Benefits of Worms, Beyond Soil
This is an excerpt from a small newsletter I put out. I thought folks here would appreciate it.
Benefits of Worms, Beyond Soil
Worms make soil better; everyone knows it. They chow down on organic material and create various compost compounds, improving soil structure and fertility. But it goes far beyond that. I work hard to create a soil environment to allow worms to proliferate. Not just for soil benefits, remember, part of an ecosystem affects a great many others. Worms are a source of protein. Our chickens eat worms. I‘ve found their crops to be full of earthworms at times. We estimate that between one-tenth and one-quarter of their daily diet of our free-range chickens will be worms. It’s free feed from the dirt. Our pigs also eat worms. Many people assume pigs root to look for roots and grubs. Partly so, but ours hunt down worms extensively and focus on the more worm-prone areas. Farm literature shows pigs on a good pasture can rummage up 3 to 4 pounds of worms a day. That’s nearly half of their daily diet, and all of their needed protein. By creating worm culture, we’re becoming more self-sufficient.
Most songbirds eat worms and are attracted to land that’s rich in them. Songbirds bring with them manure. Manure adds fertility and brings seeds with it. This adds to the diversity of low-growing annuals and perennials. Diversity equals robust sustainability. Even in forests where newer, non-native, and invasive worms go out of control, the songbirds, partridge, turkeys, and quail increase likewise.
Omnivores, besides just pigs and poultry, follow suit. As worms increase, all sorts of nature increase to eat them. Nature is a continuous wheel system, not individual parts. When one thing increases, the whole system increases. That’s just one little way us humans can manage the world God gave us. We can take the mantle of earth caretakers and use it to increase every good thing, every bit of provision and beauty this world is capable of. The world is full of untapped potential, the likes of which I believe we cannot yet conceive. If we work within its system instead of against it. Instead of us picking one point, like corn or beans or apples, and killing off other parts; instead of breaking the system apart to isolate one little piece to a self-destructing manner, perhaps we can look to the future and to our need for stewarding the earth and causing the Earth, its system in full, to flourish.
submitted by /u/Jordythegunguy
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