Commercial Plant Production and Protection Products from Vermicomposted Dairy Manure

RT Solutions, LLC (RTS) has built a unique process-controlled "state-of-the-art" earthworm composting facility that process and transforms large volumes of dairy manures into a user friendly and unique plant production product with established horticultural consumers. This environmentally friendly technology known as vermicomposting uses earthworms in an engineered system to consistently produce a little understood class of organic plant production products. There are a multitude of peer-reviewed studies reporting the benefits of vermicompost in agriculture including disease suppression, but to date little has been done to identify the actual mechanisms or how they work. RTS, along with our collaborator Cornell University have preliminary results showing significant suppression of a seedling disease in a laboratory system. The three objectives of this project are to (1) develop an understanding of the mechanism of disease suppression for vermicompost, (2) develop a test that can rapidly predict suppression in vermicompost products and (3) develop a new family of liquid vermicompost extract products for use in commercial applications. RTS was founded to promote professional vermicomposting and develop vermicompost products for use in production agriculture. We are committed to bringing a quality, consistent, and scientifically based product into commercial applications. The information developed in this SBIR project will increase the value of vermicompost products to growers and further develop this environmentally sustainable manure management technology.