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Patience is Golden – Black Gold-en
Patience is Golden – Black Gold-en
By Kurt W. Freund
April 5, 2003
I consider myself a person who reveres nature and respects those who raise compost worms as I believe they must have a similar admiration for why God put this lowly, but marvelously constructed, soil enhancer on this earth. I am continually in wonder, as I am sure you are, at the marvelous ability of Eisenia fetida, the red worm, to transform organic wastes into castings, nature’s most perfect fertilizer, affectionately named by some as BLACK GOLD. Thus the title of this article: Patience is Golden – Black Gold-en.
Let me explain. This article appears in a special addition of Worm Digest that has rushed to press to address the recent exposure of B&B Worm Farms, Inc. as a “ponzi” like operation; an operation that charges inflated amounts of money for people to become eligible to purchase with the privilege to sell a product (in this case, composting worms) back to the original seller. The unsuspecting “mark” believes exaggerated statistics about how much they are going to be able to sell back to the company so the company, in turn, can sell the worms to others (called end users). The problem is that the only end users seem to have been other worm growers, who believed the same exaggerated statistics. With no real end users it was only a matter of time before B&B met its logical fate and was shut down, leaving close to 3000 growers each with 100’s if not 100’s of thousands of pounds of worms on their hands.
Why do I recommend patience? Let me begin with an analogy. There is a lesson provided in what one is to do when an avalanche breaks loose overhead (in the case of B&B growers, millions of pounds of red wigglers). You can try to outrun the avalanche and with all probability be buried alive. Or, you can move to the side (find other ways to use nature’s greatest little composter) and let the avalanche pass you by.
If you are carrying too much baggage (too much debt, too many worms, a victim mentality that has you "frozen" in place) then be sure you are wearing a homing device so when you are covered by the avalanche you may be lucky enough to ball up in an air pocket until help arrives (community partnerships, co-ops, a business oriented individual) to dig you out.
In my 34 years in ministry I am constantly amazed how God works in our lives. I have searched His “text book”, the Bible, for the kind of folks He chose to carry out His plan of creation. None of them were “world beater” (high success models in the eyes of the world). Also, all of them worked through some serious difficulties before they were able to achieve great things for building the Kingdom.
Sometimes when sharing with a client or speaking to a group I ask them to recall one of their own life tragedies. Then I ask them to think if they discovered some of their life’s most profound lessons and benefits while working through that tragic situation. Surprisingly, a majority of those present acknowledge that this has been their experience!
I find few major Biblical figures that haven’t first overcome adversity before becoming useful to God’s service. Through their faithfulness they turned stumbling blocks into stepping-stones.
Looking back seven years ago I recall when God’s healing overcame a serious ailment that, over a long recovery period, almost drove me into bankruptcy. Before the incident I was president of a successful insurance and investment brokerage business. During recovery I had a good deal of time to think, pray and meditate. Why was this happening to me? I didn’t want the “privilege” of reliving the life of Job: being faithful during the loss of everything of value and then being rewarded for my faithfulness later on.
What I and my family experienced is what each of us have already discovered or will discover as we deal with the fact of the biblical truth that “the rain falls on the just and the unjust” alike. God will work His purpose out! Underneath all things are His everlasting arms!
The truth is that most of us learn and grow more from overcoming our mistakes than in basking in our successes. Our human side likes to blame others for our failures and we like to take all the credit for our successes. When we, broken and humbled in defeat, come to God we can be like the clay in the potter’s hands (Jeremiah 18:1-4). If we didn’t turn out ok the first time, the master potter can remold us into a new vessel, if we are flexible and open enough to let Him do HIS marvelous work.
It has been my experience that the more broken we are, the better reconstruction job God is able to accomplish in us. However, playing victim or letting our anger take charge may only block this marvelous gift from becoming a blessed reality.
Ok, so your soil has been tilled, things are shook up and you may feel like things are caving in. For some, this is an inconvenience, an embarrassment that you have been taken advantage of. For others, there is a sizable amount of money you have tied up in your worms, you have been financially wounded but you will recover. Then, there are those who have sunk everything they have into this venture; they don’t know if they can ever financially recover.
Whatever your depth of frustration and dispair there is hope, there are solutions available to make lemonade from the lemons you’ve been served. As one grower unloaded on me, “its great for you to say all these positive support things, you don’t have thousands of pounds of worms to deal with”. That is true, I am a worm hobbyist, presently with 15 to 20 pounds of worms that are doing a great job converting our household wastes into “black gold”. However, for the past 20 years, after 15 years as a pastor, I have counseled families and small business owners in the biblical concepts of finance. Over and over again I have seen creative third answers evolve out of life problems that actually create a great success out of a real set back… successes that would have never developed if the problem had not materialized.
Folks who have been deceived by B&B have a problem, a big problem. They have lots and lots of composting worms and what looks like no market to sell them. Many have already spent a great deal of time and money to cultivate their “worm herd” and they see only more time and money needed with little, if any, financial return in their future.
Let’s take a deep breath and take a long-term view of the worm squirm you have in your possession. Supply and demand rules dictate that in most cases your Eisenia fetidas are not going to bring much of a price right now because there are too many worms available and not enough places to sell them. With patience and creativity let’s look for different ways to use nature’s super composters for environmental benefit AND financial gain.
With the help of insights from Rhonda Sherman, an Extension Solid Waste Specialist in North Carolina, let’s look at potential markets for your red wigglers OTHER than through buy-back operations.
Vermiculture – the process of breeding worms
*Bait and tackle shops
*Worm growers just entering the business
*Operations that do on-site vermicomposting (prisons, hospitals, schools, colleges, restaurants,
grocery stores, office buildings, etc.)
*Homemakers who want to be environmentally responsible with their organic wastes
*Farmers desiring to vermicompost animal manure
*Composters, organic gardeners or fisherfolk wanting to raise worms for their own use
*Other growers with orders too large to fill from their own stock
*Private laboratories and/or educational institutions for research and classroom needs
*Business that need worms as food for animals:
- Fish hatcheries
- Tropical fish stores
- Zoos
- Gamebird breeders
- Poultry growers
*Industries with organic wastes suitable as feedstock for worms:
- Landfill diversion sites
- Papermills
- Breweries
- Slaughterhouses
- Land reclamation sites
- Generators of sludge/biosolids
- Food processors
- Canneries
- Wineries
- Cotton mills
- Restaurants
Vermicomposting -- turning organic debris into worm castings
*Sell vermicompost in bulk (by cubic yard) or bagged to:
- Home improvement centers
- Nurseries
- Landscape contractors
- Golf courses
- Garden supply stores
- Grocery chains
- Greenhouses
- Flower shops
- Discount houses
- General public
*Sell “worm tea” (brewed from worm castings) to:
- Orchards
- Nurseries
- Greenhouses
- Landscapers
- General public
This is just a starter list. Your future opportunities may only be limited by your imagination and your ability to grow and market your worms and their end products. There are other attributes that will also pave the way: attitude, courage and faith to name just a few. This was well expressed recently in a post in Worm Talk, the worm site of Happy D Ranch--- “We are new growers to B & B, February 6th! We started small but in just a few months were ready to harvest due to space limitations and incredible growth. Ideas for uncovering local markets: contact as many newspapers in your area as possible, small and large. Vermicomposting is somewhat novel to many regions and a fascinating story. Free advertising! We’ve printed up flyers to put in local stores, mailboxes, libraries, scouting organizations and schools. The list is endless, it just takes some creativity and footwork!” Thank Jeanne Morgan, for permission to print your positive words.
Let me conclude what I trust are words of support for fellow “worm herders” with quotes from some of my posts from the past:
“I have given some thought to a few areas I would have my clients consider before becoming
involved in “worm herding”. I hope and pray that the following ideas have some value to you… Test local marketing possibilities. Is your interest in providing live protein to pet shops, bait for fishing, nature’s best organic soil enhancer to gardeners, etc.? If there is a market of interest, there should be viable end users to provide you with future profit.
Free or very low cost food sources for your worms will be of prime importance; leaf and grass clippings, animal wastes from local farms, fruit and vegetable wastes from local restaurants and markets, and sources of shredded paper all could be discovered and developed. There may even be some profit found in taking these wastes away. One person’s garbage will be a vermicomposter’s gold, black gold.
I would also suggest finding at least one other person to partner with. Many hands make light work. Also, what if you become ill or need to temporarily put your interests elsewhere? You need backup. In addition, there are different strokes for different folks. Someone who finds satisfaction digging with worms may not have the desire or the expertise to market the end products, and visa versa.
Co-ops may be a great solution for a partner. A major prerequisite should be that the profit realized should come from the product (worms, castings, etc) and not from large up front fee or unrelated charges”. (9/12/02)
“Please consider contacting local business leaders you might know that could have contacts and/or business know-how you need to expand your own marketing plans.
Perhaps your local Chamber of Commerce could be of help. In Grand Rapids, MI our local chapter provides mentors for anyone involved in a small business. They have also partnered with a local bank in developing a small business library and support center that has been very helpful to some of my clients in providing insights in starting up and/or supporting a small business.
Your 10’s to 1000’s of pounds of composting worms should strike a positive tone with helping groups like the Lions, Junior Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis or The Sierra Club. Also, some foundations have grants available for environmental projects. Your local Walmart store has grants for community projects that have been granted for worm farms being placed in schools and community facilities.
Think of who would have a kindly ear to your “worm situation”: plant nurseries, pet stores, bait shops, fish and tackle operations, and landscapers. Perhaps there is a local outlet there.” 3/3/03
“I just received word that the SEC (Security Exchange Commission) has mandated that all financial institutions that the SEC monitors will need to shred all documents they are discarding dealing with any of their client files.
My suggestion is to start contacting banks, insurance offices and brokerage houses near you and offer to pick up the shredded paper and dispose of it for them (into your worm beds, of course). You would be doing the financial institutions a favor and will be well supplied with worm bedding. Shredded paper is such an excellent cover for worm beds and will allow you to not destroy irreplaceable natural resources (like peat moss).” 8/2/02
“I encourage you to take a long view look at vermiculture. The B&B quick fix to riches (selling large quantities back to the supplier) has been exposed. There is a glut of worms right now and therefore their sale price will be low (supply and demand). Those who are willing to hold onto their “worm herd” and develop local markets for worms and worm products will very possibly be able to “take lemons and make lemonade”
In the past, when I have faced similar situations as B&B growers are facing presently I received a great deal of support from Robert Schuller’s Possiblity Thinkers Creed: When faced with a mountain I WILL NOT QUIT! I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine, with God’s help!” 4/1/03
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