Succesfull Dung Beetle Session

Yesterday the 4th leg of John Feehan's Dung Beetle Road Show, kicked off with a morning session in Macarthur and then an afternoon session in Koroit. Apparently there was a turnout of about 40 people in Macartur, including about 20 local high school students. The Koroit session had a turnout of about 30 people, which was about twice what we expected.

John gave an entertaining and informative presentation that engaged everyone and planted the seeds for a strong regional interest in the use of Dung Beetles. John noted that Dung Beetles made a powerfull addition to sustainability. He suggested that key benefits to releasing Dung Beetles include :

• Up to or greater than a 30 % reduction in fertilizer application
• Cyclical turnover & aeration of top soil
• A reduction in visible dung
• An increase in soil Carbon, Phosphorous and Nitrogen
• A reduction in sedimentation, run off & point source nutrification for waterways which results in a reduction in algal blooms and water turbidity
• A reduction in bush fly larvae and bush flies (almost total eradication where Dung Beetle colonies were established)
• A reduction in other dung borne parasites
• Providing habitat & food supply for earthworms
• A reduction in the effect of soil acidity & salinity by promoting deeper grass root penetration
• An increase in rain water penetration & retention of ground water.

All in all John put forth a fairly convincing argument for the use of Dung Beetles as part of a suit of sustainability practices.

John suggested that farmers wishing to purchase Dung Beetles, first collect some on their own property so that he can identify them and allocate the right beetles to the right climate and location. For further information about how to do this contact John at Soilcam on 02 6248 0376.

Thanks to Fort Dodge and Agri-Doo for bringing John down for us and to the Department of Planning & Community Development for funding to run the day.

The road show continues, with the next session in Timboon today, Cobdon and Simpson tomorrow and Apollo Bay on Friday. Check out http://www.dungbeetles.net.au/index.html for further information about the roadshow.