Hosted by Mark Ferguson · 🇺🇸 US · EN-NZ · 289 episodes
Established thought leaders with verified media credentials.
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.
Mark Ferguson hosts Head Shepherd, a science show with 289 episodes published.
How do Australian and New Zealand farmers stay competitive when the rest of the world is changing faster than ever? For our guest this week, Richard Green, it starts by accepting that yesterday's thinking will not solve
Long before performance recording became mainstream, George Fell's grandfather was building a sheep breeding programme around growth, efficiency and measured performance on pasture. Unable to find the genetics he wanted,
What does a cow actually cost to run? At Kerin Ag, every kilogram of utilisable feed has a value attached to it. That allows Joe Kerin and the team to measure whether an animal is genuinely paying its way. In this episod
Few people have had a front-row seat to the genetic improvement of New Zealand sheep quite like our guest this week, Simon Buckley. After growing up in Whangārei and starting his farming career at Castlepoint Station, Si
Most sheep producers assume their drenches are working. Chloe Frank's job is finding out whether they actually are. After discovering how few producers in her region were monitoring worm burdens, Chloe launched Central S
This week on the podcast, Ferg introduces James Trowbridge, the newest consultant to join the neXtgen Agri team. James grew up in South Australia working alongside his parents, Margie and Bill Trowbridge, in both Merinos
What does it take to build the data systems that sit behind your genetic evaluations? This week on the podcast, Ferg catches up with Dan Garrick from Helical. Dan grew up on a sheep, beef and venison farm in the Manawatu
Jane Kellock joins Mark to talk through the production and business decisions that have shaped their Merino operation in South Australia’s Mid North. From running a non-mulesed flock for more than 20 years to building a
Matt Hood on farm succession, agribusiness banking, and building better farm businesses. Based in Marlborough, Matt has worked across sheep and beef, dairy, and viticulture businesses in both New Zealand and Australia, w
You'd never ignore your interest rate, so why aren't you tracking your genetic gain? This week, Ferg catches up with Chad Taylor for an update on what has been happening at Mumblebone and the recent work around footrot a
This week, Mark catches up with Will Barton from Gundagai Meat Processors (GMP) to chat about what has changed since his last appearance on the podcast and where things are heading next for Gundagai. Gundagai has built a
This week on the podcast, Mark chats with Carol Mudford to talk about her unconventional path into the shearing sheds and the work she is now doing to help improve mental health across the industry. Carol grew up around
Bea Litchfield is Managing Director of Hazeldean, a sixth-generation family seedstock business running both Merino and Angus studs alongside commercial operations. Hazeldean is a large-scale seedstock business, and they
Join Mark and our guest this week, Dr Shane Thomson, to discuss some key points around reproductive performance in cattle. Shane is a veterinarian and partner at Holbrook Vet Centre in southern New South Wales, leading a
This week on the podcast, Professor Wayne Pitchford joins Mark Ferguson to discuss all things cow condition. Wayne has spent more than three decades at the University of Adelaide working across animal breeding, genetics
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 i
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, w
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
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
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
Chad Taylor
author of It's You. Oh F*ck. It’s ME. In Session with a Psychotherapist · Seapoint Wealth Advisors
1 appearance on this show
Angus Street
CEO · Zentera Wool Company
1 appearance on this show
David Egerton-Warburton
Agrimaster
1 appearance on this show
Mark Ferguson
Managing nutrition in pregnancy and early lactation · neXtgen Agri
5 appearances on this show
Dr Whit Stewart
UW Extension Sheep Specialist · University of Wyoming Extension Sheep
1 appearance on this show
Louis De Jaeger
Filmmaker Author
1 appearance on this show
Paul Hickman
Drinking for Sports
1 appearance on this show
Claire Taylor
Digital marketing and SEO Strategist · LeadHership Athletics
1 appearance on this show
Amber Smith
Hope Mom, speaker, and author of The Girl on the Bathroom Floor · Activate Good
1 appearance on this show
Nick Martin
Senior Director of ESG · University of Amsterdam
1 appearance on this show
John Francis
Fathers Eve
1 appearance on this show
Ben Simpson
Collective Shift
1 appearance on this show
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Head Shepherd is hosted by Mark Ferguson. The show is categorised under science (business) and has published 289 episodes.
Head Shepherd has published 289 episodes.
Head Shepherd regularly covers science, business, education. It sits in the science category, with a business focus.
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