Dane Terrill: Earthworm Power - Vermicompost & Vermicompost Teas in Agriculture
The biological and crop nutrition qualities of worm castings is legendary in organic gardening circles. Making these biological workhorses function in production agriculture has for many remained just a dream. This longtime vermicompost pro will explain how to create top-quality vermicompost and brew that into a high-quality compost tea to be utilized on crops, in greenhouses, or in market gardens. Scale of operation does not need to preclude uses of this powerful, low-cost, farm-made biological material.
Dane Terrill comes to eco-agriculture through two long-standing pillars of the organic community, Flowerfield Enterprises and Crop Services International. Flowerfield Enterprises, founded in 1971 by Mary Appelhof, is a leader in the vermicomposting industry. A compost tea component was added in 2005, brewing and applying biologically rich compost teas to residential yards, gardens and athletic fields. Dane consults with farmers, superintendents and greenhouse growers. Flowerfield performs biological tests on compost and compost teas in their lab. Crop Services International, founded by Dr. Phil Wheeler over 35 years ago, offers a complete farm program utilizing state-of-the-art eco-agriculture. CSI specializes in transitioning conventional growers to sustainable, organic methods on four continents. Dane’s background in designing and maintaining a golf course using environmentally friendly practices created in him the need to provide a less toxic environment for his two children and the hundreds of other students that he coached in basketball and golf for 22 years. He holds a bachelor’s of arts degree in business from Albion College. He studied at the Sustainable Studies Institute in Corvallis, Oregon. He speaks widely on soil biology, vermiculture, soil science, compost teas, and the value of returning bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes to the soil, helping growers maintain or increase yields while reducing or eliminating inorganic fertilizers and pesticides.
(1 hour, 3 minutes, 29 seconds) Recorded at the 2014 Acres U.S.A. Conference, Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, December 6, 2014.
Dane Terrill comes to eco-agriculture through two long-standing pillars of the organic community, Flowerfield Enterprises and Crop Services International. Flowerfield Enterprises, founded in 1971 by Mary Appelhof, is a leader in the vermicomposting industry. A compost tea component was added in 2005, brewing and applying biologically rich compost teas to residential yards, gardens and athletic fields. Dane consults with farmers, superintendents and greenhouse growers. Flowerfield performs biological tests on compost and compost teas in their lab. Crop Services International, founded by Dr. Phil Wheeler over 35 years ago, offers a complete farm program utilizing state-of-the-art eco-agriculture. CSI specializes in transitioning conventional growers to sustainable, organic methods on four continents. Dane’s background in designing and maintaining a golf course using environmentally friendly practices created in him the need to provide a less toxic environment for his two children and the hundreds of other students that he coached in basketball and golf for 22 years. He holds a bachelor’s of arts degree in business from Albion College. He studied at the Sustainable Studies Institute in Corvallis, Oregon. He speaks widely on soil biology, vermiculture, soil science, compost teas, and the value of returning bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes to the soil, helping growers maintain or increase yields while reducing or eliminating inorganic fertilizers and pesticides.
(1 hour, 3 minutes, 29 seconds) Recorded at the 2014 Acres U.S.A. Conference, Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, December 6, 2014.
My Farmer, My Customer
New! Learn from Marty Travis's experiences converting the Spence Farm into one of the most successful farming co-ops in the United States today.
