own raw material base.

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In the early 2000s, at the instigation of the Kovrov company NPO Green-Peak, the idea of producing vermicompost as a business with huge profitability and small starting capital, began to spread throughout Russia.

What is vermicompost?

Organic fertilizer produced by earthworms.

Already this innovative definition guaranteed the interest of summer residents, gardeners, farmers, and other enterprising citizens.

300% profitability! Business from scratch! Guaranteed sales! Hundreds of beginning and experienced entrepreneurs could not help but rush to this.

But 10 years have passed since the first successes of the Green Peak company. The technology for the production of vermicompost, earthworms, called “technological”, vermicompost itself and aqueous preparations based on it - this is an incomplete list of its products.

During this time, the company has trained more than 600 entrepreneurs and individuals in this technology. The price of the technology has increased 10 times compared to 2002. Training costs money, but this does not stop those wishing to receive the proud title of “vermicultivation specialist.”

But is everything as smooth as the leaders of Green Peak promise? general director Konin Sergei Stepanovich?

Particularly interesting is the business plan for the production of vermicompost, posted on the company’s official website.

This is where we will begin to identify myths and discover the reality of vermicompost production in Russia.

The mythical profitability of vermicompost production

If you look at the website of NPO Green-Peak, then you may see a technological and economic calculation for the production of vermicompost per 1000 m² of heated area.
At the end of this document you will see some startling numbers.
They promise you that after a year of work you will have 3 million rubles worth of finished products, and costs will not exceed 500 thousand rubles.

This takes into account the fact that you will heat 1000 m² of premises, refurbish them, and pay wages to workers. And you will spend another half of this amount on purchasing a worm.

250 tons of produced vermicompost, which you will sell for 12 rubles. per kg, will cover all your costs and allow you to make a profit of 2.5 million rubles.

How is profitability calculated?

This is the ratio of the amount of profit to the amount of costs for production and marketing of products. How many rubles of profit will we receive from each ruble of our expenses on production and commercial expenses.

In this case, we get about 5 rubles per 1 ruble invested. And this is already from the realm of fantasy. This looks more like a scam than a real and serious business plan.

Is all this really important?

Is production relevant?

There is no point in saying that the production of organic fertilizers in our country is the right and necessary type of activity.
Our fields are depleted and polluted with mineral fertilizers and pesticides. Productivity falls every year.

Even summer residents and gardeners complain that nothing grows, that the harvests are no longer the same, and diseases and pests destroy everything in the bud.

In this situation, vermicompost, as a natural organic fertilizer with unique properties, as well as aqueous preparations based on it, can really help.

But this is not a panacea. This is only part of a set of measures.

But enterprising businessmen have appeared who sell a fairy tale, a dream. But in fact, they only make money, creating the illusion of solving all problems.

“Open your own business and get 5 rubles for every ruble invested.”

“Tomatoes don’t grow - pour 200 grams of humus into the hole.”

“Pests have infested – water extracts from vermicompost will not only protect the plants, but will also increase productivity.”

Buy, use, experiment. But don't expect instant stunning results. Do not count on millions in profits that are not backed by strict calculations.

Myth No. 1. Is it realistic to produce 250 tons of humus per 1000 m2 per year?

In principle, this is real. And even more. But the crux of the matter is different. Can this be done in the first year of work? This is assuming you need:

1. Prepare raw materials for preparing a nutrient substrate. This should be rotted manure aged for six months.

2. Prepare a room for the worms to populate.

In a rented or purchased barn, this is just:

fill the floor with concrete so that there is a flat surface for the beds;
brick the windows to prevent heat from blowing out in winter;
make the suspended ceiling as low as possible, for the same reason;
access roads, renovation of interior premises, division of the premises into working areas for drying raw vermicompost, crushing dry humus, packaging;
prepare warehouses where you will store it until spring.

Yes. Just...

3. Bring and populate worms into the beds.

And this is provided that you already have working water supply and heating systems. You can imagine the amount of work.

One year out production process you throw it away. Let it be six months. There are six months left for the worms to populate the beds and the production process to begin.

If out of 1000 m² only 400 m² are allocated for ridges, then when populating a million individuals in six months you will receive only 100 tons of humus. And then, this will be humus in the beds.

It will still need to be dried, which is impossible without heated floors, and passed through a crushing apparatus. You won't be packing it in chunks of earth, will you?

The rosy prospects dissipate like a cloud.

Myth No. 2. The reality of costs

How much should we invest there? 500 thousand rubles?

The actual numbers for the first year are:

– Purchase of land and premises (cow barn) – 2-3 million rubles (the higher the price, the less to invest in repairs later).

– Carrying out repair work and re-equipping the barn – at least a million rubles.

Many? Calculate heated floors in the drying area, suspended ceilings, arrangement of access roads for the possibility of trucks entering, heating systems, water supply, pouring floors, dividing the common room into work areas. Maybe a million will be enough.

– Purchase of 500 tons of manure for a year of work. Its delivery.

Hence the consequence is that production must be located either next to or in conjunction with a dairy farm, where manure is always in abundance.

- Worms. A million pieces is about 200 thousand rubles, not counting delivery.

– Inventory (wheelbarrows, shovels, buckets, thermometers, soil moisture meters, acidity meters).

– Equipment for packaging, separating, crushing humus.

– At least one tractor with a blade and a trailer. Or are you going to manually shovel 500 tons of manure?

– 6 workers for humus production and equipment maintenance. Not counting management personnel. This is if you manage and handle sales yourself.

What? Did I hear it? Someone talked about 500 thousand rubles per year for production costs?

Just calculate your salary. Just half a million will come out.

Myth No. 3. Profitability 300%

Okay, let's not take investment costs into account.
But there’s no way your expenses will be 500 thousand rubles a year! This is only salary plus taxes on it.

What about the rest? What about raw materials, heating, and water?

Real costs for production activities amount to about one and a half to two million rubles per year. These are real data from a similar production located in the Rostov region. Even the volumes and number of personnel too.

The main expense item, in addition to wages heating, raw materials, electricity are supplied. It is not so easy to create even 15 degrees temperature in a room with an area of 1000 m2 in winter with minus 20 degrees outside.

Accordingly, with a production volume of 250 tons and a price of 10 rubles per kg, we will receive only 500 thousand rubles in profit.

Producing 400 tons of humus on the same area will not cost you much more.

Therefore, by producing 350-400 tons per year, which is quite realistic on an area of 400 m2 of beds, we will receive goods worth 3.5 - 4 million rubles, at prices of 10 rubles per kg.

And this will allow you, as an entrepreneur, to receive a good annual income. Product profitability will be up to 100%, which is quite good. But the most important question still lies ahead!

TO WHOM and FOR HOW MUCH should we sell our vermicompost?

Myth No. 4. The reality of prices and sales

Everything can be taken into account, everything production work carry out, follow the technology to the smallest detail. But to whom to sell?

And we have to return to earth from the clouds and myths about unrealistic profitability and super-income.

But the reality is that vermicompost is needed by hundreds of farmers, thousands of summer residents and gardeners throughout Russia. You need it like air, you could say so. But not at a price that would provide you with super-profitability.

In Moscow, a kilogram of humus in stores costs 25 rubles. The solvency of the capital's residents allows them to buy several hundred kg for their dachas per season at this price.

In the regions, even 10 rubles per kg is too high a price that most people cannot pay.

You can invest hundreds of thousands of rubles in packaging and advertising. Try to negotiate with wholesale stores and supermarkets. Visit all farms and greenhouses. But vermicompost will not be sold and bought en masse in Russia anytime soon.

Summer residents, gardeners, gardeners, farmers, and even managers of greenhouses and nurseries are not ready to buy vermicompost.
They lack information about effectiveness. They don't know what it is. Technologies for growing various crops are not adapted to the use of vermicompost.

Organizing sales will be extremely difficult.

What to do?

How to produce vermicompost in Russia, and is it necessary to do it?

It is necessary, if only because this is an excellent way to rid the country of millions of tons of organic waste that accumulate annually on farms and subsidiary plots.

But how to do this?

In the complex. This is one of the best options.

If you have a rabbit farm, rabbit droppings can become food for worms.

The worms themselves are a great commodity to sell to fishermen. The remaining humus can be used for utility plot or pack it in bags and try to sell it.

Read the article: “breeding worms for fishing”

Start with neighbors and acquaintances. If there is demand, then we can think about expanding.

But a special advantage goes to the owners and managers of farms and collective farms, especially those who have at least some cattle.

By processing huge amounts of manure, which simply rots on farms and is not always used even to fertilize their own fields, farmers and collective farmers receive invaluable fertilizer that is much more effective than manure.

But it is even more effective and profitable to make water extracts from vermicompost even at home. Their use for foliar feeding can not only reduce pest damage to plants, but also increase productivity.

At the same time, fertilizer costs are reduced significantly!

After all, you don’t have to pay for expensive chemicals. Everything is yours. Only cost. And it is 5 times lower than the cost of mineral fertilizers.

It turns out that economic efficiency farms can be increased many times over by introducing technologies for processing organic waste with earthworms. And this is a question of the survival of all farming and agriculture countries.

But there is no need to count on the fact that tomorrow, having started producing vermicompost, in 2-3 years you will become a millionaire. Don't blindly believe all the promises and advertising tricks.

Research the market and look for wholesale buyers among farmers and greenhouse managers.

Your efforts will be successful only if you understand the needs of your customers. And if his only need is to reduce the cost of producing 1 kg of tomatoes, then why does he need you with your vermicompost? After all, this is not a cheap product.

But if you can convince the manufacturer that land restored with vermicompost will require two to three times less chemical fertilizers, then you have a chance to succeed in such a matter as the production of vermicompost and liquid organic fertilizers based on it.

Good luck to your business!

Preparing the environment for technology worms

The technology for producing vermicompost provides that technological worms can only be fed in rotted compost or manure. To do this, you should first agree with suppliers of cattle manure and food waste that these raw materials should be kept for some time. Also, in the conditions of home production of vermicompost, the level of decomposition of the raw material mass is reached and at the same time wooden boxes for worms are prepared.

Stage of ripening of compost in a box

The compost is placed in a wooden box taking into account its physical and technical properties, after which it is necessary to thoroughly mix fermented cattle manure, food waste and rotten leaves. To maintain the required level of humidity and temperature in the formation, it is covered with straw from above and then periodically watered with warm water and thoroughly mixed for several days. During the fermentation process of raw materials, the temperature level inside the box reaches 40–50 o C, and upon completion of the process it decreases to fixed values.

The placement of technological worms is carried out only in a well-prepared environment, for which it is recommended to test the quality of the compost on a small number of worms, and after positive results, start the rest. Acclimatization of technological worms in a new environment occurs over several months, after which they begin to fulfill their direct purpose, in this case, to produce vermicompost. The humidity level in the compost should be at least 70–80%, the pH level should be within 6–8 with mandatory loosening of the substrate, since proper aeration and breathing of technological worms depend on this. The technology for producing vermicompost is completely built on worms and is completely dependent on them, so if you decide to do this unappetizing business, then the first thing you should care about is the condition of these not very pleasant creatures.

Worms are fed every 10 days, for which the vermicultured substrate should be prepared in advance. For the life span of worms in the winter, it is necessary to maintain a temperature level of at least +19 o C, for which the compost is covered with a layer of straw, watered with warm water and placed in a heated room. The population of technological worms is counted every 3 months, for which a sample is taken from an area measuring 10x10 and then the number of worms in the sample area is multiplied by 100. In case of an excessive number of worms, the surplus is sold to fishermen, fish farms, poultry farms, bone meal producers and other interested parties persons.

Collection of vermicompost and worms

The procedure for separating humus from the substrate is carried out using a conventional sieve equipped with 2 mm cells, with the preliminary transfer of technological worms to a new wooden box. In addition, the separation of worms from the compost can be done by delaying feeding, after which the feed is placed on the surface of the compost. Over the course of several days, all the worms rise to the food, where it is convenient to remove them and thereby separate them from the humus.

Vermicompost packaging

Vermicompost is packaged in plastic bags with preliminary weighing of the product. After the process of formation and development of production, the range of products offered is expanded by collecting concentrated liquid humus or preparing already mixed biosoil. Currently, almost no one, with the exception of a narrow circle of gardening specialists, knows what vermicompost is.

Since even among summer residents with extensive experience, few people know about this fertilizer, which is an organic substance obtained during the life of a huge population of earthworms. Vermicompost is a mass of earthworms and their excrement that is very useful for the soil.

Organizing your own business

Vermicompost production technology in artificial conditions was developed in the USA. Myself process does not require any significant financial costs. But it brings quite a considerable and, more importantly, stable profit, thereby making the organization own business for the production of vermicompost is more than feasible.

The first thing that is needed to organize this type of business is a premises, which can be used as any property located on summer cottage building or garage. For organization large enterprise you can rent old abandoned farms, workshops and other similar buildings. In most cases, wooden boxes and, in some cases, brick analogues are used for breeding worms.

Vermicompost production technology

The technology for producing vermicompost is based on two components: substrate and worms. The substrate is the manure of domestic animals and birds, most of which is formed on farms that specialize in breeding livestock, willingly selling or in most cases donating this product to vermicompost producers, and in some cases also paying extra for the removal of manure from the production area.

In our country, Californian earthworms are used to produce vermicompost, as they are characterized by a high level of fertility. Their population can increase 500 times in just one year! The main disadvantage of worms is that even when the soil temperature drops to +4 o C, they die and thus can live in our conditions in a garden at the dacha for only one year.

According to the assurances of domestic businessmen, earthworms from the Vladimir region have proven themselves well, they not only tolerate cold well, but are also fertile. The optimal conditions for the life of worms are the substrate temperature in the range of 18–20 o C with a humidity level of at least 70–80%.

To completely eat and digest one cubic meter of substrate, worms need no more than 5 months, during which it is periodically watered with warm water from above to avoid drying out.

Ready-made vermicompost consists of large-sized adult worms, which are selected along with the humus. The main advantages of vermicompost compared to other fertilizers include the 100% environmental friendliness of the product, which is the most effective and safe fertilizer for growing fruits and vegetables, flowers, and other things.

However, the question always arose with such bold statements from manufacturers: “Why is even the most disgusting method of producing fertilizer considered better than small chemical additives?” Is it possible that someone's excrement mixed with worms will give better results than fertilizer developed in a modern laboratory? Sometimes everything that is natural becomes so ugly that it ceases to be natural for human nature. And it’s scary to imagine that we eat food that someone has the courage to grow with such “fertilizer”!

Important points

Before organizing the production of vermicompost, you should remember that earthworms are one of the dishes in the diet of rats, moles and other rodents. That is why the room where containers with worms will be located must have impenetrable walls and ceiling, as well as a hard floor. In addition, an important factor in breeding worms is the amount of substrate that is formed during the decomposition of protein to amino acids through fermenting microorganisms.

The preparation of the substrate is as follows: manure and other things are spread in a layer 30 cm thick, covered with film and heated to a temperature of 50–60 o C, after which it is kept for several days, after which the resulting mass is piled up and brought to a humidity level of 70– 80% and reduce its temperature to 30 o C. After which the substrate is ready!