Digging into Soil Carbon: Exploring how dung beetles drive soil health and carbon storage

Join us for our Digging into Soil Carbon: Exploring how dung beetles drive soil health and carbon storage field day led by John Feehan – the Dung Beetle Expert, and hosted by Matt Robertson, local sheep and cattle grazier and dung beetle distributer, at his farm at Reedy Creek.

We all know that phosphorus in cow dung is as good for pasture growth as phosphorus applied to the soil as fertiliser. But did you know that dung beetles can incorporate your dung, and all its nutrients, into your soils for free, 365 days a year?

During this insightful workshop with field walk and demonstrations consult directly with John and Matt on how to establish and maintain populations of these underpaid but highly useful farm workers and explore:

· Opportunities for sustainable farming, including carbon sequestration and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

· The many agricultural benefits of dung beetles, including aeration of the soil, deepening of the topsoil, digging through compacted soil, help store soil carbon and bury dung nutrients in the plant root zone.

· Hands-on insights and practical demonstrations for integrating dung beetles into your carbon farming practices.

· How to identify dung beetle species active on your property.

· How to avoid drenches and pesticides that harm beetle populations.

· The environmental and economic impact of dung accumulation – and how dung beetles help restore pasture health and soil fertility.

The Presenters

John Feehan has dedicated his entire life to improving the fertility and water retention of Australian soils through the introduction of dung beetles throughout Australia. John was a member of the CSIRO team tasked with introducing bovine dung beetles into Australia. John’s business Soilcam, is the largest distributer of dung beetles in the world, having dispatched more than 6,500 starter colonies, consisting of 20 species and totalling over 7.5 million beetles to new locations.

Matt Robertson is a local sheep and cattle grazier at Reedy Creek, with a keen interest in regenerative farming. He has seen first-hand the increases in his farm productivity as a result of local dung beetle activity. Matt is passionate about the work dung beetles do and has become a local dung beetle expert! So much so, he has set up his own dung beetle nurseries to introduce new species and also harvests various species of dung beetles for distribution to other farmers throughout Australia.

Edel Stoner is our Carbon Outreach Officer for the Limestone Coast Landscape Board. Edel can provide independent information to support landholders to implement low emissions management practices and measure their properties for carbon emissions and capacity for carbon sequestration. Edel is available for contact via email at edel.stoner2@sa.gov.au for any questions regarding the day or follow up assistance.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided at each workshop. Let us know if you have any special dietary requirements by emailing James on james.beck2@sa.gov.au.