IFI Webinar Series

• EnviroFlight

The primary focus of frass application is traditionally on applications in the soil ecosystem as a fertilizer, soil amendment and biostimulant. However, frass can also be used as an animal feed ingredient, and research has demonstrated significant benefits to the incorporation of frass into animal feed. This presentation will review current knowledge of frass as an animal feed ingredient in monogastrics and ruminants.

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• USDA - Agricultural Research Service

All agriculture sectors are under pressure to feed 11.2 billion people by 2050 with greater efficiency and sustainability. Since projections indicate current food production will fail to meet demands, the meat industry is tasked with developing innovative ways to meet these challenges. Further, 30-40% of food produced is wasted in the US (equivalent to $161 billion USD). Insect meal from insects fed food waste is a solution to both animal production and food waste/contamination issues. Additionally, insect manure or ‘frass’ is an emerging biofertilizer that can enhance soil fertility and replace/complement synthetic fertilizers with no losses in crop yields and nutritional value. Beyond this benefitting the entire farmed insect industry, which currently has 300 startup companies forecasted to reach a market value of $4.6 billion by 2027, advancing value-added products from insect production will promote economic development. The USDA-ARS in Fayetteville leads a large-scale, multi-disciplinary project with over 50 scientists across the US to synergistically advance insect meal production for inclusion in animal diets and the use of frass as a biofertilizer. From this work, USDA-ARS has demonstrated that insects fed food waste can serve as animal feed, resulting in organic products that can displace finite fertilizer sources and create a circular economy for rural America.

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• Kansas State University, Department of Entomology
• athanassiou@k-state.edu

Insect frass has been regarded as one of the most promising organic fertilizers, that can be used with success in agriculture. Still, most of the data available so far for the effect of frass in soil are limited to lab trials, while there is still inadequate information for the use of frass in arable crops. At the same time, frass has been found to be able to reduce pest and fungal infestations on plants. In addition, frass can be used as biogas and has potentials for more targeted applications, such as water purification or feed. Practically, in principle, Insect Farming is, in terms of the quantities that are produced, a frass-producing procedure, rather than just an insect-producing procedure. As insect farming will be further developed and expanded, the quantities that are produced will be increased, which is expected to cover, to a certain extent, the needs of organic agriculture.

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