WORDS : Alice Armitage IMAGES : Pip Williams

Worms and worm farming are often considered to be a hobby dedicated to the backyard nature warrior, but as the agricultural industry is coming around to a future where farming needs to be working towards a more regenerative way of practising, worms are playing their role in the future of large scale farming applications.

Worms are far from new technology, they have been a part of our ecosystems dating back to 500 millions years ago, but technology like that being created by Worms Downunder is enabling producers to implement the power of worms at scale across their farming operations. With the ever-fluctuating cost and availability of synthetic fertilisers, decline rates of soil health and an increased interest in and understanding of the benefits of more regenerative methods of farming, worms and their role in this dynamic are becoming increasingly popular.

Worms play a vital role in soil function through the recycling of decaying plant materials and producing worm casts that are rich in microbes, contributing to microbial diversity in the soil – which is very good. While worms are naturally found in soil, traditional and mainstream agricultural practices haven’t been very good to worms. Which was represented in a 2019 study undertaken by Horticulture Innovation Australia finding earthworm activity levels are very low across all properties surveyed, with worm numbers increasing slightly across areas with a history of less intensive cultivation and grazing. Which is why natural inputs, like those being offered from Worms Downunder, are being used as an alternative to naturally occuring worm activity.

Worms Downunder owner, Jen Symmonds is a third generation farmer herself and is now also a worm worshipper. With her passion for farming stemming from her childhood days spent on her grandparents’ sheep farm. The production of worms and the game of vermiculture may seem a far cry from Jen’s roots but since taking over the Worms Downunder business four years ago, Jen has taken it from strength to strength. “After a corporate career in the energy sector I was looking for something more meaningful that connected me back to my farming roots. I wasn’t sure what was next but I did see a lot of potential in the technology. There was nothing else like it on the market. It’s been an interesting journey bringing our new designs to the market and it’s been wonderful connecting with the farmers. It feels like coming home,” said Jen. It takes a special type of person to dedicate themselves to the pursuit of worm derived success and now with her children, Tom and Francesca, joining the business, worms are a truly family affair.

Worms Downunder offers two distinct products, modular worm farms and a vermiculture brew. Both of which focus on the worm cast and what we’re able to do with that cast. Worm castings being the core byproduct of a worm farm and is the nutrient rich, organic matter that can be used at scale to promote soil health across a farming operation.

When soil microbes, like those that are produced from worm castings, feed on organic matter, plant nutrients are released into the soil in their most plant-available form. A good balance of plant-available nutrients is essential for healthy crop and animal production. Some research also indicates that enhanced microbial activity can translate to less dependence on chemical fertilisers – the bacteria and fungal balance in the soils ecosystem will do the work for you. Unlocking nutrients in organic matter and enhancing the update of those available nutrients.

Over the long term, the role of worm castings can also improve physical soil health over the long term. As the health of the soil’s microbial ecosystem increases, so does the soil structure and soil aggregation overtime which ultimately helps air and moisture move efficiently through the soil and can positively affect issues such as erosion.

So how is the team behind Worms Downunder making large scale worm casting applications possible for producers? The vermiculture brew is a liquid concentrate of the worm cast and all of those mighty fine microbes. Applied through a pre-plant seed inoculation, in crop spray or through a fertigation system, the brew has been designed to increase the population of aerobic bacteria, beneficial fungi and other microbial exudates from the worm’s gut – which all contributes to the soil’s microbial prosperity. Whereas Worms Downunders modular worm farms offer producers a non-exothermic method of managing their on-farm organic waste, while producing the necessary worm castings to formulate their own worm brew.

When Tom Symmons was a kid he thought he would be playing AFL when he grew up not revolutionising the worm industry, but it is exactly where he has ended up and he seems pretty happy about it. A qualified electrician, Tom now works full time in the family business and has taken over the management of manufacturing and production. Which has led Tom to be the frontrunner in the business when it comes to testing product designs, experimenting with systems and leading the charge on the production of the worm cast extract and working closely with farmers. “I really enjoy speaking to farmers, they’re just such great people and have such a strong mindset around regeneration of their land. I’ve been able to learn how progressive farmers really can be and how willing they are to try something new if they think it will be beneficial. They’re also so keen to chat and share their own knowledge, it really interests me and gives me a real understanding of how to relate to people, and how our products can relate to people as well.” says Tom.

“I’m excited for all the opportunities we have in front of us to continue to prove wholeheartedly that the concept of vermiculture can make a difference in creating regenerative farming practices that are profitable and replicable all over the world. If farmers can see more instances of this working they’re going to be more willing to give it a crack.”

Worms Downunder have been working closely with a diverse range of farming operations to showcase the impact worms and vermiculture products can have across a diverse range of operations. From producers like Tasmanian cherry farmers Nic and Traci Hansen to the likes of the Curtis family who run Bellevue Grazing Company in the Western Darling Downs, Worms Downunder is continuing to work closely with producers to build more validation for their concept and its application.

Bellevue’s mixed agricultural enterprise run by lifelong farmer David and Robbie, along with their daughter Sophie, produce premium Dorper sheep with summer and winter grain rotations to support their production. As the family moves to a more regenerative method of farming worms became a natural part of the regenerative conversation. “Worms have always been fascinating to me, and we’ve had great results implementing them into our farming practice. The soil is very hard around here so we’ll try anything to support the soil’s health and to support better root establishment of our plants. The vermicast brew has really played a role in that for us.” said Sophie Curtis. “Previously we had been buying vermicast brew to inoculate our pasture seed before we plant and recently we’ve purchased our own worm farm to start to make our own vermicast brew. To me, being able to have our own worm farm and brew ourselves is closing the loop. Our sheep eat the plants we grow and when they’ve done their business out in the field, we’re able to pick that up to feed the worms. Where the benefits of worms can go directly back into our own soil. It’s full circle.”

Soil is a farmers biggest asset and as worm brew is shown to have a direct impact on crop and pasture production the benefits translate to longer term outcomes and regenerative objectives for our soil, such as supporting the sequestering of carbon in the soil. “There’s a lot of information that suggests that the microbiome of the soil also plays a crucial role in the sequestering of carbon in the soil. It’s also something we’re really aware of and hope we can contribute to. The whole process is absolutely fascinating.”

These images where taken at Bellevue Doper Stud - where Sophie shows tom how the worms are put into practice on their place . This piece was created in partnership with the team at Dirt Lab.