Rural Microfarming: Mobile On-Farm Production Of Insects As Animal Feed From Agricultural Waste

Beta Hatch grows insects for animal feed at an industrial scale. We innovate on biological andengineering principles that allow us to produce insects at a low cost to meet agricultural prices foranimal feed. Our insects are a nutritious alternative feed ingredient for fish and livestock. In thisPhase-1 SBIR we propose to develop a modular insect processing unit that can be easily scaledinto a retrofitted poultry house or warehouse providing an alternative business model for farmerswho already own this infrastructure. We specifically propose to: 1) design a modular processingunit (MPU) for mealworms; 2) test the performance of the MPU; and 3) profile the geographicopportunities for deployment accounting for variable costs of production. The benchmark forsuccess will be to: 1) create a MPU that can operate with the use of equipment that allows for themost critical process to be mechanized; 2) test the MPU for production of the same quality productsas the main processing line; 3) develop a map and set of operating profiles to highlight siteselections and diet considerations for small on-farm systems. The proposed work has a connectionto agriculturally related manufacturing technology addressing the priorities outlined in 8.12 Smalland Mid-Size Farms: New Agricultural Enterprises and also has applications in urban agriculture.This work will also support the enhancement of mealworm production for feed which is anemerging industry with potential to enhance the stability and sustainability of our food systems andprovide economic opportunity in rural America.