Head Shepherd

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 at Trangie, the Agricultural Research Center run by the NSW Department of Agriculture, known as one of the best sheep breeding centres in the world. The rest, as they say, was history.

Herman worked on pivotal research revolving around fleece rot, body strike and breech strike, which was the founding of the current Australian breeding values.

Mark and Herman both worked on the Footrot Estimated Breeding Value (EBV). From previous breeding programs, Herman knew natural genetic variation existed within the Merino industry in terms of sire groups that produced highly resistant or highly susceptible offspring when it came to health and welfare traits. They had also discovered in past research they could not find an individual gene marker for the Footrot gene. This foundation gave NZM and researchers a leap-pad to start from when developing the Footrot EBV value in 2013

Mark also worked with Herman with AWI on a Machine Learning project. With computing power, and large information data sets, machine learning can make sense of very complex data systems and make predictions that the human mind cannot make easily. There are multiple applications and Mark and Herman discuss a few that could make huge differences to the future of the agricultural industry.

Herman has more recently delved into the world of Aquaculture and is currently involved in Australian shrimp farming.

This podcast covers a huge range of topics that span the range of Hermans fascinating career and is one of those you'll listen to over and over again.

Check out The Hub
thehub.nextgenagri.com
Our community where our members have the opportunity to keep up to date with everything we are working on.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence is the leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of animal monitoring, identification, and traceability solutions. Their data-driven solutions are used by farmers to manage animals. By putting intelligent, actionable information into farmers’ hands, their solutions empower them to act in a timely manner for optimal outcomes.
A big thank you to our sponsors, Allflex Livestock Intelligence
www.allflex.global/nz/

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: [email protected].

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

Check out the MSD range HERE

Check out Allflex products HERE

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE

Check out ProWay's product range HERE

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 Lifetime Ewe Management project, and have kept in touch ever since.

Andrew completed a PhD at the University of Western Australia and has an undergraduate degree in agriculture from the University of Melbourne.

Andrews career and experience with farm systems, pasture agronomy, animal nutrition and farm economics/management means there's plenty for Mark and Andrew to discuss. 

Alongside his partner Kirsty, Andrew started Thrive Agri Services. They provide independent production, business and research and development services to the Australian sheep and beef supply chains throughout Western Victoria- with the tag ling  "to enable your animals, farm systems and people to THRIVE."

Find out more below.
www.thriveagriservices.com.au/

Check out The Hub
thehub.nextgenagri.com
Our community where our members have the opportunity to keep up to date with everything we are working on.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence is the leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of animal monitoring, identification, and traceability solutions. Their data-driven solutions are used by farmers to manage animals. By putting intelligent, actionable information into farmers’ hands, their solutions empower them to act in a timely manner for optimal outcomes.
A big thank you to our sponsors, Allflex Livestock Intelligence
www.allflex.global/nz/

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: [email protected].

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

Check out the MSD range HERE

Check out Allflex products HERE

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE

Check out ProWay's product range HERE

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 Daniel was never intending on taking. After getting off at the wrong tube stop on his OE in London, Daniel decided to take up a position of sheep scanning assistant up in Scotland. The rest is history.

Scanning so many sheep across the world has given Daniel a chance to see many different farming systems and notice patterns in success. "Doing the simple stuff right", seems to be key according to Dan.  It's allowed him to remove the mental glass ceiling because he's seen what can be done on farms first hand.

Daniel also breeds his own sheep which are a range of shedders and high fertility breeds. He owned his first stud Merinos at the age of 15 and developed an interest in genetics, a passion that came before scanning was on his radar. He now breeds Finnsheep, Meatmaster, Texel  and Luings with a current breeding focus being low-input, high output. Daniel is also experimenting with a small flock of shedding sheep.

Daniel is also on the committee of the Low Input CPT, and discusses the recent work they're doing and some of the interesting findings that have come up, like naturally docked tails in a Coopworth.


Check out The Hub
thehub.nextgenagri.com
Our community where our members have the opportunity to keep up to date with everything we are working on.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence is the leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of animal monitoring, identification, and traceability solutions. Their data-driven solutions are used by farmers to manage animals. By putting intelligent, actionable information into farmers’ hands, their solutions empower them to act in a timely manner for optimal outcomes.
A big thank you to our sponsors, Allflex Livestock Intelligence
www.allflex.global/nz/

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: [email protected].

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

Check out the MSD range HERE

Check out Allflex products HERE

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE

Check out ProWay's product range HERE

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 200 Hereford Stud cows and run 4,000 ewes which includes a Texel, Romney, Romtex and Romdale studs.

The Patersons are well known for their Hereford stud, and breeding a functional cow that their buyers want is priority. Ross highlights it's important to ask your buyers what they want, not to try to tell them what they need.

As a 'retired builder', Ross has a different outlook on farming and often asks why, or better still, why not? This year they left tails on some of their Texel x ewes after scoring them at docking. They're naturally shorter coming from a Texel, so, why not?

It is always great to hear how other farmers work, and this is a great chat between Mark and Ross running through their farming system in Southland.

Find out more about Waikaka Genetics below
www.waikakagenetics.com


Check out The Hub
thehub.nextgenagri.com
Our community where our members have the opportunity to keep up to date with everything we are working on.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence is the leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of animal monitoring, identification, and traceability solutions. Their data-driven solutions are used by farmers to manage animals. By putting intelligent, actionable information into farmers’ hands, their solutions empower them to act in a timely manner for optimal outcomes.
A big thank you to our sponsors, Allflex Livestock Intelligence
www.allflex.global/nz/

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: [email protected].

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

Check out the MSD range HERE

Check out Allflex products HERE

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE

Check out ProWay's product range HERE

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 owners of Bog Roy station, farming just under 3,000 Ha with 4,000 merino ewes and 140 Hereford cows on the shores of Lake Benmore, Omarama, New Zealand.

Gundy and Angus go through the past, present and future of Bog Roy. When they arrived in 1980, Bog Roy farmed Corriedales but changed to Merinos in the mid 90's based on the wool prices at the time.

After finding themselves carrying too much stock through winter, and finding their peak feed demand occurring when there wasn't any grass growth, Gundy and Lisa changed their thinking.

Well thought out, small and incremental changes over the years has gotten Bog Roy to where they are today. Starting with trials around the farm, ensuring it works for them and their land, and then expanding it is how they started with increasing scanning, grazing lucerne and mating hoggets.

Gundy and his wife Lisa, make sure that all decisions made now can still hold up in 10 years time when it comes to the social license to farm. Getting more production out of less stock units is the way they plan on reducing their environmental impact.

Listen to find out more about Bog Roy station.

Check out The Hub
thehub.nextgenagri.com
Our community where our members have the opportunity to keep up to date with everything we are working on.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence is the leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of animal monitoring, identification, and traceability solutions. Their data-driven solutions are used by farmers to manage animals. By putting intelligent, actionable information into farmers’ hands, their solutions empower them to act in a timely manner for optimal outcomes.
A big thank you to our sponsors, Allflex Livestock Intelligence
www.allflex.global/nz/

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: [email protected].

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

Check out the MSD range HERE

Check out Allflex products HERE

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE

Check out ProWay's product range HERE

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 long and distinguished career in sheep reproduction. He was raised on a sheep and cereal farm in Western Australia. After studying at university, Graeme went on to complete a PhD in the area of sheep reproduction. He then worked in France and Scotland before returning to Western Australia in the mid-1980s as Lecturer in Animal Science (The University of WA) and Research Scientist (CSIRO Division of Animal Production). He continued to focus on sheep reproduction throughout his career, specialising in the 'male effect'. 

Graeme has since retired from teaching but continues to develop the science of reproduction and how this can apply to farmers. 

Mark and Graeme's conversation covers what goes on internally in the ewe to trigger ovulation, as well as what happens in the ram. Knowing the science behind the 'male effect' enables you to tease your ewes more efficiently to get the best results. 

This is a fascinating podcast with Graeme sharing a lifetime's worth of knowledge and research. 

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: [email protected].

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

Check out the MSD range HERE

Check out Allflex products HERE

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE

Check out ProWay's product range HERE

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 summers around the world, and finally settled in New Zealand 12 years ago. At this point she purchased Nikau Coopworth sheep stud, and has been passionate about the breed ever since.

Facial Eczema is a serious concern in the North Island of New Zealand, and Kate explains to Mark how the stud, and the Coopworth breed, have been breeding for FE tolerance for well over 35 years and, at the same time have been targeting worm resistance and more recently, dags.

Mark and Kate have great discussions about the benefits, and gains, from selecting for sheep with a good immune system/high welfare traits, and how that allows the animal to express it's potential.

If you would like to learn more about the low-input CPT discussed, take a look here

To learn more about Nikau Coopworths, take a look here.

Check out The Hub
thehub.nextgenagri.com
Our community where our members have the opportunity to keep up to date with everything we are working on.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence is the leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of animal monitoring, identification, and traceability solutions. Their data-driven solutions are used by farmers to manage animals. By putting intelligent, actionable information into farmers’ hands, their solutions empower them to act in a timely manner for optimal outcomes.
A big thank you to our sponsors, Allflex Livestock Intelligence
www.allflex.global/nz/

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: [email protected].

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

Check out the MSD range HERE

Check out Allflex products HERE

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE

Check out ProWay's product range HERE

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 address multi-disciplinary problems of animal and human health and animal production.

Richards started as a clinical dairy veterinarian, who then went on to do post-grad training in epidemiology, whilst also working as a  farm management consultant. This career path made him step back and view the dairy farm very, very differently. 

This is one of those "not to be missed" episodes of Head Shepherd where the lifetime of insights provided by Richard are truly invaluable.

Mark and Richard discuss industry indices, and how they're all well and good for regional populations, but how knowing your farm and your flock are far more essential to boost profit. They also cover the outlook in the future for breeding "low input" animals, and what that could mean for the animal as a whole.

If you'd like to listen to Bill Malcoms podcast you can find it here:
Download Here.


Check out The Hub
thehub.nextgenagri.com
Our community where our members have the opportunity to keep up to date with everything we are working on.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence is the leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of animal monitoring, identification, and traceability solutions. Their data-driven solutions are used by farmers to manage animals. By putting intelligent, actionable information into farmers’ hands, their solutions empower them to act in a timely manner for optimal outcomes.
A big thank you to our sponsors, Allflex Livestock Intelligence
www.allflex.global/nz/

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: [email protected].

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

Check out the MSD range HERE

Check out Allflex products HERE

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE

Check out ProWay's product range HERE

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 ragwort with a knapsack as a teen around the Wairarapa, to 17 years as CEO of Allflex in the Asia/Pacific region, Shane shares his story of how he got to lead some of Australasia's biggest operations.

Mark and Shane discuss the evolution of data during Shane's time at Allflex, and also the importance of recognising leaders in the Agricultural industry, and how we go about bringing them out to their best potential.  Team mentality and culture is key in building the foundations of a good business, Shane believes.

Another of Shane's beliefs is the power of farmers talking to farmers. He wanted Allflex to know their customers better, so they started with 7 top producers from Australia and New Zealand, sat around a table discussing ideas.
This 'idea' Shane had is now PPP, Platinum Primary Producers, which was launched in 2013.

Listen in to hear more about more of Shane's story.

Check out The Hub below
thehub.nextgenagri.com

Allflex Livestock Intelligence is the leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of animal monitoring, identification, and traceability solutions. Their data-driven solutions are used by farmers to manage animals. By putting intelligent, actionable information into farmers’ hands, their solutions empower them to act in a timely manner for optimal outcomes.
A big thank you to our sponsors, Allflex Livestock Intelligence
www.allflex.global/nz/

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: [email protected].

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

Check out the MSD range HERE

Check out Allflex products HERE

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE

Check out ProWay's product range HERE

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 internationally recognised food systems innovation expert, the CEO and Founder of AgThentic, a global food and agriculture strategy firm, and co-founder of Tenacious Ventures, Australia’s first dedicated agrifood tech VC firm AND podcast host of "Ag Tech So What?".

But, before all that, Sarah grew up in California, quite literally in the centre of the tech world. After studying computer science at University, Sarah then ended up in the defence industry. She enjoyed the tech, but felt like her heart wasn't into it. Roll forward a year and her experiences in Agriculture in South America, Sarah was inspired to go down the rabbit hole of Ag Tech.

Ten years later, Sarah now lives in Australia and is fully immersed in a whole different world. 

Sarah challenges the usual way of finding investments. In contrast to starting at the research end, focusing on building the device and hoping people purchase and invest, she flips that on its head by focusing on the team strategy, what the product will do, and who's going to pay for it at the end of it all.

Sarah then discusses the exciting upcoming innovations in the Australasian Agtech space. Learn more about the future of the tech space, the work Sarah and her companies are doing, and how you can help!

Find out more below.

https://tenacious.ventures/

https://www.agtechsowhat.com/

https://agthentic.com/


Check out The Hub
thehub.nextgenagri.com
Our community where our members have the opportunity to keep up to date with everything we are working on. 



Thank you yet again to Allflex and now MSD for sponsoring the fifth season of Head Shepherd.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence is the leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of animal monitoring, identification, and traceability solutions. Their data-driven solutions are used by farmers to manage animals. By putting intelligent, actionable information into farmers’ hands, their solutions empower them to act in a timely manner for optimal outcomes.
A big thank you to our sponsors, Allflex Livestock Intelligence
www.allflex.global/nz/

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: [email protected].

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

Check out the MSD range HERE

Check out Allflex products HERE

Check out Heiniger's product range HERE

Check out ProWay's product range HERE