Photos by Carolyn Lange Mike Larson holds a handful of African Nightcrawlers raised at Brut Worm Farms in Brooten.
Mike and Karen Larson, owners, stand next to the soil bins filled with worms at Brut Worm Farms in Brooten.
BROOTEN WORM FARMER RAISES HERDS OF SOIL-BUILDERS By Carolyn Lange | clange@wctrib.com
L
ike any good livestock farmer, Mike Larson does what it takes to make his herd happy with the right food, housing, bedding, temperature and humidity. As a result, Larson produces a product people can use and – like any good livestock farmer – hopes he can make a living doing it. But Larson’s herd of 1.7 million is a little unusual. “I’m a worm farmer,” said Larson. Specifically, Larson raises African Nightcrawlers. They are kept in large indoor bins on a bed of locally harvested peat and certified organic grains that the worms consume. What they produce is tons of worm castings. “It’s a nice way of saying worm poop,” Larson said. Rich in natural nutrients and used as a soil amendment, worm castings are especially popular with gardeners in the East Coast and West Coast markets. “We got into this business because we wanted to try to make a difference for helping people raise more healthy food and grow things more naturally without synthetic fertilizer and the chemicals and growth hormones and things like that,” Larson said. Continued on page 6
Worm castings are mixed with soil to help plants grow.
West Central Tribune – November 2020 – Page 5
