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.
Episodes
220 episodes
Building a Sustainable Red Meat Brand with Hamish Best
What does it take to build a successful red meat brand from the ground up? Hamish Best, a sheep and beef farmer near Wellington, shares his journey in this episode, from his background in agronomy and sales to his return to farming. He chats ab...
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Season 2025
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Episode 217
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27:59
Understanding Drench Resistance in Sheep with Dr Mark Ferguson
This week it's Ferg on the podcast, discussing the trans-Tasman, if not global, issue of drench resistance in sheep. From monitoring worm burdens to selecting rams with the right genetics, this episode is packed with practical advice and strate...
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Season 2025
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Episode 216
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27:07
Elite Sports Strategies for Elite Farming with Nick Martin
This week on Head Shepherd, Ferg chats with Nick Martin about the crossover between sports psychology and farming. Off the back of his Kellogg Rural Leadership research into the performance psychology of elite Canterbury sheep and beef farmers,...
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Season 2025
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Episode 215
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38:07
From Passion to Progress in Sheep Farming with Andrew Glover
Andrew Glover, known to most as Gloves, has spent his career navigating the ins and outs of the sheep industry, managing operations that run 600,000 sheep a year. He started his career straight out of school, wool classing, and is now station m...
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Season 2025
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Episode 214
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25:29
The Pursuit of Excellence at Roseville Park
This week, Mark chats with Matthew Coddington of Roseville Park Merino Stud, one of Australia’s leading Merino studs. Spanning 4,400 hectares near Dubbo, the farm is home to 11,000 sheep and a legacy of innovation and resilience built by Matthe...
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Season 2025
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Episode 214
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1:07:50
Head Shepherd LIVE 2024
We recorded our final episode of Head Shepherd 2024 live on the Hub where Mark answered listener questions. Mark also chatted about the work he has been involved with in 2024.- GEPEP project and its applicability to composites and stron...
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Episode 213
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37:13
The Basics of Breeding Better Animals with Rudolph Linde
In this episode, Ferg is joined by Rudolph Linde, the Business Manager of Genetic Services at Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), who shares his journey from diversified farming operations in South Africa to a career across New Zealand, the U...
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Season 2024
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Episode 213
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49:40
Breeding Better Sheep in the North Island with Dr Emma Pettigrew
In this episode of Head Shepherd, we're thrilled to introduce Dr Emma Pettigrew, our new North Island consultant at nextGen Agri. Emma brings a wealth of experience and passion for the sheep and livestock industry, having grown up on a stud she...
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Season 2024
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Episode 212
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22:15
The Abundant Farmer: Mindset and Money in Agriculture with Hayley Grosser
Hayley Grosser is a farmer and business coach based in Victoria, Australia, who helps farmers change their relationship with money so they can create more abundance in their lives. Hayley and her partner both grew up on a farm, and they started...
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Season 2024
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Episode 211
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51:05
Managing Pastures for Long-Term Success with Cam Nicholson
Looking to level up your pasture and crop management? This week’s guest is Cam Nicholson of Nicon Rural, an agronomist with four decades of experience. He breaks down the essentials of soil fertility, grazing management and the big impact of ge...
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Season 2024
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Episode 210
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42:57
Foot Health Fundamentals in Sheep with MSD Animal Health
We’re talking feet on this week's podcast! Guests Jim Walsh, Veterinary Technical Advisor at MSD Animal Health Australia, and Kim Kelly, Veterinary Technical Advisor at MSD Animal Health New Zealand,join Mark in a fantastic discussion about eff...
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Season 2024
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Episode 209
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54:21
How Genetics Shape Sheep Immunity with Dr Kelsey Bentley
What is actually occurring within a sheep with worm resistance? This week on the podcast we have a fascinating discussion with Dr Kelsey Bentley who has spent her career so far looking into the immune mechanisms of Katahdin sheep in the US. Kel...
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Season 2024
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Episode 208
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37:38
Ontario Sheep Farming: Insights from Dr Mark Ferguson
Sophie and Ferg catch up about Ferg’s recent trip to Ontario, Canada, where he visited 14 different sheep farming enterprises on his 10-day trip with Ontario Sheep Farmers. Highlights:- The differences in production systems, ...
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Season 2024
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Episode 207
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38:44
Strategic Farm Management with John Francis
John Francis, director of Agrista, an agricultural consultancy, discusses benchmarking, understanding optimum stocking rates, maximising pasture utilisation, feed efficiency and much more. ...
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Season 2024
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Episode 206
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49:05
Changing the Game with Bec Malseed
Bec Malseed, who manages AWI & RIST’s Lifetime Ewe Management course, in her spare time is a female central/field umpire in her local country footy regional league. It’s fair to say that she is trailblazing a path for other women and girls ...
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Season 2024
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Episode 205
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28:12
Shaping Aussie Agriculture with Ben Simpson
Ben Simpson from OGA Creative Agency shares his passion for the varied landscape of Australian agriculture - focusing on storytelling, ethics, and innovation. He discusses with Ferg how effective communication, AI and visual storytelling are sh...
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Season 2024
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Episode 204
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34:40
Sheep, Salt and Beer with David Thompson of Moojepin Foods
This week we have David Thompson of Moojepin Foods on the podcast. David talks about his career breeding trait-leading Merinos, how he is addressing salinity issues in Western Australia with the exploration of saltbush and halophyte agriculture...
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Season 2024
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Episode 203
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40:37
Future Trends in Lamb and Beef Markets: Expert Insights with Angus Gidley-Baird
Angus Gidley-Baird, Senior Analyst - Animal Proteins at Rabobank, joins us this week to share his expertise on the sheep and beef industries across Australia and New Zealand. Angus helps us understand market dynamics, global demand and the impa...
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Season 2024
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Episode 202
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41:02
How Genetic Strategies Can Solve Farming Problems with Robert Peacock
This week on the podcast, we’re chatting all things livestock breeding with Robert Peacock from Orari Gorge Station. Robert discusses how and why they’ve been breeding for worm resistance. They have also been one of the first to measure feed ef...
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Season 2024
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Episode 202
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41:11
Boosting Heifer Performance with Enoch Bergman’s AI Insights
Our guest this week is veterinarian Enoch Bergman. Originally from the USA, Enoch arrived in Australia in 2003. He fell in love with the people, the landscape and the agricultural innovation of Esperance, Western Australia and has been there ev...
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Season 2024
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Episode 201
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1:04:23
Our 200th Episode: Live from Lambex with Dawson Bradford
This week on the podcast we’re celebrating 200 episodes! We thought we’d make a special occasion of it so we recorded our podcast live at Lambex 2024 and who better to have on as a guest than Lambex founder, Dawson Bradford. Mark a...
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Season 2024
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Episode 200
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19:31
Navigating Change in Farming with Bill Webb of Merinotech
If you farm Merinos in Australia, it’s more than likely you will have heard of Merinotech. And if you’ve heard of Merinotech, it's likely that you know our fantastic guest this week, Bill Webb. For those that don’t know, Merinotech...
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29:36
Managing Triple Drench Resistance in Cattle
As you may have heard in the media recently, triple drench resistance in cattle is quickly becoming an issue for New Zealand farmers. This week on the podcast, we are joined by Dave Leathwick and Christian Sauerman from AgResearch....
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31:57
The Future of Meat Grading with Barbara Webster
Our guest on the podcast this week is Barbara Webster, co-founder of inMR. Barbara shares with Mark how inMR's Marbl™ technology uses nuclear magnetic resonance to measure intramuscular fat quickly, accurately and non-invasively, delivering a n...
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Season 2024
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33:40
Heat Stress: Impacts on Sheep Reproductive Performance with Dr William van Wettere
This week on the podcast we’re discussing heat stress during mating and pregnancy with Dr William van Wettere.Heat stress is classed as anything over 32°C, which can disrupt fertility in ewes, semen quality in rams and embryonic develop...
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Season 2024
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27:28