Jan 8 • 💬 Chat
Worms signal success!
4 Min Read
Nebraska farmer Doug Steffen finds worms in his compost pile
FINDING WORMS: If Knox County, Neb., farmer Doug Steffen finds worms in his compost pile, he knows the compost is working and healthy, and the extracts he develops from the compost materials and applies on his seed and soil will boost microbial activity in the soil. The hope is that by boosting microbes, he can cut back on commercial inputs without giving up yield.
Regenerative agriculture. What does it mean?
For northeast Knox County, Neb., farmer Doug Steffen, it’s pretty simple. It means seeing plenty of worms in his compost pile.
Steffen and his family have been working hard over the past four to five years to develop a compost system and liquid extracts from that compost that can help inoculate seeds and grow crops with native microbial activity.
Because, if the microbes are healthy, the soil is healthy. If the soil is healthy, it can mean fewer commercial inputs and better crop yields. In other words, it can boost the farm’s bottom line.
Steffen along with 3 other panelists shared his knowledge about composting at the Northeast Nebraska Ag Conference
TELLING THE STORY: Along with three other farmer panelists, Steffen (left) shared his knowledge about composting with a large crowd at the recent Northeast Nebraska Ag Conference held in Norfolk. Seated next to Steffen is Kenny Reinke, a farmer from Neligh, Neb.
All about the worms
The key to Steffen’s system is the compost pile, and his success indicator is the presence of worms in the pile.
“I just try to get as much diversity into that as I can,” he told a crowd at a recent Northeast Nebraska Ag Conference in Norfolk. “I go around our area, and I’m looking for areas that are going to be undisturbed, that are going to have native soils and native organisms.”
He fills his 5-gallon bucket with soil from those spots, trying to create a medium to be able to grow microorganisms.
“We’ll make a compost pile of those native elements and cover it,” Steffen explained. “And then, I don’t do anything for six weeks. I come back and look at it, and if I have worms in there, I know it is doing what it needs to do. I get really excited about worms, because if the worms are there, that’s a good thing.”
Related:Compost tea: Boost microbes to build soil health
Steffen said he has been on a soil health journey for years. The “aha” moment may have come when Steffen met Jim Williams, a farmer from Herrick, S.D., at a soil health meeting.
“Jim and I ended up sitting next to each other at the ‘compost’ table,” Steffen recalled. That fate meeting with an experienced farmer already utilizing compost extracts bolstered Steffen’s confidence and interest in the process.
“It’s really just trying to grow biological life,” Steffen said. “That’s how I judge my compost, if I’m doing it right or if I’m getting close. There are times where I have failed. But then God kind of fixes it for me. Sometimes it just takes some extra time.”
Extracts made from his living compost pile are used as treatments on seed before planting, as soil drenches and as a spray over the crops. “It’s not that complicated,” Steffen added. “It’s really simple. How do I feed the life in the soil?”
Steffen scouts native, undisturbed soils around his farm
TAKES MANAGEMENT: Steffen scouts native, undisturbed soils around his farm for material to help boost and diversify the microbial activity in his compost pile. But composting takes management, so Steffen spends time properly building the pile, and then making the compost extracts he uses on his soil and crops.
Pile it up
As for making his compost pile, Steffen collects microorganisms and makes his pile in May. He turns it three times, and plants cover crops on top of that, keeping the pile watered throughout the summer.
Looking at the compost extract from the pile under a microscope, Steffen can see the diversity of microbial activity. The first use of the extract in each season is as seed treatment at planting time.
For Steffen, cattle are a key component to making his system work because they introduce biology to his system and provide another income stream for the farm. “We need to look at a diversified system, and we need to look at our livestock systems,” Steffen explained. “They need to be a diversified livestock system.”
Reducing commercial inputs is part of the goal. “The more I go and buy and put out there, it just creates more risk for myself,” he said. “It’s trying to find the middle, and it can be a challenge.”
For Steffen, the key to success is a relentless focus on the soil. “We do need markets,” he said, “but I think there is a whole lot of opportunity for help” in restoring the soil, emulating nature and offering a vibrant life for future generations and beyond.
“That what we need to have our focus on,” he added.
And for Steffen, getting excited about worms and building microbial activity in his compost pile and eventually in the extracts he applies to seed and soil are his family’s way of doing just that.
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Worms signal success!
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