John Feehan’s mission is to see introduced dung beetles on every Australian farm, continually bringing the nutrients of millions of cow pats into the soil.
Story By Don Fuchs
“In the First Fleet Captain Phillip had with him 44 sheep, seven horses and seven head of cattle. Ideally he should have had a series of dung beetle aboard his ships.”
Entomologist and business owner John Feehan is talking in a fertile paddock along the Molonglo River on the outskirts of Canberra. The government-owned paddock is leased by a farmer couple who run Black Angus, but John isn’t interested in the cattle. It is what they leave behind that gets his attention: cow pads, preferably fresh.
This story excerpt is from Issue #91
Outback Magazine: Oct/Nov 2013
