The worm is turning. Why worms are wriggling their way back into agriculture

Russell Calder is certain worms helped save his life.

About 20 years ago, his health collapsed so badly that he temporarily lost the power of speech.

He believes his illness was caused by prolonged exposure to chemicals including insecticides and fungicides that, as a greenkeeper, he relied on heavily for manicuring ovals and bowling greens.

His health crisis forced him to revamp his life and discover the value and extraordinary role of worms.

“I recall there was not a single paragraph about an earthworm in three years of training [as a greenkeeper]but earthworms have been around a hell of a long time and they contribute so much to the soil,” Mr Calder said.

hands holding worms in soil

Worm “tea” is worm poo in liquid form.(ABC Landline: Peter Healy)

He planted an extensive garden, ate almost entirely from it, and learned to make rich compost by cultivating compost worms.

These days he’s back to full health and his thriving worm business at Nyah West, in Victoria’s north west, is set to double in size.

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Mr Calder produces and sells “worm tea” — essentially worm castings, or worm poo, in liquid form.

It’s becoming increasingly popular with farmers who are keen to move away from using synthetic chemicals or fertilizers.

They arrive and buy the “tea” in 1,000 liter containers, pumped from underground storage filled with worm juice leaching from rows of compost.

Not surprisingly, being worms, most of the action happens underground.

Soil microbiologist and plant pathologist Mary Cole said that was perhaps why only now modern science has a better understanding of their vital role in life on earth.

a woman in a lab coat sitting in a science lab

Soil microbiologist and plant pathologist Mary Cole.(ABC Landline: Tim Lee)

Over a 50-year career, Dr Cole had observed the presence and influence of these “microscopic super-shredders” in tens of thousands of soil samples.

“They break the material down so the bacteria and the fungi and the nematodes or those protozoa are able to take that organic matter and release the elements back into elemental form, which is plant available,” Dr Cole said.

“It’s Mother Nature’s perfect gift to plants. Mother Nature has been recycling nutrients from everything that once lived.”

A beneficial soil microorganism seen through a microscope

A beneficial soil micro-organism seen through a microscope.(ABC Landline: Tim Lee)

Life without worms ‘a giant rubbish dump’

Dave “Davo” Davidson is a worm farmer and compost producer at Bloomfield in western Victoria.

“Without worms, I believe that the whole planet would just become a giant rubbish dump,” he said.

A man with a handful of soil.

Mr Davidson discovered the value of worms by using them to dispose of horse manure.(ABC Landline: Tim Lee)

His foray into worms began with a quest to clean up piles of dung left by his trotting horses.

These days the Davidson family gets paid to deal with a range of organic and green waste, such as potato peelings from a local factory — much of it previously converted to landfill.

They also take organic material from Melbourne, a two-hour drive away.

“It’s also broken down woodchips from demolition, old wooden buildings that have seen their best days, so that’s chipped up and comes here,” Mr Davidson said.

a man standing with two horses

Mr Davidson says worms come in handy for horse owners.(ABC Landline: Tim Lee)

The mixture is allowed to sit heaped in a corner of the farm for up to three years to let the worms and microbes and billions of micro-organisms do their work, breaking down pretty much everything — except plastic, which is easily screened from the finished castings.

Mr Davidson sells the castings in kits and sends them around Australia with instructions on how to reactivate the material into “worm juice”.

It is then sprayed on pastures and plants to promote worms and beneficial micro-organisms.

These days his farm, with its worm-enriched soils, stays green for longer, the animals are healthier and the land no longer needs a regular spray of “worm juice” because Mr Davidson said the soil was back in balance.

Growing popularity for worm juice

Mr Calder has never had to advertise his product, but increasingly broadacre farmers are attracted to this natural compound for boosting soil and plant health.

Initially, Swan Hill grain and cereal grower Ross Watson gave it a go because of the rising cost of chemicals.

By Yunus