Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

Children gathered around bins of soil, eagerly sinking in their fingers and feeling around for worms.

The crumbly soil was cool and moist and looked like dirt, or perhaps coffee grounds, but it was neither. It was castings — digested organic matter that had passed through the worms’ bodies. In other words, worm poop.

But the kids learned that worm excrement isn’t as gross as it sounds. Not only does it not smell, but castings are a nutrient-rich fertilizer that can supercharge Southern Nevada’s harsh desert soil into a hospitable environment for crops, gardens and lawns.

Worms are friends to humans, as are bees, cows, chickens, goats and pigs. They’re all parts of the food system, which UNR Extension brought to life with hands-on

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