What limits ewe productivity in current sheep systems?

Our guest this week, Tara Dwyer is breeding manager at Headwaters Genetics and a farm manager within the Lone Star Farms group. Her work covers stud breeding, commercial supply chains, and large-scale sheep systems, and in amongst all of that, she found time to do a Kellogg report, "A New Fleece on Life: How the Sheep Farming Sector in Aotearoa Can Halt Terminal Decline to Secure a Sustainable and More Secure Future"

Starting with her "day job", Tara and Mark discuss the value of genetics within a value chain, and how Headwaters is focusing on eating quality traits alongside maternal performance, resilience, and low-input efficiency. Tara explains how and why Headwaters selects for intramuscular fat and fatty acid profiles while still prioritising reproduction, lamb survival, and health traits.

Mark and Tara then discuss her recent Kellogg report, which looks at why lambs weaned per ewe have barely shifted for decades, why carcass output improved while reproduction stalled, and why relying on ram breeders alone is not a reproductive strategy. Tara explains her findings on where current systems have plateaued, what existing technology already allows producers to measure, and why individual ewe performance will be one of the next major productivity levers.

If you're interested in getting involved in the Head Shepherd TwentySix2000 campaign, click the link below:

https://fundraise.curebraincancer.org.au/fundraisers/markferguson/twentysix2000

Strava link:

https://www.strava.com/clubs/1858801

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

Gus Rose shares the recent results from the 'Genetics of foot health in Merinos' project, which is looking at footrot and foot structure in sheep in Australia. Gus shares what the data shows on the heritability of foot shape and its relationship with footrot, as well as other foot structure traits. 

Gus Rose explains how the dataset is being built, which traits are proving to be correlated, and where the current limits sit. Gus and Mark discuss the project's future and the significance of the results for the industry. 

If you would like to know more about how to get involved, please email Amy at amy@nextgenagri.com

The project is funded by Australian Wool Innovation, Animal Health Australia and collaborating Merino breeders, and is being conducted by Murdoch University and neXtgen Agri in collaboration with AGBU and SheepMetrix. 

You can view our webinar here:

https://thehub.nextgenagri.com/c/articles/live-genetics-of-foot-health-in-merinos

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

On this week's episode, Tim Gole shares how sheep farmers can increase their profits by shifting from responding to problems to preventing them in the first place.

Tim runs ForFlocksSake, a vet-based sheep consultancy company. After a lightbulb moment during the drought, Tim became a self-confessed sheep fanatic.

With both Tim and Mark clearly in their element, they spend nearly an hour talking all things sheep. They discuss lifetime ewe programs, scanning strategies, the use of genetics to make production easier and more profitable, and the benefits and drawbacks of EID. They also cover reproductive efficiency, worm control lessons and lots of other sheep-related topics. 

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

What do the genetics of tail length and the genetics of semen quality have in common? Not much, except that our guest, Marnie Hodge, Sheep Genetics Senior Development Officer, has researched them both.

Tail length is moderately to highly heritable, but in her research, Marnie found that measuring tail length in centimetres versus a scored system gives you far more accuracy and picks up significantly more genetic variation, which means faster rates of genetic gain if you're selecting for it.

But what's actually changing when tails get shorter? Are we dropping vertebrae or just shortening bones? And what about correlations with body structure? Marnie explains what we know, what we don't, and why we don't have a tail length breeding value quite yet. 

On the opposite end of the scale, as with all reproduction traits, semen quality is lowly heritable. Marnie's research, "Heritability and Genetic Parameters for Semen Traits in Australian Sheep", showed that most of the variation in AI success wasn't down to motility, but more down to the variation in ewe management on each farm. So what does that mean for the establishment of a potential future breeding value? Marnie explains on the podcast. 

Plus Marnie gives us some updates on what's coming from Sheep Genetics and the combined analysis.

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

How simple rotations and tight feed management lift whole farm performance.

Mark chats with Bevan Ravenhill, WA General Manager for Lawson Angus  WA, to talk about what really drives a productive grazing business. Bevan grew up on a dairy farm, and that early training in grass, rotation, and pressure has shaped the way he now runs sheep and beef across a mixed enterprise.

Bevan explains how a simple rotation, tight feed management and a focus on leaf stage have transformed grass utilisation on the farm. He talks through how their accelerated lambing system works in practice, why confinement feeding has become such a reliable tool, and how silage underpins the whole engine when feed becomes tight.

On the cattle side, Bevan shares the shift to moderate, efficient Angus cows and the lessons learnt from years of collecting real on-farm data. He digs into maternal efficiency, cow size, raw phenotypes and why consistency matters more than chasing extremes. They also cover spring calving, OptiWeigh and the role of pressure testing cattle rather than compensating for them.

Tune in to hear some great insights from someone who has spent a lifetime thinking about how to turn grass into kilograms.

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

Ever wondered what it takes to build a succesfull seedstock buisness from the ground up? Well, this is the podcast for you. 

This week, Mark chats with Jasmine and Hayden Green, owners of Summit Livestock, about how they built their Angus and Limousin seedstock business from the ground up (and the challenges they faced), the importance of crossbreeding for production, how they balance phenotype with data, and the challenges of getting started without your own land.

Jasmine and Hayden have built a successful dual-breed business, and they run us through the decision to run both breeds and the advantages of crossbreeding for both themselves and their clients. They also discuss the importance of embryo transfer in expanding their herd while keeping genetic quality at the forefront.

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

Accounting may not be every farmer’s favourite topic, but it is one of the most powerful tools on the farm. This week’s Head Shepherd guest, David Egerton-Warburton, explains why.

Raised on a sixth-generation farm in Kojonup, Western Australia, David learned early that every on-farm decision ties back to sound business practice. His father, Kent, founded Agrimaster in 1981, bringing farm records into the computer age long before most households had a computer, and David and his wife have been joint CEOs since 2001.

David and Mark Ferguson discuss budgeting, risk control and decision making, and why financial literacy separates good farmers from great farming businesses. As David says, “The most successful growers aren’t that much better from a production point of view… what we really see is the difference in the ability to take risks because they can control them.” 

Listen to the episode to learn how to turn your farm numbers into a roadmap for success and take control of the risks that matter.

https://www.agrimaster.com.au/

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

What makes farmers change? And what holds them back? Our guest this week, Dr Ruth Nettle, has spent 25 years studying just that. Ruth has spent her career looking into how people in agriculture learn, adapt, and lead.

Now leading the Rural Innovation Research Group at the University of Melbourne, Ruth has seen how agricultural extension, advisory networks, and rural communities have evolved through time. In this episode, she and Ferg chat about trust, workforce challenges, and what the future of extension looks like in a more commercial and tech-driven world.

They talk about what makes a great employer in agriculture, why a positive team culture matters more than pay, and how farms can attract and retain staff in a global skills shortage. Ruth also shares her thoughts on AI in agriculture, the importance of human-to-human learning, and what Australia could take from extension systems overseas.

If you work with farmers, lead a team, or care about the people side of farming, this episode offers great insight into agricultural workforce development, rural leadership, and the evolving role of extension in agriculture today.

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

Want to know more about meat-eating quality traits like IMF, shear force and marbling? Our guest this week, Dr Peter McGilchrist, is a leading meat scientist and professor at the University of New England, Australia, likely has the answers you're looking for. 

Peter and Mark talk all things meat-eating quality and how the red meat industry can move beyond commodity pricing by identifying premium quality products through genetics, processing, and proper animal handling. 

Peter and Mark discuss the importance of keeping an eye on IMF and shear force so that lamb doesn't "end up like pork," as well as the importance of early marbling and how we can genetically impact all three of these things. 

Pete also treats us to a quick biochemistry lesson explaining the science of cold-shortening as well as insights on recent trial work he's been involved with on the impacts of feeding sheep pre-slaughter on eating quality.

This podcast is a masterclass on the various aspects of red meat eating quality and is one not to miss! 

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

Ever wished you could get breeding values on your commercial Merinos without having to record weights, dates or pedigrees?

This week, we’re launching neXtPredict, our brand new genomic tool that lets you go straight from DNA to breeding values with just a simple TSU sample.

Developed in partnership with Weatherbys Scientific, neXtPredict provides base genomic breeding values, parentage, poll/horn testing and a flock profile for Merino breeders. It’s powered by the MerinoSelect database and backed by MLA-funded research through AGBU and Sheep Genetics.

To announce the launch this week on the podcast, Ferg chats with Tamarah Luxton, Territory Manager at Weatherbys Scientific. Tamarah shares the story of Weatherbys’ journey from managing thoroughbred pedigrees in Ireland to providing cutting-edge genomic testing for livestock across Australia. 

neXtPredict has three service tiers, designed to suit everyone from large commercial breeders to data-driven operations wanting deeper insights.

• CORE gives you access to the neXtPredict Portal, where you can view gBVs, parentage, poll/horn, flock profiles and indexes, and filter or rank animals on standard industry indexes or generic neXtgen Agri indexes.
• PLUS includes everything in CORE, plus trait correlation analysis, the creation of custom indexes, and one-on-one support from the neXtgen Agri team.
• PRO adds long-term data storage, the ability to include non-genomic traits (like wool quality or dag scores), view multi-year data, and work directly with our consultants on testing strategies and optimisation.

If you are interested in using neXtPredict, get in touch with us here at neXtgen Agri:

info@nextgenagri.com

Or with Weatherbys Scientific:

tluxton@weatherbys.com.au

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

What do you get when three sheep consultants, all podcast hosts, from Australia, England and Wales sit down in front of a microphone? You get a very entertaining, slightly chaotic, sheepy podcast!

This week, we're joined by Liz Genever and Nerys Wright to discuss the launch of OptiEwe UK as well as the challenges and opportunities faced by farmers over there. 

Liz, Nerys and Ferg chat about this summer's extremely dry weather, current lamb prices, shifts in farming practices (and the role of genetics in those shifts), as well as the difficulties of the ever-changing government policies.

Liz and Nerys are launching OptiEwe UK next week, and we're excited to continue working with them over the next few years! 

Tune into their podcast by searching "The Sheep Geeks". You can catch their episode with Mark here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-11-talking-to-mark-ferg-ferguson-about-optiewe/id1777227463?i=1000726635865.

If you're interested in starting or attending an OptiEwe discussion group in New Zealand, get in touch with Sophie at sophie@nextgenagri.com.

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

Is drench resistance an issue on your property? Thanks to modern technology, we have tools at our disposal to help.

This week's guest is Ryan Luckman, vet and founder of DAGI, (Drench and Grazing Integration), an app that displays the risk of larval challenge/resistance risk for the paddocks on your farm, helping you make better grazing decisions. 

With the help of industry experts and the support of B+LNZ, Ryan has been building the DAGI (Drench And Grazing Integration) app over the past 2 years. 

Ryan talks us through the app and how it works on farm, as well as discussing the state of drench resistance in New Zealand. He and Ferg also discuss the topic of refugia and how this is all about the genetics of the worm population on your farm. 

Take a look at DAGI here:

https://www.dagi.nz/why-dagi

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

Thousands of you listen to the podcast every week, but we've come to realise many of you don't know exactly what we do here at neXtgen Agri. 

In this episode, Mark, our host and CEO, takes to the mic and chats about all things neXtgen Agri and the services we provide to farmers across the globe. He shares how “farming in our hearts, science in our heads” drives everything we do.

From helping farmers lift genetic gain to building tools that make breeding decisions clearer and faster, Ferg goes through the work that keeps our team busy. We're out in the yards and around kitchen tables across Australia and New Zealand, as well as in meetings and boardrooms for multiple industry bodies, helping provide the knowledge transfer bridge between farmers and scientists.

If you have ever wondered what neXtgen Agri is really about, this is the episode that explains it all.

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

Our guest this week is Vicky Alexandrou, co-founder of Woven Optics.

Over the past eight years, Vicky has helped design and build a handheld microscope that lets you measure wool fibre diameter right there in the yards or shed. 

Instead of waiting for lab results, you clip a small sample, take a few quick images along the staple, and within seconds, the device tells you the mean micron, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, and comfort factor.

You can scan the sheep’s ear tag so the data is linked instantly, meaning decisions on classing, culling or breeding can be made on the spot with the most up-to-date information.

Vicky and Ferg also chat about the importance of industry collaboration, the current commercialisation of Woven Optics, and the future potential of AI in agriculture.

Woven Optics is available now through your local Heiniger representative. 

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

What does leadership look like in agriculture today? For Felicity Taylor, Area Manager for Rabobank in Moree and a 2025 Zanda McDonald Award finalist, it’s about connection, community and supporting others to succeed.

In this episode, Felicity shares her journey from growing up on a cropping property to becoming the youngest area manager in Rabobank’s history. She talks about the rising costs facing farming, the challenge for young people to get started, and why she believes regional Australia offers opportunities that city life cannot. 

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

What does it take to keep a sheep business moving forward? For our guest this week, Hamish Thomson of Moojepin Merinos, it’s a mix of genetics, management and never being afraid to try something new.

In the podcast, Hamish talks about the progress they’ve made since we spoke to him last, which was four years ago! 

They have been continuing to select for traits like growth, muscle and fat, as well as intensifying the focus to welfare traits such as dag, worms and, more recently, foot structure. 

He and Ferg also discuss the importance of ewe lamb joining and using ram lambs, containment feeding, and how they are tackling their most unproductive pastures. 

Twitter: MoojepinMerinos
Facebook: MoojepinMerinos

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

Ever considered using a drone on your farm? Well, this is the podcast for you. This week, our guest is Luke Chaplain, founder of SkyKelpie. Luke is one of the leading experts in drone mustering in Australia and has spent the last three years researching drone technology to find the best fits for Agricultural use. 

More recently, Luke has gotten involved in the training of drone usage, to give farmers and other industries the necessary tools for effective drone usage. One of these tools is their latest offering, "SkySim", a simulation to help improve drone piloting skills across all sectors.

To find out more about SkyKelpie, you can visit their website here: 

https://www.skykelpie.com/skysim

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

If you want to know about sheep genetics in New Zealand, our guest this week, John McEwan, is the person to ask. John has been involved with genomics “since before genomics was a thing.”

From discovering key reproductive genes and rolling out DNA parentage, to the sequencing of the sheep genome and the industry adoption of genomic selection, John takes us through the milestones that have shaped New Zealand sheep breeding. 

Tune in today to hear where we're heading next. 

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

When you think of a 'modern merino', what comes to mind? For our guest this week, Willera Merino stud principal, Simon Coutts, it means a sheep that works for your business, regardless of the weather or market conditions. 

Simon explains Willara's breeding philosophy, which focuses on developing a 'modern merino' that is multi-dimensional and provides multiple income streams from high-value wool, prime lamb, capital stock and mutton. 

Simon and Ferg chat about the three Willera properties and how they work together, as well as the genetic progress they have made by mating ewe lambs and ram lambs. 

A great insight into a very forward-thinking breeding programme. 

Willera are having their 2025 ram sale on Friday 29th August

”Wadalla” 1072 Old Boort Rd, Bears Lagoon 3517

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

Simon Saunders is one of the original farmers behind Headwaters and runs the elite ewe flock at his farm, Stag Valley. In this episode, he discusses how the breeding program has evolved, what it takes to deliver consistency at scale, and the future of the Lumina lamb programme.

If you're wondering how to extract more value from your sheep operation or thinking about speciality lamb production, then this episode is not one to miss! 

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

This week, we’re chatting about the differences between US and NZ sheep production systems with Dr. Whit Stewart, an Associate Professor and Extension Sheep Specialist in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Wyoming.

Whit has spent the last year on a sabbatical in New Zealand, learning and absorbing as much as he can about sheep farming here. Because of this, he has some great insights into the comparisons between systems as well as what we do well, and what we could do better at. 

He and Ferg chat about predator pressure, grazing public land, the structure of the US lamb supply chain, and what it's like farming in a country where golden eagles can take 40% of your lamb crop. Whit also chats about what he’s learnt here in NZ. Our use of tools like FarmIQ, a strong export focus, and top-notch forage management are our strong points, according to Whit. And he also shares what he thinks we could learn from the US in return.

It’s a great conversation with someone who is very passionate about building better sheep businesses, regardless of where he is on the globe! 

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

This week we’re (belatedly) joined by Jack O’Connor, winner of the 2025 Zanda McDonald Award. Jack lives and works on the family’s fourth-generation mixed farming operation, Oxton Park, in southern NSW.

He and Ferg discuss his career so far and why, for Jack, business success comes down to the people and community he works alongside. And with 20 staff, 15 properties, and both livestock and cropping enterprises, that focus on people is essential!

They also chat about the importance of professional development, leadership, and mentorship. It’s a great listen for anyone thinking about the future of agriculture and how to bring their team along with them.

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

We're back on the genetic evaluation theme with Peta Bradley, Operations Manager at Sheep Genetics, to talk all things sheep genetics and the exciting changes that are happening at MLA in terms of bringing the two LAMBPLAN databases together. 

Peta also discusses the evolution of the Sheep Genetics genetic evaluation over the years, the crucial role of genomics as well as phenotypes and a current reference population, as well as her ice-swimming journey! 

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

This week, we’re joined by Jason Archer, Head of Genetics at Beef + Lamb NZ, to discuss the untapped potential of genomics in livestock.

Jason has spent his career working across beef, sheep, and even deer between Australia and New Zealand. He and Ferg chat about where genomics is taking us, why some of our current systems are holding things back, and what it might take to unlock faster progress in traits like feed efficiency and methane.

• Why genetics is still underused in livestock breeding
•  How genomics is shifting from enhancement to substitution
• The science (and logic) behind feed efficiency and methane
• What it takes to unlock genetic progress at a national level
• How genomics can impact commercial farmers

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE

In this episode, Ferg is chatting with Sharon Paterson from Waikaka Station in Southland, NZ. Sharon is very passionate about her flock of Texels and chats with Ferg about her selection process and her very rigorous culling criteria for structure and litter size, which have led to a uniform and productive line of sheep.

Ferg and Sharon discuss

• How structure improves stayability
• How culling singles over the years has improved fertility.
• How improved survivability counteracts a lower scanning percentage 
• The GDF9 gene
• How selecting on structure can impact carcass traits
• Paterson Park and Gardens

Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.

Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE
Check out the MSD range HERE
Check out Allflex products HERE