Secures $900,000 Grant from USDA to accelerate production of its sustainable, Earthworm-Fueled Fertilizer
Worm Power, the worldwide leader in vermicompost products, announced that the company has been selected to receive $900,000 in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In addition to accelerating expansion plans at the company’s ten-acre vermicomposting fertilizer facility in Avon, N.Y., Worm Power will be able to optimize manufacturing processes to enhance global product availability and production levels with this grant, which is part of the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP).
“Globally, there is an incredibly high demand for all-natural, organic fertilizers and biostimulants. Growing food, increasing crop nutrient intake, or reducing carbon footprint are all significant considerations for growers. When our production rises – potentially tenfold – we can expand access to our products, meet customers’ needs and promote more sustainable farming practices,” said Managing CEO, Patrick Burke.
The Worm Power team is set to increase production of its signature product, vermicompost, a soil additive that is produced by leveraging the digestive power of earthworms. The company’s product, which is considered an industry disruptor for both its production method and results, is helping to improve crop yield and plant performance. The solution has been validated both in the field and in academia, garnering significant interest from investors and a broad spectrum of customers from commercial agriculture, turf management and cannabis and other high-value horticulture crops, as well as hobby farmers.
Worm Power boasts the largest process-controlled vermicompost operation in North America, utilizing tens of millions red wigglers on a daily basis throughout its expansive property. With the funding now secured, Worm Power will make a series of facility upgrades including purchasing and modernizing its equipment, constructing additional product and storage buildings, and enhancing site access at the farm to improve on-site loading and shipping processes. The total project is estimated to cost more than $1.8 million and will help Worm Power bring its product to market at an accelerated pace.
Burke adds, “Our forward-thinking ownership group is fully committed to the ongoing investment in Worm Power, but with the help of the USDA’s grant, we’ll be potentially hitting production goals 18 months ahead of schedule. On top of that, we’re working hand-in-hand with a family-owned dairy. When our production increases to those higher levels, we’re simulatenously changing the economic fortune of that family farm, which we all know family farms play such a critical role in the economy.”
The FPEP grants, authorized by the CCC Charter Act and administered by USDA’s Rural Business‐Cooperative Service (RBCS), were made available by the Biden-Harris administration to help increase American-made fertilizer production, spur competition and combat price hikes affecting U.S. farmers. The program aims to support independent suppliers such as Worm Power, which make sustainable, farmer-focused and innovative fertilizer products. Worm Power has committed to match the USDA’s grant by the required 40%.
