Compost Uses and Markets
Compost Uses and Markets: Step It Up a Notch
Rhonda Sherman
Extension Specialist
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
You can increase the bottom line of your composting operation by adding vermicomposting and tea production to your activities. If you sell compost for ~$30 per cubic yard, you can increase its value tenfold (or more!) by feeding it to worms. Worm castings (called vermicast or vermicompost) sell for a minimum of $200 per cubic yard. Many people are selling it for $700 per cubic yard. With the right packaging, you can sell vermicompost for 2-1/2 times that price.
I interviewed 18 worm farming operations for my new book, The Worm Farmer’s Handbook: Mid-to Large-Scale Vermicomposting for Farms, Businesses, Municipalities, Schools, and Institutions.Many of the facilities pre-compost feedstocks and feed the compost to earthworms. The facilities that are making the most money manufacture/sell compost, vermicompost, soil mixes, and teas.