Assessing and Mitigating the Impact of Invasive Earthworms on Small Vegetable and Nursery Farms: An Integrated Research and Education Approach

Commodities

Practices

• Animal Production: preventive practices, other
• Education and Training: demonstration, display, farmer to farmer, focus group, mentoring, networking, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, workshop
• Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns
• Natural Resources/Environment: soil stabilization
• Pest Management: biological control, cultural control, field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management, soil solarization
• Production Systems: organic agriculture
• Soil Management: earthworms, organic matter, soil analysis, soil quality/health
• Sustainable Communities: quality of life, sustainability measures

Project Focus:

This project addresses the urgent need for sustainable management of invasive jumping worms (JWs), specifically Amynthas tokionensis, Amynthas agrestis, and Metaphire hilgendorfi. These species are causing significant ecological and economic challenges for small-scale vegetable and nursery growers in Vermont (VT) and New York (NY). JWs degrade soil health by consuming organic matter, disrupting nutrient cycles, and leading to soil erosion, hydrophobic soils, and reduced water retention, all of which threaten crop productivity and the long-term viability of soils. The impacts are particularly severe for limited-resource growers, who face unique barriers to accessing pest management resources.

Feedback from regional gatherings like the Northeast Vegetable and Fruit Conference (NEVF) and NOFA-VT, combined with survey data by Dr. Vern Grubinger through the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Association (VVBGA) and the Composting Association of Vermont, highlighted widespread concerns among growers about soil degradation, SOM loss, and ineffective pest control due to misidentification of JWs. These growers urgently need sustainable management strategies that both prevent the spread of JWs and restore soil health.

Growers have been directly involved in shaping the project, ensuring its relevance to real-world farming challenges. By addressing both ecological and economic impacts, this project aims to improve farm productivity, profitability, and soil health, especially for limited-resource growers.

Solution and Approach:

This project will implement a combined research and education program to offer growers proven, cost-effective strategies for managing JWs while improving soil health. Field trials on ten to twenty farms across VT and NY will test the effectiveness of Beauveria bassiana (a fungal biological control), mustard cover cropping, and soil solarization treatments. These trials are designed to produce robust, scalable data on the success of JW mitigation techniques and their effect on SOM retention, ensuring the results are applicable across diverse farming conditions.

The educational component of the project will provide hands-on training, workshops, and field days to engage growers directly. By working with local agricultural cooperatives and extension services, the program will include tailored outreach, personalized farm visits, and educational resources to ensure participation from underserved communities. Grower-to-grower learning opportunities will foster peer-led knowledge exchange, helping growers build community resilience and long-term sustainability. Growers will also receive molecular identification for earthworm specimens that cannot be identified morphologically, along with detailed soil health assessments to monitor improvements in SOM and farm productivity over time.

Collaborating with institutions such as the University of Vermont Extension,  UVM Extension Community Horticulture Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and New York Invasive Species Research Institute, the project aims to support farm sustainability and economic success. Ultimately, this project not only addresses immediate pest management needs but also supports Northeast SARE's goals of enhancing environmental sustainability, improving grower quality of life, and fostering community-based learning.

By the project's end, 50-75 small-scale vegetable and nursery growers in VT and NY will adopt sustainable JW management techniques across 200 acres. These practices-including solarization, biological control, cover cropping, and education on JW prevention-will enhance soil fertility and increase SOM retention by 60-90%¹, leading to economic savings of $146 to $219 per acre². Growers could avoid $29,274 to $43,910 in losses across 200 acres, excluding labor, energy, and input costs. Changes will be verified through biannual soil tests and financial tracking, ensuring measurable improvements in soil OM retention, fertility, and farm profitability.