iii) Dirt warriors

Many livestock producers are unaware of a band of small insects working tirelessly to maintain healthy soils and pastures on their land. Dung beetles bury dung, converting nitrogen into a form easily used by plants. Their tunnelling increases soil aeration, water infiltration and enables better plant root penetration.
These actions not only improve pasture growth and soil health but also increase carbon stored in the soil.
By burying organic matter underground, the beetles create an environment that promotes microbial activity and increased plant root development. The burrows formed also allow agricultural chemical residues to enter the soil and be broken down by soil fauna rather than being washed away as surface run-off.
Another less obvious benefit of having a healthy dung beetle population on your property is that they disrupt the life cycles of many internal and external livestock parasites, potentially reducing the need for stock health treatments. It is in fact these livestock parasite treatments that often cause the demise of dung beetles, as they are designed to kill a broad range of parasites and so often adversely affect dung beetles. Some parasite treatment chemicals and application methods are worse for dung beetles than others, as different active constituents are used to target the various stages of a parasite’s lifecycle.
Information about identifying existing populations of dung beetles on your property and other species that may be suitable for introduction is available from Landcare. or the CSIRO publication Common Dung Beetles in Pastures of South-eastern Australia

Include photos of dung beetles

Other more general information about management strategies to encourage dung beetles, including the strategic use of livestock parasite treatments, is available in the article ‘Beetle Power’ published in the Kondinin Group’s Farming Ahead magazine in August 2008 (No. 199) .

Boxed section:
Horses on native pastures
One of the best ways to manage horses grazing native pastures is to increase the time your horses can utilise pasture. It is a good idea to subdivide a bigger paddock into several smaller ones, to give sections time to recuperate while you spell them and reduce selective grazing.
Aim for 70–80% grass cover at all times to avoid erosion and weed infestation.
Site gates away from corners, and avoid placing gates and constructing fences across particularly boggy or wet areas.
Plant shelterbelts around your paddocks and property, and shelter and shade trees within paddocks.
Consider yarding or stabling horses at night and/or for part of the day, especially in winter when we are often faced with wet conditions. Horses can destroy the soil very quickly, so depending on area and number of horses, it may be best to keep them off the paddocks.
It may be necessary to sacrifice the vegetation of one area which stays dry during those periods so that the rest of the property will remain sound.
One idea is to have a wet-weather paddock, which is used whenever areas are very wet or boggy, and during periods of drought to minimise trampling damage.
Then grass paddocks can be used during daytime while it is dry and there is sufficient growth. In the depth of winter when there is no feed in the paddocks, the horses can be agisted for two or three months to allow the paddocks to recuperate.
It is essential to regularly clean up manure in horse paddocks so the paddocks don’t become ‘horse sick’. Pick up manure and compost it for later spreading, or harrow the pasture to spread out the manure.
Make sure any stockpile does not leach into a waterway that may contaminate your own or your
neighbours’ dams, creeks or groundwater
END boxed section