An estimated 100 million tonnes of cow and sheep manure are deposited on our pastures each year. Most of it sits repugnant on the surface for months, lowering productivity as grazing livestock avoid it.
Imagine, then, that it could be a sustainable goldmine of fertiliser and carbon if buried rapidly.
Dung Beetle Innovations was launched in 2016 by co-founders Dr Shaun Forgie and Andrew Barber. They are dedicated to rebalancing New Zealand's pastoral farming systems, and improving water quality and soil health - through the establishment of dung beetles as a sustainable farm management practice.
Dung beetles. the pair say, are suitable for all livestock types and all farming practices including conventional farms that use drenches, organic farms, and biodynamic farms.
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"Most of the varieties of dung beetle we mass-rear in our facilities, located in Auckland, are suitable for the Waikato and King Country. A couple of species are suited for low-rainfall pastoral locations that rely on irrigators," Forgie says. These critters are fast workers - scientists have observed about 4000 dung beetles converge on a fresh pile of elephant scat within 15 minutes. They work hard too; one dung beetle can bury 250 times its own weight in one night.
Research conducted abroad and locally indicates that introducing dung beetles is a practical, sustainable and cost-effective way to alleviate farm waste problems.
Forgie says dung beetles offer a remarkable natural solution to revitalise our pastures and can help rehabilitate waterways. The nicknamed "Underground Army" is so effective because the beetles' tunnelling reduces soil compaction and increases aeration.
Dung burial leads to increased grass root growth, then to better retention of dung and urine in the soil. This "virtuous cycle" reduces sediment and microbial contamination in run-off, reduces leaching, improves production, and ultimately protects the quality of our waterways.
"There are huge economic benefits to the farmer and to the country. The farmer gets at least a 30 per cent increase in above-ground biomass, and nutrient content, reduced forage fouling, less-costly pasture management, and higher productivity. And using all that sustainable manure supply is a nutrient goldmine for free if it is buried. This will cut the farmer's costs on expensive, unsustainable solid fertiliser inputs," Forgie says.
By rapidly burying fresh dung, the beetles reduce the spread of disease by limiting the ability of organisms to survive in the dung.
"We recently published studies in an international peer-reviewed journal showing that dung beetle activity on several soils in New Zealand on 11-degree slopes can reduce the surface flow of suspended contaminants by 80 per cent following severe rainfall events,
"That's a significant improvement in water quality with 80 per cent fewer contaminants entering the waterways from livestock farms. We can now actually stop lying when we promote New Zealand as 100% Pure when 90 per cent of its fresh waterways are contaminated with E.coli as an indicator. Dung beetles are the missing silver bullet."
A self-described "dung beetle aficionado", Forgie got involved with dung beetles back in 1991 when he was a technician working for Dr Jenny Dymock at the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
"I ended up completing an MSC Hons on dung beetles here in NZ. I could see then this country needed more-efficient pastoral varieties like every other agricultural country. NZ is the last to get on with it. I set about improving my qualifications gaining a PhD in dung beetle research in South Africa.
Through the Environmental Protection Authority's support, Dung Beetle Innovations gained permission to import varieties of dung beetles to NZ. The firm now boasts the world's largest mass-rearing facility for insects.
The Ministry for Primary Industries, Wanaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Pomu, Ngati Whatua Nga rima o Kaipara and Federated Farmers have supported the firm's trials.
Dung Beetle Innovations was 2017 finalist in the prestigious NZI Sustainable Business Awards in the Transforming Food category. In 2019, it made the finals in these awards for two categories: Restoring Nature and Partnering for Good.
The firm hopes the Government creates a national dung beetle release programme or makes money available specifically for releasing beetles. "It will only take $33 million over 10 years," Forgie says. "We suggest a strategic more economical approach to improving water quality. Seed beetles across the pastoral landscape at $10-40/ha. These will take about 80 per cent pressure off the riparian plantings once self-sustainable populations are flourishing from 9-10 years post-release. "This means buffer strips don't need to be 10m-plus wide, costing [as much as] $4000 a hectare, including 8-wire fencing and excluding four years of ongoing weed management.
"Instead, they can be 2m wide costing less and not have to retire so much productive pasture. So dung beetles plus fencing plus planting is the only sustainable solution to improving water quality because fencing and planting aren't doing it alone," says Shaun.¦ -Te Awamutu Courier
