How I became a Worm Farmer

2020 – A Look Back

2020…..What a crazy year! Definitely one for the history books.  However, now that it is over, I feel like this would be a good time to reflect on the positives that did come out of this past year, including how I became a worm farmer.

A lot of folks will dwell on the negative aspects of 2020…..and trust me there were plenty, but I would rather focus my energy on improvement and embracing the good things that happen, both large and small.

2020 was a year of change to say the least.  We refocused on what was important in our lives, tried new things, formed new habits, spent more time with our immediate family, and remembered to appreciate those we couldn’t see as often as we were used to.

2020 will always represent a new beginning for me. I chose to make some life changing adjustments to realign my center and discover new interests and appreciations for life.

This led me to begin my adventure in the world of vermicomposting and worm farming.  As I mentioned on our “About Us” page, worms kind of happened by accident.  I legit was just trying to save some money on my boys fishing habits…..but as it turns out I did the opposite of save money! haha

2020 – Reflection

Vermiculture has become a way of life for me, and my thirst for knowledge only grows.  Worm Farming has also gotten me back in touch with family that I hadn’t spent time with in many years.  Namely my cousins, Mark Townsend (my business partner in Cousins Compost, LLC) and Aaron Townsend, who not only rents us the barn for our worm production, but he also owns a greenhouse business a quarter mile up the road called Ryan’s Flowers and Nursery, LLC.

Let me tell you, this has been amazing reconnecting with these two!  They are some of the hardest working, honest and creative men you will ever have the pleasure of meeting….and I’m lucky enough to be related!!

Back to the worms….haha!  Mark and I officially formed Cousins Compost, LLC on 8/12/2020 with a vision of not only becoming a leader in the vermicomposting and vermiculture (worm farming) industry, but to also become a positive contributor to our planet’s overall soil health and food supply.

We started in each of our prospective garages, but our ideas and motivation quickly caused us to rent the barn from Aaron at the end of September.

Since then, we have:

• Launched a website – with lots of help from Joshua Sloan at Getahostnow.com
• Created a very aggressive and successful breeding program
• Built some bulk bins and will soon have nearly 50 – Mark’s dad built the bins for us.
• Begun working on several proprietary products soon to be added to our web store. Credit to those who are helping will come as we release products.

I must admit, sometimes we feel like things are progressing at a snail’s pace, but as I reflect we are moving along at warp speed!

2020 – A Look Forward

I think I can safely speak for us both….Mark and I are extremely grateful for 2020 and can’t wait to see what we can accomplish in 2021!  We look forward to meeting new people along the way.  We find it very satisfying and rewarding to help others begin their composting and vermiculture journey leading to a healthier planet and more nutritious food supply.

I guess you could say we are “Hooked” on worms….pun intended!

Until next time!

Jason