Elana Warsen waters her compost material at Michigan Worm Works. Courtesy photo.
By Kevin Howell
Manistee resident Elana Warsen has been busy for the past couple years growing her new enterprise, Michigan Worm Works.
Michigan Worm Works is a production business that uses a process known as vermicomposting to develop high-quality fertilizer/soil conditioner. The process uses worm castings (manure) and organic food waste to generate nitrogen-rich compost while keeping kitchen scraps out of landfills.
When Warsen began vermicomposting, she produced the material in her laundry room and basement on a small scale using her own food scraps that the worms eat to make the castings.
She described the composting method during my interview with her in spring 2020.
“It’s an odor-free process, doesn’t heat up like a compost pile outside does, and it generates worm castings,” Warsen said, adding, “which (are) basically worm manure and is a very valuable soil conditioner and can replace synthetic fertilizers. It’s popular with organic farmers, and cannabis growers appreciate it.”
Fast-forward one year.
“We moved to a larger facility in April 2021,” Warsen said recently. “It’s a 2,500 square-foot warehouse in Manistee Township on Pine Creek Road. The move has allowed us to significantly scale up our vermicompost production, and now we can offer field trips, workshops, and tours for the community.”
Producing on a larger scale obviously requires more food waste than she can produce in her kitchen, so she formed partnerships with other entities.
“The food waste originates in Traverse City,” she explained. “Bay Area Recycling for Charities (BARC) collects it from participating schools, hotels, restaurants, and stores. BARC takes them to Krull’s Composting in Maple City, (in Leelanau County), where composting guru Barry Krull combines them with farm waste and turns the mixture with his tractor.”
She then buys the partially composted organic waste from Krull’s. More composted material needs more worms to work it.
“When I started vermicomposting as a hobby, I began with 500-1,000 worms,” Warsen said. “When I set up my commercial facility this spring, I stocked my worm beds with about 50,000 worms. They double in population size approximately every 90 days, so I probably have twice as many now.”
Popularity of the product continues to increase.
“Demand for vermicompost has grown significantly,” Warsen said. “In fact, we have plans to double our production capacity in 2022 to help meet demand.
“Several local produce farmers are using our product to grow food for our community, which makes me feel very honored and proud. The cannabis industry is also driving demand.”
Vermicomposting workshop offered
For people in the community interested in vermicomposting and its benefits for food plant production, Warsen is partnering with Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program Technician Justin Brown to present a free workshop, “Intro to Vermicomposting,” 6-7 p.m., Oct. 21, at her business location, 1965 Pine Creek Road, Manistee. Donations are welcome to help defray costs. The workshop will include a take-home kit with all necessary equipment and supplies to begin vermicomposting at home. Pre-registration by Oct. 7 is required. Contact the Manistee Conservation District at (231) 889-9666 or email manisteecd@macd.org to register.
For more information about Michigan Worm Works and for pricing and online ordering of vermicompost products – www.michiganwormworks.com/shop, or contact Warsen directly by email – michiganwormworks@gmail.com.
