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Randy Hoggle Wound Up Wrangling Red Wigglers
What does a man do with 350,000 worms?

John Taylor turns a bed of red worms so he can harvest the worms for sale.

By Susie Sims

You might call it an odd sort of crop, but for Coker resident Randy Hoggle, there is no substitute for his red worm farm.

Hoggle’s interest in raising red worms began about 15 years ago. That interest has grown into a large operation containing 35 beds of red worms. Each bed holds about 10,000 worms. That’s 350,000 worms.

What does a fellow do with 350,000 worms? He sells them for fish bait, of course.

Hoggle sells the worms wholesale to local bait shops. Normally he said he sells about 150 cups of worms each week, but the recent heat and drought has slowed down the worms’ growth. He currently selling from 100 to 125 cups each week.

Hoggle and his father, John Taylor, built the beds themselves, using information they received from the Tuscaloosa County Extension Service office. Agent Wayne Ford provided Hoggle with all the information he needed to construct the beds, order the worms, and feed and maintain the worms. Ford also assisted Hoggle in acquiring his wholesaler’s license.

Where Do You Keep 350,000 Worms?

You might wonder how a person could manage that many worms—this writer did. Where does he keep them all? How much space is involved? Does he have any help? How much time is involved? How much expense?

Hoggle houses most of the beds in an old barn on family property about three miles from their home. He said the barn provides shade that keeps the beds from getting too hot.

Each bed has a sprinkler overhead to keep the beds moist and help control the temperature. Proper temperature is key to optimal production, said Hoggle.

"This drought has slowed down the worms’ growth," said Hoggle. "They survived, but it took longer for them to mature."

Normally, Hoggle said, red worms are fully grown in about six months. This summer’s weather slowed the worms’ growth by several weeks.

He said keeping his expenses down is easy since the worms are not picky eaters. "They eat wheat bran, hog shorts and cottonseed meal," said Hoggle. "They eat almost anything."

Hoggle trades locally with the Tuscaloosa Farmers Co-op in Northport.

Helping Hoggle on a daily basis is Taylor, who loves spending quiet time outdoors.

"I like it out here," said Taylor. "There’s no phone ringing, no TV."

Hoggle said he spends two or three hours a day at the barn, longer on days he doesn’t work at the Wal-Mart in Northport.

Hoggle’s grandfather Hezzie McDaniels raised worms years ago. Taylor noted that influenced Hoggle’s decision to start the production.

Each of the 35 beds measures three feet wide and 12 feet long. That makes 1,260 square feet.

Even though there are no specific requirements concerning the size of the beds, Hoggle said they are kept narrow so they can easily be worked from either side.

"You can make them as long as you want," said Hoggle. "These fit in the barn just right."

For bedding material, Hoggle uses manure and wood chips. When he replaces the bedding material, it takes 10 to 14 days for the manure to cool down enough so the worms will live.

"If you put worms in the new bedding while it is too hot, it will kill the worms," said Hoggle. "You have to wait for the heat cycle to finish."

The beds are turned once a week with a pitchfork.

Before turning the bedding either for maintenance or for harvesting, Hoggle said you have to move the feed aside.

"The feed is spread on top of the beds," said Hoggle. "You don’t mix it in with the bedding because it makes it too acidic."

Hoggle said the worms come to the top for feeding, which makes harvesting them easier. To harvest, Hoggle uses a small tin cup to measure the worms for each package. He said his packages hold 85 to 100 worms each. He adds peat moss to the packages before they are hand-delivered to local bait shops.

Hoggle said there are several pests that threaten his worms. Animals such as raccoons, possums, armadillos and rats pose a particular threat as they like to dig in the beds. He sets traps around the perimeter to catch the critters before they can destroy his worm beds.

Insects, Hoggle said, also pose a hazard. He sprays insecticides around the beds in addition to taking a more natural approach.

"I feed birds to keep them in the area," said Hoggle. "They really help with the bugs."

The birds don’t bother the beds, though, thanks to the family cat that patrols the barn area constantly.

Hoggle recommends that anyone who wants more information about raising worms contact their local Extension office.

Susie Sims is a freelance writer from Haleyville.

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