$75 Million Farm Utilizes Fly Droppings for Profit: Rationale Explained
Black Soldier Flies Transform Oregon's Waste Management and Agriculture
Black soldier flies (BSF) are making a significant impact in McMinnville, Oregon, a city that McPhillips affectionately calls "McMintopia" due to its progressive politics, cheap energy, and surrounding farms nestled in wine country.
- Decomposing Food Waste
BSF larvae are efficient decomposers, consuming large amounts of organic waste at rates up to seven times faster than traditional composters. This rapid decomposition reduces the amount of food waste sent to landfills, thereby cutting methane emissions associated with anaerobic decomposition in landfills—a significant contributor to climate change.
- Creating Nutrient-Rich Frass
The organic residue left after larvae digest the waste is called frass. BSF frass is a nutrient-rich byproduct that functions as an effective organic fertilizer. It enhances soil health by improving nutrient cycling and promoting beneficial microbial activity. By using BSF frass in agriculture, communities like McMinnville can support sustainable practices by recirculating nutrients, reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers, and fostering ecosystem services.
- Enhancing Soil Carbon Storage
While BSF directly aid in nutrient recycling, their ability to produce frass that improves soil health can also contribute to enhanced soil carbon sequestration. Healthy soils with good structure and microbial activity are better able to store carbon long-term, potentially mitigating atmospheric CO2 levels.
- Local Benefits
Local vineyards, distilleries, and farms in Oregon receive frass from Chapul Farms, some of which were initial food waste providers. The local production of frass can help communities like McMinnville avoid the vagaries of global markets, such as the curtailment of fertilizer supply and price increase in 2022 due to events like Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
- Economic Impact
Chapul Farms, founded in 2014 by Ramsey McPhillips, who owns a 600-acre farm in McMinnville that has been in his family since 1862, is planning to build four additional facilities in the next three years and hopes to build 20 facilities by 2032. This expansion will create jobs and improve economic livelihoods, particularly in regions affected by environmental degradation and hunger.
- Industry Collaborations
Chapul Farms is working on a privately-funded project with a Kentucky beer brewery and whiskey distillery to decompose spent grains using black soldier flies. This collaboration highlights the potential for BSF farming to address waste management issues across various industries.
In summary, black soldier flies contribute to climate solutions by rapidly decomposing food waste to reduce landfill methane emissions, creating nutrient-rich frass that supports soil fertility and nutrient cycling, and fostering soil conditions that may enable increased carbon storage—all key components of a circular, sustainable approach to managing organic waste and climate change.
- McPhillips's 600-acre farm in McMinnville, Oregon, which has been in his family since 1862, is planning to expand its black soldier fly (BSF) operations by building four additional facilities over the next three years, with a goal of establishing 20 facilities by 2032. This expansion is expected to have a significant economic impact, creating jobs and improving the economic livelihoods, particularly in regions affected by environmental degradation and hunger.
- Beyond waste management and agriculture, there is potential for black soldier flies to address waste management issues across various industries. Chapul Farms, the white-owned farm in McMinnville, is collaborating with a Kentucky beer brewery and whiskey distillery on a privately-funded project to decompose spent grains using BSF larvae.
- In addition to its economic impact, the local production of BSF frass can help communities like McMinnville avoid the vagaries of global markets, such as the curtailment of fertilizer supply and price increase in 2022 due to events like Russia's invasion of Ukraine. By using BSF frass in agriculture, communities can support sustainable practices by recirculating nutrients, reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers, and fostering ecosystem services.
- Black soldier flies are also working to combat climate change through their efficient decomposition of food waste, thereby cutting methane emissions associated with anaerobic decomposition in landfills—a significant contributor to global warming.
- BSF farming is not just about waste management and agriculture; it is also about supporting culture and community by promoting arts, science, and environmental-science projects that focus on sustainable practices, climate change, and real-estate investments. For instance, Chapul Farms is actively seeking ways to partner with local artists, scientists, and real estate developers to develop eco-friendly and sustainable communities in McMinnville.
