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.
Podcasting since 2020 • 279 episodes
Head Shepherd
Latest Episodes
Lifetime Ewe Management, leadership and the legacy that changed sheep farming, with Mark, Darren and Andrew [PODCASTHON]
This week on the podcast, Mark (Ferg) catches up with Andrew Kennedy (Ox) and Darren Gordon (Cat) to reflect on their early years together as well as the career and influence of Dr Andrew “Thommo” Thompson. The episode is part of Podcasthon, su...
•
Season 2026
•
Episode 274
•
1:02:21
Using Genomics to Improve Heifer Selection in Commercial Beef Herds
Choosing replacement heifers shapes the productivity of a breeding herd for years to come.This week on the Head Shepherd podcast, James Starling joins Mark Ferguson to discuss the 'Optimised Heifer Selection' project, which focuses on co...
•
Season 2026
•
Episode 273
•
37:01
Understanding the wool industry pipeline with Shannon Donoghue
This week on the podcast, Shannon Donoghue joins us to talk about why she's so passionate about telling the story of wool. Growing up on a sheep property in South Australia, Shannon started off in the industry as a wool classer befo...
•
Season 2026
•
Episode 272
•
27:28
40 years of sheep selection lessons: worm resistance, longevity and performance with Allan Richardson
How much do you hate daggy sheep? Well, what started as a frustration with daggy sheep ended up reshaping this week's guest’s entire farming system.This week, Allan Richardson explains how his determination to eliminate daggy sheep ulti...
•
Season 2026
•
Episode 271
•
40:06
Ferg’s thoughts on the 25/26 ram sale season, how to buy a good ram and why breeding values matter.
Tune in this week on the Head Shepherd podcast to hear Ferg discuss the 2025/2026 ram sale period across Australia and New Zealand. He explains his approach to selecting the right ram team and the decisions breeders have been facing when produc...
•
Season 2026
•
Episode 270
•
26:27
