📢 Calling all sheep enthusiasts! This week's guest is Mark Mortimer, aka @sheepgeekCP on Twitter. Mark is both a sheep farmer and an innovator with an incredible mind for numbers and technology.

Raised on a merino stud, Mark has been recording sheep data for as long as he can remember. One of his first 'inventions' was voice-to-text software so that he didn’t have to write down the numbers his dad called out to him all day in the yards. He soon realised that talking in dusty sheep yards was equally as tiresome as writing things down all day, but the foundations of innovation were now there to be built upon.

Mark shares his journey of learning to code from a “good old-fashioned book” and how he then created very specific problem-solving technology with that knowledge.

From using some of the first electronic identification tags as part of the sheep CRC, to developing a walk-through pedigree matchmaking set-up, to a whisper-silent modular auto drafter capable of drafting up to 21 ways (which he also tested with his own head, to ensure the front gate closed softly enough on the sheep), Mark's innovations are what many sheep farmers dream about creating. And this is only the tip of the iceberg!

Mark also discusses Centre Plus and his father's approach to breeding merinos in the 1980s. He emphasises the power of collective decision-making to help drive genetic gain across the industry.

We hope that this podcast and Mark's insights into invention inspire you to think a little more creatively about solving your on-farm problems.

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, 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