Shows / Head Shepherd
Head Shepherd
Mark Ferguson from neXtgen Agri brings you the latest in livestock, genetics, innovation and technology. We focus on sheep and beef farming in Australia and New Zealand, and the people doing great things in those industries. To learn more about neXtgen Agri, visit www.nextgenagri.com.
Episodes
- Head Shepherd
A young leader in livestock. A conversation with Rozzie O'Reilly of LambPro.
This week on the Head Shepherd podcast, we have the wonderful Rozzie O'Reilly. Rozzie is from Narrandera, NSW, Australia, and currently works as Operations…
- Head Shepherd
Farming kiwi sheep in the UK with Robert Hodgkins.
This week on the Head Shepherd podcast we have Robert Hodgkins, a British sheep and arable farmer. Robert and his partner Jo farm about 45 minutes north of…
- Head Shepherd
From Merinos to Shrimp with Emeritus Professor Herman Raadsma
This week we have Emeritus Professor Herman Raadsma on the podcast. Herman's career started by accident- after training, he received a job opportunity to work…
- Head Shepherd
Components of a Thriving farm business, with Andrew Kennedy
This week on the Head Shepherd podcast, Mark catches up with long-time friend, Andrew Kennedy. Mark and Andrew worked together back in 2001 at the start of the…
- Head Shepherd
Insights of a sheep pregnancy scanner, with Daniel Wheeler.
This week Mark chats with Daniel Wheeler, sheep scanner and sheep fanatic.Daniel has scanned over 6.5 million sheep in his time as a scanner, a career path…
- Head Shepherd
Why, or better still, why not? Farming at Waikaka with Ross Paterson.
On the Head Shepherd podcast this week, we have Ross Paterson of Waikaka Genetics, Southland NZ. Ross is fifth generation at Waikaka Station. The family farm…
- Head Shepherd
Farming for the future at Bog Roy Station
This week on the podcast, Mark Ferguson chats with Gundy (David) Anderson and Angus Fraser, of Bog Roy Station. Gundy and Lisa Anderson are fourth generation…
- Head Shepherd
Talking teasing and the role of the brain in sheep reproduction with Graeme Martin
This week Mark Ferguson chats with Emeritus Professor Graeme Martin about the role of the brain in sheep reproduction and how teasing works. Graeme has had a…
- Head Shepherd
Breeding sturdy sheep, with Kate Broadbent.
This week Mark catches up with Kate Broadbent, president of Coopworth Genetics and is stud farming in the Waikato, NZ.Kate spent 20 years chasing sheep filled…
- Head Shepherd
How does your farm work? with Dr Richard Shephard of Herd Health
This week we change tracks a little and catch up with Dr Richard Shephard of Herd Health, a specialist animal health company which Richard founded in 1998 to…
- Head Shepherd
A lifetime's agri-business experience with Shane McManaway.
This week we have the fantastic Shane McManaway. Shane is Chair of PPP, Chair of the Wiararapa Development Group, among many other things. From spraying…
- Head Shepherd
How is "AgTech" going to change your business? with Sarah Nolet.
Welcome back to Season 5 of the Head Shepherd podcast. We have a fantastic season lined up for you, and we're starting with a bang!Sarah Nolet is an…
- Head Shepherd
Head Shepherd Live: Q&A with Dr Mark Ferguson (Recording)
Welcome back to the 50th episode of Head Shepherd! This week we hosted a live Q&A where Mark answered your questions. This is a recording of that live…
- Head Shepherd
Breeding for twins in cattle with Leo Cummins
This week Mark chats with Dr Leo Cummins of Byaduk North, Aus.With the world favouring environmental efficiency, why is it that we don't breed cattle to have…
- Head Shepherd
Combining data and joining forces at Black Box Co.
Black Box Co is the brain child of Shannon Speight and Emma Black who both have backgrounds in the beef industry and have both won the Zanda McDonald award…
- Head Shepherd
Scaling Success with Richard Scholefield
Mark chats with Richard Scholefield of Whangara Farms, Gisborne NZ on this weeks Head Shepherd podcast. Whangara Farms comprises of 7 farms, making up 9,500 Ha…
- Head Shepherd
Breeding for success with Dawson Bradford.
This week Mark catches up with long-time friend, Dawson Bradford. Dawson started off in pigs, and bought some sheep to 'keep himself entertained' whilst he…
- Head Shepherd
Cropping and livestock enterprise south of Marnoo
Wallaloo Park is a family-owned and managed business located south of Marnoo in the Wimmera district of Victoria. The business operates a 3500ha mixed…
- Head Shepherd
Global networking in Agriculture.
We are delighted to have had the chance to catch up with Laura Ryan. Laura is the founder and global Chair of Meat Business Women which launched in 2015.With a…
- Head Shepherd
Former All Blacks player with a passion for livestock
Richard Loe, a former All Blacks player with a passion for livestock joined us this week on the Head Shepherd Podcast. Loe's family farm, Glenloe is based near…
- Head Shepherd
Diversifying your farm business with Middlehurst Delivered
Sophie and Lucy, who grew up at Middlehurst Station for the past 20 years, have had the absolute privilege of bringing Middlehurst Delivered to life. Bringing…
- Head Shepherd
Running up the learning curve with Russell and Ricky Luhrs
The Luhrs family farm near Cavendish in Western Victoria. Ricky and his wife Marni farm with Russell, Ricky's dad. They have two speeds, flat out and asleep…
- Head Shepherd
Taking the highs and lows out of agriculture, with Brendon Savage
This week on the Head Shepherd podcast Mark speaks with Brendon Savage from Western Australia. Brendon has a great insight on soils and pasture after spending…
- Head Shepherd
Trial and change with Todd Burger.
Welcome back to the Head Shepherd podcast. This week we have Todd Burger from the Western Districts of Victoria. Todd farms his merino sheep a little…
- Head Shepherd
Why productivity matters, with Professor Bill Malcolm.
Welcome back to Season 4 of the Head Shepherd podcast! We'd like to say thank you for all of your support in the past and we cannot wait to share this season's…
- Head Shepherd
Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture. Introducing Genesmith.
For our final episode of Season 3, we are excited to discuss Genesmith, a startup within neXtgen Agri.Mark catches up with Ian Harris, Electronics and Data…
- Head Shepherd
Q&A with Dr Mark Ferguson.
This week on the Head Shepherd podcast, we decided to offer the mic over to you to answer your questions. We put a call out on various social media platforms…
- Head Shepherd
Drought drives determination with Moojepin Merinos.
Mark first came across Moojepin Merinos, a Merino stud near Badgebup in the Great Southern Region of Western Australia, fifteen years ago whilst looking for…
- Head Shepherd
Julia Jones, a glass half full.
Julia Jones shares her optimistic outlook on the future of the Agriculture industry this week. Julia grew up on the West Coast of the South Island of NZ…
- Head Shepherd
Fat animals create flexibility, with Chad Taylor of Mumblebone Merinos
This week, Mark catches up with Chad Taylor of Mumblebone Merinos, of Wellington, NSW, Australia.Both Chad and Mark are fans of putting maternal traits with…
- Head Shepherd
Success through perseverance with Georgina Gubbins.
On this episode of the Head Shepherd podcast, Mark catches up with Georgina Gubbins. Georgina is not only a passionate red meat producer, but is also chair of…
- Head Shepherd
Export Markets. Selling venison in China with Hunter McGregor.
Hunter McGregor gives us a great insight to the Chinese meat market this week. Hunter has been in China for fourteen years and now runs a New Zealand Venison…
- Head Shepherd
A gold medal mindset.
This week, Mark catches up with Jill Hill of Benambra. After following her fathers footsteps to rowing, Jill reached the World Championships in Greece, 1998…
- Head Shepherd
Family Farming with the Kealys
This week Mark catches up with Tony, Elise and Bernie Kealy of Curlew Merinos, Edenhope, Victoria. The Kealys are a great example of successfully navigating…
- Head Shepherd
Aussie science and the global cattle industry
Lachlan Campbell is the CEO and co-founder of ProAgni, their moto is “Improving Farm economics today. Ensuring farming’s sustainability tomorrow."How are they…
- Head Shepherd
White Suffolks on Kangaroo Island.
This week we hear from Andrew and Jamie Heinrich of Ella Matta, the first registered White Suffolk stud in the world. Based on Kangaroo Island, which suffered…
- Head Shepherd
How to run your farm more efficiently, with Jana Hocken
Welcome back to the start of Season 3 of the Head Shepherd Podcast!Our first guest this week is Jana Hocken. Jana is a Lean consultant with more than 17 years’…
- Head Shepherd
15 minutes with Steve Cotton.
Bonus Episode! Today we're quickly catching up with Steve Cotton, founder of Dynamic Ag. We discuss his PhD in internal parasites, starting up his business in…
- Head Shepherd
Using EID to make better on farm decisions
In this episode we feature the role of EID in making more informed decisions within a sheep business. We hear from Steve Kelly, Commercial Manager at Allflex…
- Head Shepherd
Breeding a point of difference with Tom Bull.
"Why cant we have $140 cutlets?" Tom Bull speaks to Mark this week about the future of the sheep meat industry and how LambPro is hoping to achieve this…
- Head Shepherd
Rob Hewett, a man of many hats.
This week I had a conversation with Rob Hewett, a man who is involved in the primary industries at many levels: production, processing, exporting and…
- Head Shepherd
Sheep farming in Canada with Sandi Brock
This week we caught up with Sandi Brock of Ontario, Canada. Sandi walks us through her indoor sheep production system, explains why and how she became…
- Head Shepherd
A career’s worth of understanding of feed efficiency in just 30 minutes with Prof. Wayne Pitchford
A great 30 minute discussion with Professor Wayne Pitchford of Adelaide University covering hybrid vigour, how he changed his views on feed-use efficiency…
- Head Shepherd
Turning grass into money with Nigel Kerin
Nigel and Kate Kerin own and operate Kerin Agriculture, which comprises a trading enterprise as well as a Merino ram-breeding operation. Their focus is on…
- Head Shepherd
The rise and rise of sustainable and ethical wool production with Willy Gallia
Willy Gallia is the part of the third generation in his family to be involved in the textile industry. He grew up in Argentina and is very passionate about the…
- Head Shepherd
The importance of telling wool's story with Elisabeth van Delden
This week I had a conversation with Elisabeth van Delden that we are both sharing on our podcasts. Elisabeth provides support to wool businesses around the…
- Head Shepherd
34 minutes that every farmer needs to hear - an interview with Ken Solly
Ken Solly has a lifelong passion for helping farmers be the best version of themselves that they can be. This podcast contains some great tips from Ken as he…
- Head Shepherd
Breeding in the fast lane with Alistair Campbell
One of the privileges of our roles in neXtgen Agri is the opportunity to learn from the experience of others. Alistair Campbell is a passionate sheep and…
- Head Shepherd
The opportunities in beef genetics and related topics with Jo Scott
This week we are delighted to have Jo Scott on the show. Jo grew up on a farm in Otago, South Island, NZ. She has recently finished up after 7 years working…
- Head Shepherd
"There's no place I'd rather be" - Sheep and cattle breeding with Will Gibson
Welcome back to Head Shepherd. It is great to be back with Season 2. For the first episode of season 2 we have featured Will Gibson. Will works with us here at…
- Head Shepherd
The heritability of hope - part 3 of 3 - Farming with the perfect animals for you?
This is the third part of this series. What exactly do you want to produce? What are the traits that you most want to improve? How do you decrease the error in…
- Head Shepherd
Gene edits in livestock with Alison Van Eenennaam
This week I am joined by Dr Alison Van Eenennaam, Cooperative Extension Specialist in Animal Genomics and Biotechnology with the University of California…
- Head Shepherd
From the city to the cows with Jo Newton
On this episode it is my pleasure to host Dr Jo Newton, Research Scientist with Agriculture Victoria. Jo has recently been awarded a Medal of the Order of…
- Head Shepherd
Tim Leeming and achieving industry leading lamb survival with precision lambing.
This week we bring you an interview with Tim Leeming. Tim and Geogie Leeming run Paradoo Prime near Pigeon Ponds in South-west Victoria. They run a composite…
- Head Shepherd
Sheep reproduction - the path to prosperity with Russ Davis
In this episode I interview Russ Davis from who after serving in the armed forces returned to the sheep industry to find not that much had changed. He has a…
- Head Shepherd
Flies, worms and lifetime productivity with Geoff Lindon - AWI
In this episode we ask Geoff Lindon about the genetics portfolio at AWI. We focus on the work completed on flystrike and worm resistance and discuss the Merino…
- Head Shepherd
Fitness versus production and a journey of learning with Andrew Bouffler - Trigger Vale sheep studs
In this episode we interview Andrew Bouffler. Andrew, his wife Mandi and their three children farm near Lockhart in Southern NSW. Around 13 years ago Andrew…
- Head Shepherd
Triplets, energy and everything in between with Sarah Blumer
This week, Sarah Blumer leads us through some of the exciting research she is involved with at Murdoch University in Western Australia. Sarah shares the…
- Head Shepherd
The story of ZQ wool with Dave Maslen
In this episode I talk to Dave Maslen who works at the New Zealand Merino Company. Dave works directly with many of the customers of NZM which are some of the…
- Head Shepherd
The heritability of hope - part 2 of 3
This is the second in our three part series called The heritability of hope.This episode focuses on the hope that in 10 years time we will still be able to…