Markets for earthworms and vermicompost are growing, reflecting a worldwide increased interest in vermiculture and vermicomposting.

Vermiculture defined:

Vermiculture is the process of breeding worms. Growers usually pay for their worm feed, and the worm castings (manure) are often considered a waste product.
 

Vermicomposting defined:

Vermicomposting is the process of turning organic debris into vermicompost. Operators use a wider variety of feedstocks and make money on tipping fees and sales of castings or vermicompost. The earthworm population usually remains stable.
 

Applications of Vermiculture – Earthworms can be sold to the following markets:

• Bait and tackle shops
• Large-scale vermicomposting facilities
• Worm growers just entering the business
• Institutions and businesses that do on-site vermicomposting of their food scraps and other organic materials (includes prisons, hospitals, schools, colleges and universities, restaurants, grocery stores, office buildings, etc.)
• Farmers desiring to vermicompost animal manure (including livestock and poultry farms, rabbitries and horse stables)
• Composters, organic gardeners or fisherpeople wanting to raise worms for their own use
• Growers with orders too large to fill from their own stocks
• Private laboratories, universities, and high schools for research and classroom needs

Businesses that need worms as food for animals:

• Fish hatcheries
• Tropical fish stores
• Pet stores
• Zoos (w/ exotic fish and birds)
• Gamebird breeders
• Frog farmers
• Poultry growers

Industries with organic wastes suitable as feedstock for worms:

• Composting facilities
• Papermills
• Breweries
• Cardboard manufacturers
• Land reclamation sites
• Generators of sludge/biosolids
• Food processors
• Canneries
• Wineries
• Cotton mills

Application for Vermicomposting – Sell vermicompost in bulk (by cubic yard) or bagged in a variety of compost and soil blends to the following:

• Home improvement centers
• Nurseries
• Landscape contractors
• Greenhouses
• Garden supply stores
• Grocery chains
• Flower shops
• Discount houses
• General public