John Yates has spent the past 18 years helping develop the British Texel Sheep Society, including bringing performance recording in house and building the iTexel database. Rather than relying on an external system, the Society has developed an evaluation around the information its breeders are collecting and the breeding goals of a terminal sire breed.John chats with Ferg about that evolution and the thinking behind it. For him, breed development has to maintain focus on what commercial producers need from a terminal sire, which means making data easier for breeders to collect and use, putting economic value on traits, and using genomics to ensure accuracy within the breed.With around a third of UK sires having texel genetics, this development has been quite influential for sheep producers there. It is an interesting concept, and worth a listen for anyone wondering what a breed society could be doing with the data it already holds. Head Shepherd is brought to you by <a href='https://www.nextgenagri.com/'>neXtgen Agri International Limited</a>. 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, 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 <a href='https://www.msd-animal-health.co.nz/'>HERE</a>Check out Allflex products <a href='https://www.allflex.co.nz/'>HERE</a>Check out Heiniger's product range <a href='http://www.heiniger.com.au/'>HERE</a>Check out ProWay's product range <a href='https://proway.com.au/'>HERE</a>

John Yates has spent the past 18 years helping develop the British Texel Sheep Society, including bringing performance recording in house and building the iTexel database. Rather than relying on an external system, the Society has developed an evaluation around the information its breeders are collecting and the breeding goals of a terminal sire breed. John chats with Ferg about that evolution and the thinking behind it. For him, breed development has to maintain focus on what commercial producers need from a terminal sire, which means making data easier for breeders to collect and use, putting economic value on traits, and using genomics to ensure accuracy within the breed. With around a third of UK sires having texel genetics, this development has been quite influential for sheep producers there. It is an interesting concept, and worth a listen for anyone wondering what a breed society could be doing with the data it already holds. 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, 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

John Yates has spent the past 18 years helping develop the British Texel Sheep Society, including bringing performance recording in house and building the iTexel database. Rather than relying on an external system, the Society has developed an evaluation around the information its breeders are collecting and the breeding goals of a terminal sire breed.John chats with Ferg about that evolution and the thinking behind it. For him, breed development has to maintain focus on what commercial producers need from a terminal sire, which means making data easier for breeders to collect and use, putting economic value on traits, and using genomics to ensure accuracy within the breed.With around a third of UK sires having texel genetics, this development has been quite influential for sheep producers there. It is an interesting concept, and worth a listen for anyone wondering what a breed society could be doing with the data it already holds. Head Shepherd is brought to you by <a href="https://www.nextgenagri.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">neXtgen Agri International Limited</a>.&nbsp;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, 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 <a href="https://www.msd-animal-health.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>Check out Allflex products <a href="https://www.allflex.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>Check out Heiniger's product range <a href="http://www.heiniger.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>Check out ProWay's product range <a href="https://proway.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>

The changing role of breed societies with John Yates

Selecting replacement ewe lambs is an opportunity to make more genetic progress in a flock, but how much are we missing when selection relies on visual assessment alone?In this episode, Ferg shares his thoughts on improving replacement ewe selection. He explains how environmental effects can influence what we see in the yards, and why putting objective scores around those observations can lead to better selection decisions.Ferg also explains how neXtRank accounts for environmental effects and trait heritability to rank animals against a flock's breeding objective, giving producers an opportunity to make better use of the information they collect without adding unnecessary cost or complexity to the process.Get in touch today if you're interested in using neXtRank within your businessmark@nextgenagri.com Head Shepherd is brought to you by <a href='https://www.nextgenagri.com/'>neXtgen Agri International Limited</a>. 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, 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 <a href='https://www.msd-animal-health.co.nz/'>HERE</a>Check out Allflex products <a href='https://www.allflex.co.nz/'>HERE</a>Check out Heiniger's product range <a href='http://www.heiniger.com.au/'>HERE</a>Check out ProWay's product range <a href='https://proway.com.au/'>HERE</a>

Selecting replacement ewe lambs is an opportunity to make more genetic progress in a flock, but how much are we missing when selection relies on visual assessment alone? In this episode, Ferg shares his thoughts on improving replacement ewe selection. He explains how environmental effects can influence what we see in the yards, and why putting objective scores around those observations can lead to better selection decisions. Ferg also explains how neXtRank accounts for environmental effects and trait heritability to rank animals against a flock's breeding objective, giving producers an opportunity to make better use of the information they collect without adding unnecessary cost or complexity to the process. Get in touch today if you're interested in using neXtRank within your business mark@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, 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

Selecting replacement ewe lambs is an opportunity to make more genetic progress in a flock, but how much are we missing when selection relies on visual assessment alone?In this episode, Ferg shares his thoughts on improving replacement ewe selection. He explains how environmental effects can influence what we see in the yards, and why putting objective scores around those observations can lead to better selection decisions.Ferg also explains how neXtRank accounts for environmental effects and trait heritability to rank animals against a flock's breeding objective, giving producers an opportunity to make better use of the information they collect without adding unnecessary cost or complexity to the process.Get in touch today if you're interested in using neXtRank within your businessmark@nextgenagri.com Head Shepherd is brought to you by <a href="https://www.nextgenagri.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">neXtgen Agri International Limited</a>.&nbsp;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, 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 <a href="https://www.msd-animal-health.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>Check out Allflex products <a href="https://www.allflex.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>Check out Heiniger's product range <a href="http://www.heiniger.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>Check out ProWay's product range <a href="https://proway.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>

Ferg's thoughts on replacement ewe selection

Join us to celebrate our 300th episode! For anyone lucky enough to attend LambEx this year, Gus Balbontin was one of our favourite speakers. So, when he agreed to come on for our special 300th episode, we were beyond excited.The messages Gus shared during his talk have stuck with many. He challenged (and succeeded) in getting us to think differently and to question any long-standing assumptions we'd had. Gus grew up in sheep country in Patagonia before leaving Argentina at the age of 17 because of "a healthy disregard for the status quo". By 22, he'd dropped out of university, hitchhiked across South America, started his first business and landed his dream job at Lonely Planet, giving him a front-row seat to the disruption that came alongside the internet and ensuing technology boom. These days, Gus is an investor, founder, advisor, and speaker, working across startups, AI, robotics, 3D-printed wheelchairs, and climate technology. Gus doesn’t claim to know exactly what the future will look like. Instead, he argues that we should be getting better at adapting to whatever comes next. He talks about why successful businesses and farms can become comfortable with systems that have worked for years, which is why disruption often looks ridiculous before it becomes obvious. His advice is to stop waiting for the future to become clear and start playing with it now. Try something unfamiliar. Follow a new idea down a rabbit hole. Make a small experiment. See what happens.We couldn't have asked for a better guest for our 300th episode. We hope this gives you a chance to think about staying relevant, challenging assumptions and being willing to rethink things that have worked well for a long time. Head Shepherd is brought to you by <a href='https://www.nextgenagri.com/'>neXtgen Agri International Limited</a>. 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, 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 <a href='https://www.msd-animal-health.co.nz/'>HERE</a>Check out Allflex products <a href='https://www.allflex.co.nz/'>HERE</a>Check out Heiniger's product range <a href='http://www.heiniger.com.au/'>HERE</a>Check out ProWay's product range <a href='https://proway.com.au/'>HERE</a>

Join us to celebrate our 300th episode! For anyone lucky enough to attend LambEx this year, Gus Balbontin was one of our favourite speakers. So, when he agreed to come on for our special 300th episode, we were beyond excited. The messages Gus shared during his talk have stuck with many. He challenged (and succeeded) in getting us to think differently and to question any long-standing assumptions we'd had. Gus grew up in sheep country in Patagonia before leaving Argentina at the age of 17 because of "a healthy disregard for the status quo". By 22, he'd dropped out of university, hitchhiked across South America, started his first business and landed his dream job at Lonely Planet, giving him a front-row seat to the disruption that came alongside the internet and ensuing technology boom. These days, Gus is an investor, founder, advisor, and speaker, working across startups, AI, robotics, 3D-printed wheelchairs, and climate technology. Gus doesn’t claim to know exactly what the future will look like. Instead, he argues that we should be getting better at adapting to whatever comes next. He talks about why successful businesses and farms can become comfortable with systems that have worked for years, which is why disruption often looks ridiculous before it becomes obvious. His advice is to stop waiting for the future to become clear and start playing with it now. Try something unfamiliar. Follow a new idea down a rabbit hole. Make a small experiment. See what happens. We couldn't have asked for a better guest for our 300th episode. We hope this gives you a chance to think about staying relevant, challenging assumptions and being willing to rethink things that have worked well for a long time. 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, 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

Join us to celebrate our 300th episode!&nbsp;For anyone lucky enough to attend LambEx this year, Gus Balbontin was one of our favourite speakers. So, when he agreed to come on for our special 300th episode, we were beyond excited.The messages Gus shared during his talk have stuck with many. He challenged (and succeeded) in getting us to think differently and to question any long-standing assumptions we'd had.&nbsp;Gus grew up in sheep country in Patagonia before leaving Argentina at the age of 17 because of "a healthy disregard for the status quo". By 22, he'd dropped out of university, hitchhiked across South America, started his first business and landed his dream job at Lonely Planet, giving him a front-row seat to the disruption that came alongside the internet and ensuing technology boom.&nbsp;These days, Gus is an investor, founder, advisor, and speaker, working across startups, AI, robotics, 3D-printed wheelchairs, and climate technology. Gus doesn’t claim to know exactly what the future will look like. Instead, he argues that we should be getting better at adapting to whatever comes next.&nbsp;He talks about why successful businesses and farms can become comfortable with systems that have worked for years, which is why disruption often looks ridiculous before it becomes obvious.&nbsp;His advice is to stop waiting for the future to become clear and start playing with it now. Try something unfamiliar. Follow a new idea down a rabbit hole. Make a small experiment. See what happens.We couldn't have asked for a better guest for our 300th episode. We hope this gives you a chance to think about staying relevant, challenging assumptions and being willing to rethink things that have worked well for a long time.&nbsp;Head Shepherd is brought to you by <a href="https://www.nextgenagri.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">neXtgen Agri International Limited</a>.&nbsp;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, 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 <a href="https://www.msd-animal-health.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>Check out Allflex products <a href="https://www.allflex.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>Check out Heiniger's product range <a href="http://www.heiniger.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>Check out ProWay's product range <a href="https://proway.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>

Pulling the future towards you with Gus Balbontin

The first Head Shepherd podcast, this one is the first of a three part series titled The Heritability of Hope.  In this episode, Mark Ferguson discusses the importance of focussing on the consumer when deciding on breeding strategies on livestock farms.Head Shepherd is brought to you by <a href='https://www.nextgenagri.com/'>neXtgen Agri International Limited</a>. 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, 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 <a href='https://www.msd-animal-health.co.nz/'>HERE</a>Check out Allflex products <a href='https://www.allflex.co.nz/'>HERE</a>Check out Heiniger's product range <a href='http://www.heiniger.com.au/'>HERE</a>Check out ProWay's product range <a href='https://proway.com.au/'>HERE</a>

The first Head Shepherd podcast, this one is the first of a three part series titled The Heritability of Hope. In this episode, Mark Ferguson discusses the importance of focussing on the consumer when deciding on breeding strategies on livestock farms. 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, 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

The first Head Shepherd podcast, this one is the first of a three part series titled The Heritability of Hope.&nbsp; In this episode, Mark Ferguson discusses the importance of focussing on the consumer when deciding on breeding strategies on livestock farms.Head Shepherd is brought to you by <a href="https://www.nextgenagri.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">neXtgen Agri International Limited</a>.&nbsp;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, 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 <a href="https://www.msd-animal-health.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>Check out Allflex products <a href="https://www.allflex.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>Check out Heiniger's product range <a href="http://www.heiniger.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>Check out ProWay's product range <a href="https://proway.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>

The heritability of hope - part 1 of 3

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.&nbsp;

Business

Science

Education

How To

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. 

Share Head Shepherd

Sign up to save your podcasts

Head Shepherd

Head Shepherd episodes

About Head Shepherd

More shows like Head Shepherd

The Howie Games

Profitable Farmer

The Yarn

Betoota Talks

Commodity Conversations

Humans of Agriculture

Marcus Oldham AgTalk

AgWatchers

Straight Talk with Mark Bouris

Proper True Yarn

Life of Brian

Bizarre with Mick Molloy and Titus O’Reily

Boots Off Log On!™

The AgriCoach Podcast by The Financial Bloke

2 Worlds Collide Podcast