Kerin Ag Podcasts
Kerin Ag Podcasts
Spotify PlaylistListen to Nigel and Joe Kerin share some of the Kerin Agriculture stories on these podcasts. Click the episode for more details.
Turning Grass Into Money - This Time With Cattle, With Joe Kerin
32 min
Kerin Wagyu's Move - With Joe Kerin
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Kerin Wagyu's Move - With Joe Kerin
46 min
Tom & Mick: Trading Livestock, Grazing Systems and the Long Game with Nigel Kerin
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Tom & Mick: Trading Livestock, Grazing Systems and the Long Game with Nigel Kerin
107 min
Nigel Kerin on the Business of Farming
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Nigel Kerin on the Business of Farming
95 min
The Business of Farming with Nigel Kerin
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The Business of Farming with Nigel Kerin
62 min
The Power of Staying Curious with Nigel Kerin
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The Power of Staying Curious with Nigel Kerin
43 min
Opportunities for Sheep in a Tough Trading Environment with Nigel Kerin
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Opportunities for Sheep in a Tough Trading Environment with Nigel Kerin
46 min
Success is a Very Poor Teacher with Nigel Kerin
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Success is a Very Poor Teacher with Nigel Kerin
46 min
The Business of Running a Business with Nigel Kerin
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The Business of Running a Business with Nigel Kerin
Turning Grass Into Money - This Time With Cattle, With Joe Kerin
What does a cow actually cost to run?
At Kerin Ag, every kilogram of utilisable feed has a value attached to it. That allows Joe Kerin and the team to measure whether an animal is genuinely paying its way.
In this episode, Joe joins Mark to discuss how putting a dollar value on each kilogram of grass they grow led them to choose Wagyu over Angus. As any Kerin would, Joe has done the numbers and compared Wagyu cows with larger recipient cows, based on the weaning weight of their calves relative to the kg of dry matter consumed by the cows. And, as predicted, the moderate-sized cow is far more efficient than the larger Angus X recipients.
Joe also discusses the role of genomics in Wagyu breeding. As they are a breed with a very narrow gene pool and are bred for carcass-related attributes, genomics is incredibly important, and Joe utilises it to its fullest.
Tune in to learn how to turn grass into money- this time with cattle.
At Kerin Ag, every kilogram of utilisable feed has a value attached to it. That allows Joe Kerin and the team to measure whether an animal is genuinely paying its way.
In this episode, Joe joins Mark to discuss how putting a dollar value on each kilogram of grass they grow led them to choose Wagyu over Angus. As any Kerin would, Joe has done the numbers and compared Wagyu cows with larger recipient cows, based on the weaning weight of their calves relative to the kg of dry matter consumed by the cows. And, as predicted, the moderate-sized cow is far more efficient than the larger Angus X recipients.
Joe also discusses the role of genomics in Wagyu breeding. As they are a breed with a very narrow gene pool and are bred for carcass-related attributes, genomics is incredibly important, and Joe utilises it to its fullest.
Tune in to learn how to turn grass into money- this time with cattle.
Kerin Wagyu's Move - With Joe Kerin
In this episode of The Week in Beef the team head to the WagyuEdge conference in Brisbane:
- Producers Charlie Perry and Tom McLeish talk about the state of the Wagyu herd.
- Jon Condon delves into the numbers of Wagyu in the north.
- Joe Kerin explains why the renowned Merino stud breeders and cattle trades have started a Wagyu arm of the business.
- The number of the week looks at new access to China for Australian beef plants and tick policy in New South Wales.
- Producers Charlie Perry and Tom McLeish talk about the state of the Wagyu herd.
- Jon Condon delves into the numbers of Wagyu in the north.
- Joe Kerin explains why the renowned Merino stud breeders and cattle trades have started a Wagyu arm of the business.
- The number of the week looks at new access to China for Australian beef plants and tick policy in New South Wales.
Tom & Mick: Trading Livestock, Grazing Systems and the Long Game with Nigel Kerin
Tom and Mick from the Humans of Agriculture Podcast are joined by Nigel Kerin, CEO of Kerin Ag, to unpack how his business approaches livestock trading, forward contracts, pasture management, Wagyu, and the systems that drive profitability through both dry and strong seasons. From the role of grass budgets and forward pricing to lessons from drought, inflation and on-farm technology, Nigel shares a grounded look at what it takes to build a resilient livestock business.
In this episode:
✔ How the trading business works.
✔ Why relationships matter.
✔ The 2020 lamb trade.
✔ Should every livestock producer trade?
✔ Technology and grazing systems.
✔ Why Kerin Ag moved into Wagyu.
✔ Inflation and on-farm economics.
✔ Key business lessons.
This episode is full of practical insight for livestock producers, graziers, advisors, seedstock operators and ag businesses thinking about risk, trading, pasture utilisation and long-term business performance. It’s a valuable conversation on how to build guardrails, use data well, and make better decisions through changing seasons and volatile conditions.
In this episode:
✔ How the trading business works.
✔ Why relationships matter.
✔ The 2020 lamb trade.
✔ Should every livestock producer trade?
✔ Technology and grazing systems.
✔ Why Kerin Ag moved into Wagyu.
✔ Inflation and on-farm economics.
✔ Key business lessons.
This episode is full of practical insight for livestock producers, graziers, advisors, seedstock operators and ag businesses thinking about risk, trading, pasture utilisation and long-term business performance. It’s a valuable conversation on how to build guardrails, use data well, and make better decisions through changing seasons and volatile conditions.
Nigel Kerin on the Business of Farming
Our latest podcast is with Nigel Kerin. We did an interactive question-and-answer type webinar in early July 2025 with our Farmers Club subscribers, and Nigel mentioned one thing that sums up that webinar and this podcast. He said, "When the students are ready to learn, the teacher will appear".
So in this podcast, we are the students and Nigel is the teacher. So listen hard and listen often, as there are many gold bars dropping right through this 1-hour 50-minute publication.
I thought about slicing and dicing the content to make it shorter, and then I thought again, we are not slicers and dicers. This sort of stuff is best presented in its raw form.
As I said before, listen hard and listen often, and jot down notes because you are in for an education of the highest order.
It's got a Livestock tone to it, but I'd highly recommend that anyone in Ag and business in general take a listen.
Be the student, and listen to the teacher.
So in this podcast, we are the students and Nigel is the teacher. So listen hard and listen often, as there are many gold bars dropping right through this 1-hour 50-minute publication.
I thought about slicing and dicing the content to make it shorter, and then I thought again, we are not slicers and dicers. This sort of stuff is best presented in its raw form.
As I said before, listen hard and listen often, and jot down notes because you are in for an education of the highest order.
It's got a Livestock tone to it, but I'd highly recommend that anyone in Ag and business in general take a listen.
Be the student, and listen to the teacher.
The Business of Farming with Nigel Kerin
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.
✔ 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.
The Power of Staying Curious with Nigel Kerin
Nigel Kerin returns to the Head Shepherd Podcast to discuss profit drivers, decision rules, staying curious and the importance of science and technology in farming. Nigel has a great way of thinking about the business of farming and no decision is made without analysing it first. Nigel uses a triangular model to help him make these hard decisions. “Down one side of the triangle, you've got business growth. Down the bottom, you've got cash flow. And up the other side of the triangle, you've got people, infrastructure, and I've now added technology into it.” Nigel runs each of his decisions through this model, “For me to go ahead and go down a particular path of doing something, [I ask] does it fit in with those three sides of that triangle?”.
Opportunities for Sheep in a Tough Trading Environment with Nigel Kerin
Nigel Kerin and James Wagstaff sit down to discuss the opportunities for the sheep sector despite deflated commercial returns. Ian Arney, from the Millewa district of northwest Victoria, leans in 'Over the Fence' to talk about the opportunities for harvest 2023 in a low-rainfall environment.
Success is a Very Poor Teacher with Nigel Kerin
Episode 2 of the 3rd season: Nigel chats to us about his key learnings he has had in creating a successful agricultural business and why success can be a very poor teacher.
The Business of Running a Business with Nigel Kerin
Nigel chats to us about his key learnings he has had in creating a successful agricultural business. What are the key drivers you need to get right to make money in this industry?
Webinars
Latest Blog Articles
Latest Blog Articles
Kerin Poll Merino
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Industry Start - With Mark Ferguson from neXtgen Agri
Hear Nigel and Mark Ferguson from neXtgen Agri share their views on what drives profit in sheep businesses.
Mark explains that fertility and fast growth are the fundamentals. Without lambs on the ground there is no cash flow, and if they are not growing quickly the whole system becomes costly through extra feed and labour.
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Mark explains that fertility and fast growth are the fundamentals. Without lambs on the ground there is no cash flow, and if they are not growing quickly the whole system becomes costly through extra feed and labour.
Kerin Poll Merino
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Risk Management - With Mark Ferguson neXtgen Agri
If you’re treating risk management like a part-time job, you better go and find a full-time job.
Hear Nigel and Mark Ferguson from neXtgen Agri dig into risk management and the future of the Merino. For us, risk management starts with the genetics of the sheep. Nigel and Mark explain that early growth, fertility and compact body type allow Merinos to be turned off farm quicker, reducing exposure to climate extremes and market volatility.
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Hear Nigel and Mark Ferguson from neXtgen Agri dig into risk management and the future of the Merino. For us, risk management starts with the genetics of the sheep. Nigel and Mark explain that early growth, fertility and compact body type allow Merinos to be turned off farm quicker, reducing exposure to climate extremes and market volatility.
Kerin Poll Merino
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Stocking Rate - With Mark Ferguson neXtgen Agri
Hear Nigel and Mark Ferguson from neXtgen Agri on how Merinos are changing the game. Today’s ewes can be run at higher stocking rates and bounce back in condition faster than ever, lifting lamb survival to over 86 percent.
Nigel explains that decades of measuring and culling have paid off, turning invisible traits into visible progress. From predicting weaning percentages at scanning to stacking the one percenters, he says the last five years have taught him more about breeding sheep than the previous forty.
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Nigel explains that decades of measuring and culling have paid off, turning invisible traits into visible progress. From predicting weaning percentages at scanning to stacking the one percenters, he says the last five years have taught him more about breeding sheep than the previous forty.
Kerin Poll Merino
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Wealth In Wool - With Mark Ferguson neXtgen Agri
Wool is often underestimated, but for us it is one of the best risk management tools a sheep business can have. In this chat with Mark Ferguson from neXtgen Agri, Nigel explains how we treat our wool clip differently to most.
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Kerin Wagyu
Kerin Poll Merino
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Master Decision Making in your Business with a Simple Triangle
It may seem overly simplistic, but this simple triangle of decision-making can be a powerful tool for making decisions in your business based on facts rather than emotions
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If You Know Your Numbers You Can Build Your Future
You may be a good farmer outside the office, but do you know your numbers? One of the secrets to decision making is knowing your numbers and while it may be a battle, it’s simply a non-negotiable in agriculture today.
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Kerin Wagyu
Kerin Poll Merino
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Technology - Gimmick or Game Changer?
No matter what industry you are in, science and technology have created the shortest road to success. Nothing could be truer than that of the livestock industry, which has a host of new technology that helps us to make decisions on time, ahead of time, all the time.
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Kerin Poll Merino
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A Client’s Observation
We like to provide information to our clients but it’s a two way street.
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The Cost of Cheap - Is the Focus on Direct Cost Strangling Business?
No one wants to waste money but focusing solely on costs can blind you to opportunities that could make more than you could ever save.
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Video Gallery
Video Gallery
Measured Performance
Data is one thing, but seeing it turn into results in the paddock is what really matters.
Our stud ewes cut 8.24kg of wool at 19.1 micron, weaned 142% of lambs and then scanned at 193% foetuses.
That’s the sort of measured performance we use to judge whether the breeding program is actually moving forward.
Our stud ewes cut 8.24kg of wool at 19.1 micron, weaned 142% of lambs and then scanned at 193% foetuses.
That’s the sort of measured performance we use to judge whether the breeding program is actually moving forward.
Measured Performance
IMF Isn’t a Gimmick
In 2026 we put together our first dedicated IMF family at Kerin Poll, using around 250 ewes in the top 20% of Australia for IMF and a ram in the top 1%.
IMF isn’t a gimmick. Meat eating quality and marbling are going to become increasingly important in the lamb industry, and these are traits you can’t see standing in the yards.
That’s where science and genomics come in.
Our first rams from this IMF family will be available in 2027.
IMF isn’t a gimmick. Meat eating quality and marbling are going to become increasingly important in the lamb industry, and these are traits you can’t see standing in the yards.
That’s where science and genomics come in.
Our first rams from this IMF family will be available in 2027.
IMF Isn’t a Gimmick
Rising Cost of Production
You wouldn’t go back to canola genetics from 8 years ago, and I think sheep breeding is much the same.
The science and genetics have moved a long way. For us breeding sheep that can hold condition means less feed when things get tight, while helping drive conception, lamb survival and weaning percentages.
That all adds up to a lower cost of production.
The science and genetics have moved a long way. For us breeding sheep that can hold condition means less feed when things get tight, while helping drive conception, lamb survival and weaning percentages.
That all adds up to a lower cost of production.
Rising Cost of Production
Together We Grow
A lot of people asked why we offered 15 months interest free on ram purchases at our 2025 sale.
The reason was pretty simple. A lot of our clients had come through the financial hit of 2023, followed by a long dry period through 2024 and early 2025. By the time it rained, they were rebuilding numbers, pastures and fertiliser programs, but cash flow was still tight. Offering finance gave clients a bit more room to put their cash where it was needed most, while still investing in genetics.
We can’t grow our business unless our clients are growing theirs, so this was simply our way of supporting them through a tight period and saying thank you for doing business with us.
The reason was pretty simple. A lot of our clients had come through the financial hit of 2023, followed by a long dry period through 2024 and early 2025. By the time it rained, they were rebuilding numbers, pastures and fertiliser programs, but cash flow was still tight. Offering finance gave clients a bit more room to put their cash where it was needed most, while still investing in genetics.
We can’t grow our business unless our clients are growing theirs, so this was simply our way of supporting them through a tight period and saying thank you for doing business with us.
Together We Grow
Squeezing the Cost of Production
As genetic fat and muscle have increased, we’ve seen our cost of production and cost of carry come down. Less supplementary feeding, fewer drenches, more kilos of wool, higher conception rates and more lambs weaned, without adding extra cost.
Squeezing the Cost of Production
Fat & Muscle
Our ewes weaned 142% of lambs and cut 8.24 kg of wool at 19.1 micron, despite growing that fleece through a tight year. What we’re seeing is the ability to hold condition, driven by fat and muscle, allowing them to keep reproducing and growing wool when the pressure comes on.
Fat & Muscle
Why Do We Sell Yearling Bulls?
The question I’d ask is, why wouldn’t you?
They’re lighter and safer to use over young heifers, they have time to acclimatise before being asked to cover bigger numbers, and you’re potentially getting an extra joining out of them before those genetics become obsolete.
They’re lighter and safer to use over young heifers, they have time to acclimatise before being asked to cover bigger numbers, and you’re potentially getting an extra joining out of them before those genetics become obsolete.
Why Do We Sell Yearling Bulls?
Conception Rates
There’s no excuse for poor conception rates, regardless of what the season throws at you. Good genetics, particularly fat and muscle, combined with condition score and a few simple management decisions, are what drive conception and ultimately lambs weaned.
Conception Rates
Ewe Evolution
The biggest change we’ve seen in our ewes over the last 10 years is their ability to hold body condition when the pressure comes on. We can run more of them, run them harder and still maintain fleece weight, fertility and weaning performance, which is what keeps the business profitable in average and below-average years.
Ewe Evolution
Resources
Resources
Kerin Wagyu
Kerin Poll Merino
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Review Magazine 2022
Kerin Wagyu
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Review Magazine 2021
Kerin Wagyu
Kerin Poll Merino
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Review Magazine 2020