Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 3, 2014

AFTER SENATOR’S PUSH, SCHUMER ANNOUNCES USDA TO AWARD $99,000 IN FEDERAL SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION GRANT TO ORGANIC COMPOSTING FIRM, WORM POWER, INC. IN LIVINGSTON COUNTY TO HELP THEM DEVELOP NEW PRODUCT LINE

Worm Power, Inc. Turns Cow Manure into Disease-Preventing Fertilizer, Which is Healthy for Crops, Boosts Yields, and Cuts Down on Need to Use Synthetic Fungicides – Fed Funds Will Help Company Create New, Value-Added Spray Product for Their Business

Last Year, Schumer Visited Worm Power to Push for this Federal Grant to Link Worm Power with Ag Scientists at Cornell to Develop New Line of Agricultural Sprays with Disease-Preventing Abilities

Schumer: Fed Grant will Power Livingston County Business to New Heights & Help Grow Company

Today, U.S. Senator Schumer announced that, after his push, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will award organic composting firm Worm Power in Avon, NY with a $99,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant. These federal dollars will link Worm Power, Inc. with Cornell University’s agricultural scientists to help the business develop an organic spray to coat seeds—to protect them from disease and help them grow larger as they germinate. Worm Power is a commercial earthworm composting company that takes animal waste from dairy cows, composts it, and uses an innovative process to feed the waste to millions of earthworms to create a fertilizer that doubles as a crop disease-preventing additive – a process referred to as “vermicomposting.” The product this process generates eliminates the need for synthetic fungicides that can be harmful to the environment and consumers. In January 2014, Schumer toured the facility and launched his plan to secure federal grant dollars from the USDA to help Worm Power develop this new line of products and grow their business.

"I am proud to announce that, after going to bat for this local composting operation, Worm Power, Inc. their application for this Small Business Innovation Research grant has been approved and federal support is on the way to help this innovative start-up company create new beneficial product lines and grow their business. What’s more, the innovation of companies like Worm Power has a positive ripple-effect for two of Upstate New York’s biggest industries: dairy and agriculture. Their unique composting method eliminates excess waste from our growing dairy industry as they expand to meet new growing demand for products like Greek Yogurt, and it creates a valuable product for our agricultural industry,” said Schumer.

Worm Power Founder and Co-President Tom Herlihy said, “We appreciate Senator Schumer’s support for this grant that will let us link with the world-class capabilities at Cornell to develop a new class of products and help grow Worm Power here in Livingston County.”

While touring the facilities earlier this year, Schumer explained that their businesses is a win-win for two of Upstate New York’s largest industries – dairy and agriculture – because it helps the dairy industry manage their waste- particularly as volume increases with Greek yogurt production - and turns around a product to growers that increases crop yields and organically protects against crop disease. Schumer supported this $99,994 SBIR grant from the USDA specifically for Worm Power’s project, “Vermicomposted Dairy Manure as a Disease Suppressive Seed Treatment,” seeks to create a new class of organic seed treatments to prevent plant diseases. Worm Power will now be able to partner with plant pathology experts at Cornell to study alternatives to conventional agri-chemicals that are commonly used on seeds. The project will take about eight months and Worm Power will begin it this month with Cornell.

Worm Power currently employs 8 workers in Avon and obtaining this grant enables this local company to develop a new value-added product in order to add more jobs in Livingston County. Schumer says this SBIR grant through the USDA will also now link Worm Power with Cornell University’s agricultural scientists to help the business develop an organic spray to coat seeds—to protect them from disease and help them grow larger as they germinate. Schumer says that these seeds are an incredibly important and lucrative sector of the agricultural economy, and that seed coating is an emerging business opportunity for a company like Worm Power.

Worm Power is an agricultural start-up based on Coyne Family dairy farm in Avon, New York. Unlike other compost companies, Worm Power uses millions of earthworms to create a high-quality, organic soil. This digestion process reduces the manure's volume by three-quarters and produces fertilizer with a powerful immune system to help fend off a variety of plant diseases. Due in part to the growth of the Greek yogurt industry, dairy farmers in Upstate are anticipating a corresponding increase in the amount of excess waste produced as they ramp up dairy production to meet yogurt demand, creating a possible environmental problem. Tom Herlihy, Worm Power’s founder and Co-President estimates that their company uses 10 million pounds of cow manure a year to create 2.5 million pounds in fertilizer; and as their company grows, they could further help dairy farms reduce their excess waste.

The fertilizer produced from the process boosts the immune systems of plants on which it's spread and reduces seedling diseases. Its commercial sales are primarily for home and garden use, as an organic fertilizer for potted plants or small gardens. But researchers at Cornell University tested Worm Power compost in peer-reviewed studies and found that it increases crop productivity significantly, and could be an incredibly valuable product for larger-scale agricultural or landscaping use. Schumer said that Worm Power’s business model was beneficial for both the agricultural industry and the dairy industry, but that breaking into the seed treatment business could offer new opportunities for growth.

Annually, over 50% of seeds are treated and seed treatment products account for over $3 billion in sales, but they typically contain several inorganic chemicals that may have negative side effects. Schumer hopes that Worm Power can break into this lucrative agricultural sector with a biologically-based seed treatment that is sustainably produced and environmentally-friendly.

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