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:
✅ 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: info@nextgenagri.com.

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

Want to know how to future-proof your family farm for generations ahead? This is the podcast 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 he common challenges faced by farming families in succession planning and his approach to guiding them through the difficulties.

Tune in to hear about:

• 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: info@nextgenagri.com.

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

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: info@nextgenagri.com.

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

“Engage, not educate.” That’s Claire Taylor’s mantra when it comes to shifting agriculture’s public perception.

From a career in political journalism to a Nuffield Scholarship spanning 16 countries, Claire has seen firsthand how farming is scrutinised around the world.

We chat about:

- breaking out of the agricultural echo chamber

- the power of agritourism

- why trust-building, not just broadcasting, is the key to better advocacy

- the latest farming unrest in the UK, and

- her move from Scotland to Australia to launch Agvocacy Consulting.

https://www.agvocacyconsulting.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, 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

This week on the podcast we have our sponsors, MSD Animal Health, discussing Clostridial diseases and proper vaccine protocols. Our guests, Felicity Wills and Hamish Pike, are both Veterinary Technical Advisors for the company, and discuss the prevalence, symptoms, risk factors, and prevention strategies associated with Clostridial diseases.

From Pulpy Kidney to Blackleg, we cover what happens, what to look for, and why vaccines are a simple but essential tool for preventing losses.

• Why clostridial diseases turn up so often
• How to spot the signs before it’s too late
• Getting the most out of vaccines (without wasting money)
• The myths, the mistakes, and the must-knows

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, 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

This week we're giving you a bonus episode on the Head Shepherd Podcast. Our host Mark, also hosts the Fibre Frontier podcast and we thought this interview with Dr Susan Robertson was worth sharing with our audience here on Head Shepherd.

The Fibre Frontier is supported by AgriFutures Australia and the Goat Fibre Producers of Australia. Find more on AgriFutures Australia's Goat Fibre Program here - https://agrifutures.com.au/rural-industries/goat-fibre/.

You can find related information and a world of likeminded people at the Goat Fibre Gateway - check it out here - https://gateway.goatfibre.com/.

If you're keen on mohair and cashmere, or just love a good yarn about agriculture, share this episode, leave a like and a review, and let's spread the word about The Fibre Frontier!

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, 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

This week on the Head Shepherd podcast, we’re joined by Dr Pedro Fontes from the University of Georgia to talk about beef cattle reproduction. Pedro’s research focuses on optimising fertility through artificial insemination (AI), synchronisation protocols, and embryo transfer strategies.

Mark and Pedro discuss the latest findings on GnRH compounds, how pre-synchronisation boosts conception rates, why improved ultrasound technology is enhancing embryo recipient selection and how excess bull condition affects fertility.

If you’re looking for new ways to improve reproductive efficiency in your herd, this episode is a must-listen.

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, 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

This week on the Head Shepherd podcast, we’re deep-diving into Toxoplasma Gondii with veterinary parasitologist Connor Bury. Connor walks us through the lifecycle of the parasite, how it’s impacting sheep farmers across the world, and what we can do to reduce the impacts of it.

Whilst many know that cats are the main culprits in spreading toxo, did you know the importance of water quality when it comes to reducing the spread of the parasite?

Tune in today to learn more and equip yourself with the knowledge to lower your sheep's risk of toxoplasmosis.

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, 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