Robbins,
Jim. "Worms Produce Another Kind of Gold for Farmers." The New
York Times.
The New York Times, 01 Jan. 2013. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/01/science/worms-produce-another-kind-of-gold-for-farmers.html?ref=science
Who would have guessed the lowly exalted
earth worm could provide such remarkable and productive assistance in the
fertilization and growth of plants?
A massive worm population, and specifically the earthworm’s digestive
process, actually acts as an “incubator for microorganisms,” according to
Norman Q. Arancon, an assistant professor of horticulture at the University of
Hawaii. These microbes multiply
rapidly as they are excreted altering the ecosystem of the soil. In some cases, they make more nitrogen
spurring plant growth. In his article, Jim Robbins tells the story of Jack
Chambers, the man who owns the Sonoma Valley Worm Farm in California. He boasts a large investment in a
worm-created soil additive known as vermicompost. He has spent decades of his time working on this project and
is now seeing a vast range of benefits from the lowly earthworm. His plants have the ability to grow
with more resistance to insects and disease using vermicompost. One of the primary reasons why these
plants can grow to be stronger is based on the fact that the microbes alter the
ecosystem of the soil. Soils that
are indulged in pesticides lack the diversity that comes along with microbes
resulting in poorer crop production.
Another potential outcome is that earthworms can assist in decreasing
the amount of animal waste in dairy farms. Mr. Chambers produces about 500,000 pounds of cow manure
compost at his farm by combining nearly 400,000 worms into a metal bin with the
manure. The worms transform the waste into rich and usable manure, called a
vermicompost bed which can last, when actively attended to, for years. It is important to recognize that
despite the enthusiasm and positive energy surrounding this new agricultural
process, some plants react better to food-waste vermicompost than vermicompost
from dairy manure. This has led to
what is called “boutique composting” with different blends of compost for
different plants.
This
technique of using earthworms to transform the ecosystem for soil to yield
stronger plants and crops is very promising. Earthworms are plentiful, cheap and have the ability to
break down most anything. They are
surprisingly strong and their high diversity allows them to multiply rapidly
when they are excreted. Once we learn more about why these microbes do what
they do, we will be able to enhance this mechanism and perhaps install it in
farms all over the world. The
potential impact to humanity is higher crop production, less diseased output
and a greater food supply for a growing world population – all at a modest
cost. This advancement could
significantly improve the agricultural practices of many impoverished nations
as well which struggle to feed their population. An example of how the worms
positively impact our environment outside of the farm world is evidenced by a
West Coast company named, California Soils. Worms are used to break down cardboard waste fibers that are
too short to be recycled. The glue
that is used to bind the paper serves as a source of nitrogen for the
worms. Eliminating such paper
waste products enhances our overall environment. Earthworms also aid in the destruction of fungal diseases
such as nutgall that afflicts walnut trees. The benefits are enormous with the healthy growth of plants,
trees and crops while enhancing our environment.
This
article provided a fascinating insight into worm farms that could materially
impact current day agricultural techniques. I enjoyed the connections Jim Robbins provided on the
scientific findings of the earthworm’s digestive system and the production of
microbes, which alter and improve the quality of the soil. The author provided a good
description of the differences between vermicompost and soil treated with typical
fertilizers and pesticides. However,
Robbins should have provided a bit more historical context given
vermicomposting has been around for over 30 years and why it is topical
today. The commercialization of
the practice and economic potential also could have been better positioned. Robbins provided only two examples of
the use of vermicomposting at a winery and marijuana grower. A greater description of the potential
use of worm composting would have made the article more relevant and provide a
more personal impact to the reader. Nevertheless, the article was fascinating
and provides great positive potential for the future in the farm industry.
I thought Andrew did a very good job overall with his article review. He opened with a "hook" that immediately drew me in and it was very attention grabbing. The rhetorical question got me thinking before I read any of his review. I also liked how Andrew used his extensive vocabulary in order to more effectively convey his point and keep his article review interesting. By using words like "exalted" and "spurring," Andrew kept my attention and did not allow his review to get boring. Finally, Andrew backed all of his facts up with institutions, names, and institutions. This provided a backbone for his article review since many of these things are quite important.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Andrew dd a very good job with his review, there are a few places where he could have improved. Andrew could have kept his summary a bit more concise. At times it seemed to drag on, and not all of the information seemed completely necessary for the summary. Andrew also could have included a few more quotes because these provide primary sources, and help to back up the review. The one quote he did use was too short, and he could have included a few others.
I found it amazing how earthworms can be so important to ecosystems. We usually do not see them as being important because they are so small and do not seem very significant, however I learned that they are very important to ecosystems and to the fertilization of soil.
Timmy Donohue
ReplyDeleteI thought Andrew’s review on Jim Robbins’s article, “Worms Produce Another Kind of Gold For Farmers,” was very interesting. I really liked how he opened with a very strong hook in the form of a rhetorical question. It was something fresh and new that nobody else has done and it also brought me into his discussion very effectively. Also, Andrew did a very good job of describing what the “gold” was that the worms were producing. Finally, I really liked how Andrew described how the soil produced by worms helps the farmers due to the nutrient rich microbes found in the soil. I thought this helped to get a better understanding of how the soil is enhanced by worms.
While Andrews review was very good, there were a few things that I would have changed. For example, though I really enjoyed how he included all of those facts, I felt at times he was just restating what was already in the article. So I would have put the facts or findings into my own words and included only the important ones. Secondly, I would have liked to know where they are implementing this technique of using worms, and how it has spread so far. This would have helped the reader get a better understanding of the impact that this discovery has had.
I found it very interesting to learn that worms could have such a profound and revolutionary impact on farming. Who knew that those creatures that seemed to be only used for catching fish, could be so vital to the farming industry.
Andrew wrote a very informative review of Jim Robbins New York Times article, “Worms Provide Another Kind of Gold for Farmers.” Andrew had a many important examples and facts highlighted in his review that gave the reader a good context for the successes of this new industry of using earth worms’ compost (vermicompost) as a fertilizer. Also, Andrew did an amazing job connecting this new industry to the outside world. He did this by explaining how this could impact the world, by discussing the better crop yield witnessed from using this vermicompost and how it is very environmentally friendly, for the worms can break down almost anything, such as cardboard, which then can be reused to help grow new, healthy crops. Finally, I agreed with Andrew’s statement that “A greater description of the potential use of worm composting would have made the article more relevant and provide a more personal impact to the reader.” Since there were only a few examples of people using this product, it did seem as though the product has not been creating that much of an impact, so some statistical information, especially, would have made more of an impact on the reader.
ReplyDeleteAndrew had a very well-written review, but there were a couple of things that I would have added to make it even stronger. Andrew, for example, could have mentioned some examples of research that is being done to better understand and enhance the benefits of the vermicompost. Eric Nelson, is studying how compost suppresses disease. He believes that the vermicompost may work better than traditional compost, for it is highly uniform. It is important to understand how the worms’ compost is working, for then the mechanism can try to be enhanced. Also, I believe that Andrew should have added a few more quotes in his review, for that would have given the reader a better idea of what experts have to say.
This article and its review were very well done. I found the article very exciting and interesting, for this seems like a very promising field of study. We can only hope that people start experimenting more with this new fertilization technique, for it already seems to have some promising data. Of course, one of the problems is the price of this compost, but hopefully through more awareness, this will become a more commonly used item, so the prices will begin to drop.