Head Shepherd

Our guest this week is Louis De Jaeger, a landscape designer, author and filmmaker who believes that many of agriculture’s biggest problems start with poor soil. In this episode, he and Ferg explore soil as a living system. One that can reduce costs, improve resilience, and produce more nutrient-dense food when managed well.

They talk about building long-term fertility without synthetic fertilisers, how some farmers are fighting drought and climate change, and the link between soil microbes and human gut health.

If you’re curious about regenerative agriculture, sustainable food systems or how farming can work better with nature, this one’s worth a listen.

https://louisdj.com/en/home-2

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, Ferg chats with Greg Mirams, founder of Techion/FECPAK. What started as a tool to do worm egg counts on-farm has evolved into a digital platform that reads samples using AI, returns results in minutes, and is helping farmers tackle drench resistance head-on.

They cover the early days of FECPAK, how AI is speeding up diagnosis, what species ID could unlock for breeders, and why post-treatment testing matters more than ever.

• Why drench resistance is no longer a “maybe” and what farmers can actually do about it.

• How AI now reads worm egg counts in minutes.

• The upcoming ability to identify worm species, making treatments far more targeted.

• How egg count data is being used to track contamination, inform grazing plans, and map resistance across regions.

https://fecpak.com/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 Charlie from Stonyhurst on the show. Charlie and Ferg have worked together for a long time, both passionate about breeding healthy, productive sheep. They discuss how Stonyhurst has managed to breed fine-wool sheep that don't need footrot treatment, are improving lambing and weaning percentages, and dropping their micron. 

Charlie also discusses Stonyhurst's cattle and deer operation, and some of the 175 years of history his family have there on the property. 

If you breed fine-wool sheep and you've been wondering how to fix your footrot woes, this podcast is the one for you. 

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’re joined by Prue Simson, who’s gone from managing the chaos of the Olympics and Formula One to running one of regional Australia’s busiest agricultural venues, The Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre in Tamworth.

Whilst this is slightly different to our normal podcast, Prue's experience leading teams under pressure, dealing with legacy and change and large-scale event management is all relevant to managing a farm, especially around planning for the unexpected, building strong networks, and handling tough conversations well.

-The power of planning for what might go wrong

-How to build a team that thrives under pressure

-Why networks are your best bet in a crisis

-And how she’s balancing career ambition with raising a young family

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

We're sticking with cattle for one more week, and this time we have Paul Hickman from Taimate Angus on the show.

Taimate is one of New Zealand's most respected cattle studs, and in this episode Paul shares the story of how the family farm has evolved since 1905 from running sheep studs, to now focusing solely on Angus cattle. 

Paul discusses the importance of structural strength in breeding, emphasising that it's not just about breeding values. Structure and phenotype still play a crucial role. Ferg and Paul also chat about Roy, a legendary Taimate bull, and how his success has helped open doors for New Zealand Angus genetics internationally.

Taimate have their annual bull sale on Monday, 16th of June. 

https://www.taimateangus.co.nz/angus.html

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

We're back with another podcast from the World Angus Forum. This time, we have Chris Earl from CK6 Consulting, sharing his insights on ranching, genetic consulting, and the challenges faced in the cattle industry. 

He and Ferg chat about the importance of cash flow management, building a brand, and the innovative strategies for selling meat. 

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

Listen to the podcast live from the World Angus Forum. Ferg chats with Chuck Grove, retired American Angus Association President, to talk all things Angus cattle. 

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

When Sherri Symons looked at five years' worth of crossbred wool gathering dust in the shed, she didn’t just see a problem, she saw an opportunity.

Today, she’s the founder of Aussie Wool Pellets and WoolGrow, creating environmentally friendly, biodegradable gardening products from 100% Australian wool. 

Her products:
 ✅ Provide slow-release nitrogen
 ✅ Hold three times their weight in water
 ✅ Feed soil microorganisms
 ✅ Deter slugs and snails naturally
 ✅ Break down into the soil to boost carbon and soil health

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

Want to know how to future-proof your family farm for generations ahead? This is the podcast episode for you. Our guest this week is fellow podcaster Ben Law, aka 'The Financial Bloke'. Ben is a former financial advisor who now works as a strategic coach, helping farming families grow, protect and transition their wealth across generations.

Ben shares his background in financial law, the reasons behind his career shift and the work he does now with farming families. He explains the common challenges faced by farming families in succession planning and his approach to guiding them through the difficulties. 

Tune in to hear:

• How to avoid the common pitfalls that derail family succession plans.
• Why financial success isn’t enough to keep the family business strong.
• What proactive families are doing now to set up for smooth transitions later.
• How to prepare both on-farm and off-farm kids for their future roles.
• Why rethinking time, work ethic and communication matters more than you think.
• The power of mastermind groups to shift mindset and spark meaningful change.

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

Nigel is back again to discuss the business of farming, and mindset in particular. Expanding on our previous two podcasts with Nigel, he shares his approach to business, the evolution of his mindset and strategies for managing risk and climate variability. He also talks about the importance of continual learning and, as Nigel puts it, “buying brains”. 

In this episode, we discuss:

✔ How to build a resilient farm business
✔ What good leadership really looks like on-farm
✔ Why scaling up isn’t always the answer

If you’re looking to future-proof your business, manage labour better, and build systems that don’t fall apart under pressure, tune in 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: [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