WORM Hit had humble beginnings when Chris Curran and a couple of farmer mates discussed the possibility of compressing composted green waste into a form that could be spread or sown by farmers using conventional equipment.
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Chris was already in the recycling business shredding green waste and other materials for councils around Australia and what he was seeing was vast mountains of composted material building up around the country with very little uptake by farmers.
The reason for this was the cost of moving the compost was cost prohibitive, unless the buyer was located close to the source.
Chris decided to work with an organisation that used worms to breakdown the compost, turning it into vermicast (“worm poo”). This proved to be beneficial, but still had cost implications.
With a farming background and the sole purpose of improving soils by reducing the use of chemical fertilisers and a reduction of waste to landfill, Chris and his mates investigated the idea of pelletising of worm castings.
Early trials produced improvements to the root growth of all plants and crops.
The trials on cereal crops proved even more exciting when farmers started returning better yields.
They were also seeing changes to the soil structure with less compaction and a more friable soil.
Worm Hit turns a mixture of worm castings and a carbon food source into a pelletised form creating one of the richest natural fertilisers on the planet.
“Our worm cast pellets stimulate plant growth more than any other natural product on the market and compared to artificial fertilisers and animal manures,” Chris said.
“Our worm cast pellets are absorbed easily, making it plant available immediately.”
Worm Hit pellets are full of a natural mix of beneficial soil microbes, enzymes and water-soluble plant nutrients, and are packed with minerals essential for plant growth and over 50 per cent more humus than topsoil.
It is safe to use on all plants, pasture and cereal crops, won’t burn roots or damage the soil and is easily dispersed by conventional equipment
“We are in the process of becoming certified organic to have the option to be the fertiliser of choice for organic farms,” Chris said.
“Worm Hit pellets will help farmers not only repair their soil, but it will also help to produce better yields which in turn helps to make farming more sustainable.”
The rate of use compared to chemical fertilisers is reduced – a spread of 40-100kg per hectare has proven to be sufficient and is a more cost-effective alternative.
“A key issue for farmers is soil health,” Chris said. “We are seeing soil health deteriorate markedly as growers use more and more chemical fertilisers to try and achieve the same yield outcomes.”
Worm Hit is available from Australian Farm & Fencing in Moorong Street, Wagga Wagga.
