A Self-Sufficient Energy/Livestock System

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But McCutcheon's concept of integrated farming for self-sufficiency involves more than simply producing fuels. In order to manufacture ethanol at a reasonable cost, one must take full advantage of the value of the process's by-product . . . the leftover distiller's grains. Normally, such protein-rich remains (which usually total about one-third of the raw materials' original weight) can be sold outright as a livestock feed supplement or used directly on the farm for the same purpose. Charles, however, employs the residue to produce a sizable "crop" of earthworms!

How, you may ask, do the worms fit into the cycle? Well, Charlie maintains that the wigglers are absolutely essential to his operation. "In order to be self-sufficient for any amount of time, one must plan for the production of organic fertilizers for his or her farm's soil. With superior organic soil nutrients like the earthworms' manure — which is referred to as castings in the trade — I have a totally integrated farming cycle. By using the manure from worms rather than from livestock to fertilize our land, we're not only providing humus to the earth . . . we're adding — nitrogen in its valuable nitrate form — as well, along with phosphorus, magnesium, potash, and calcium!"

Better yet, it's not essential that the crawlers feed on the distiller's by-product. If, for some reason, McCutcheon chooses to divert the majority of his processed grain residue to some use other than worm food — such as to provide supplemental protein for his livestock — he can easily use the manure from the farm animals to nourish his worm stock with equal success (although the harvesting techniques vary when manure alone is used).

WORMS ON THE "HOOF"...

And the slender subterraneans provide a lot more than fertilizer! The Missourians raise the popular hybrid redworm, which is a type of manure worm that's easily adaptable to commercial production and excellent for use as live fishing bait. Charlie started growing the "red wigglers" in 1976, with 400 pounds of breeding stock (small "bedrun-sized" worms) in a 4,000-square-foot hog confinement facility. By carefully controlling the moisture, food, and pH levels in the worms' environment, the McCutcheons expanded their stock to about 6,000 pounds . . . eventually adding 3,000 more square feet of concrete-floored bedding space.

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