I recently exchanged communication with Justin Meyer, the owner of a micro-insect-farm in central Missouri. I’ve used Midwest Mealworm frass in the recent past with great results and really want to see Missouri businesses thrive. Justin hasn’t given me a penny for this and it is as close to an advertisement as you’ll see from us on this site. Read on to learn more about Justin’s business and look for a special discount code being given to all you Lit Farmers out there!

Is Midwest Mealworms a Missouri owned business? 
Justin: Yes, I was born in St. Charles and went to Truman State for my degree. I’ve lived in Ashland for 11 years and have been a Missouri resident my entire life.

How long have you been operating? 
Justin: I’ve been raising mealworms for 6 years and officially formed Midwest Mealworms, LLC in Jan of 2017.

What motivated you to start your business? 
Justin: I wanted to positively impact the community around me. Mealworms, and insects in general, are a great source of protein and nutrients with minimal input. With just 2 square feet of space, 2 pounds of wheat bran, and 1 gallon of water, you can produce 1 pound of mealworms. That’s tremendously efficient compared to other livestock! They can utilize food waste, turn it into protein and nutrients within the mealworm, and their only output is Frass – a fantastic soil amendment that naturally contains chitin.

Do you use the same inputs (food & other) for your worms that produce each batch of frass? 
Justin: Yes, I consistently use wheat bran/midds and potatoes for moisture. This results in frass output that is consistent. I’m constantly trying to improve quality and efficiency. For example, one thing I’ve started testing is the use of water gel crystals for hydration in place of the potatoes.

Are you able to share a nutrient analysis of your frass? 
Justin: Yes, see below. There are three columns; the “Super” column is from my superworms, I was curious how their frass may be different than mealworm frass. I do not sell the superworm frass right now, I just wanted to see the differences.  The “Old” column is from a sample that I had tested 2 years ago and held on to. I was curious if the nutrient content changed, it stayed very close. The “Fresh” column is a freshly collected sample that was sent for analysis.

What else do you do to ensure quality worm and frass products? 
Justin: I do not use any chemicals in the rearing process. I store the frass in food grade, sealed metal barrels after it is collected. I also finely sift the frass to remove any insects.

How can people find your products and get in touch with you?
Justin: I’m pretty active on social media and SMS (texting). I like to make myself available for questions on raising your own mealworms too!
https://www.midwestmealworms.com/shop
Facebook:  @Midwest Mealworms, LLC
Instagram: @midwestmealworms
Twitter:  @midwestmealworm
email: info@midwestmealworms.com
Youtube
SMS (text): Send keyword MWMW to 555888
or https://www.midwestmealworms.com/sms

What else would you like people to know about you and your company? 
Justin: My pie-in-the-sky dream would be to establish a nationwide cooperative of small micro-insect-farms like mine. This would help provide quality live insects for all kinds of uses along with frass for plants. It’s a pretty simple side business that could help out small operations.

Do you have a coupon code for all the Lit Farmers out there? 
Justin: Sure, LIT20 will get 20% off any order from Midwest Mealworms website.

#Missourimade #shoplocal

Happy harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Published by Eric

Lit Naturals founder, Eric McSwain, serves as Chairman of the Board for the Missouri Cannabis Industry Association. He is also a certified caregiver and patient. Eric's wife is also a caregiver and he also mentors several other caregivers in the state of Missouri. Eric's passion is for educating patients in the use of cannabis as well as at-home cultivation.