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The Sheep Geeks

Liz Genever and Nerys Wright

Nerys Wright is an independent sheep consultant who loves talking about parasites and body condition score.

Liz Genever is an independent sheep consultant who loves talking about grass, forage and soil, and body condition score.

Together they are the sheep geeks. This podcast series launched October 2024. Liz and Nerys will be interviewing a range of sheep farmers, consultants, vets and academics from the UK and any other countries who have sheep.

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Monday · 57 min
Episode 24 - Catch up with Bryce MacKellar
Nerys and Liz talk with Bryce MacKellar, a sheep and arable farmer from Staffordshire. Bryce has Lleyn ewes and talks through his breeding plans and culling approaches, and how he is already planning the succession for the next generation. He is one of the three farmers that Mark Ferguson will be visiting as part of the activity around the Sheep Breeders Round Table (20-22nd November 2026). Links mentioned: More details on Sheep Breeders Round Table - Professor Jennifer Duncan's survey on watery mouth Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
August 28 · 1 hr 10 min
Episode 23: "How to have a conversation" with Amy Hughes ****a bit sweary****
Nerys and Liz catch up with Amy about how this year in farming has challenged a lot of farmers' mental health and approaches to use to check in with people and ourselves. It is a bit sweary, so please don't listen with sensitive ears nearby. Links mentioned: Farm Succession, Conflict & Family Mediation | EmpowerAg Future Farmers offers GRIP training to help you take control Podcasts available on all usual channels: ‘Think Outside the Fence’ and ‘Out of the Rut’ Some courses coming up with Amy later this year https://www.tickettailor.com/events/empowerag Books: The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity―and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race : Lieberman, Daniel Z., Long, Michael E.: Amazon.co.uk: Books Don't Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is The Beginning & End Of Suffering (Beyond Suffering): Amazon.co.uk: Nguyen, Joseph: 9798427063852: Books The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence and Happiness – The Million-Copy Bestseller: Amazon.co.uk: Professor Steve Peters: 9780091935580: Books Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
August 13 · 1 hr 18 min
Episode 22: Trying to not scare people about bluetongue with Jonathan Hobbs
Nerys and Liz talks to Jonathan who is a vet working in the Bluetongue outbreak in Devon. He shares his experiences and provide background to the virus. We also talk about next steps for farmers this autumn as we try and prevent it affecting next year's lamb crop. Links mentioned: Bluetongue: latest situation - GOV.UK North Park Veterinary Farm | North Tawton | Facebook Bluetongue virus | Virus | The Pirbright Institute Membership explained - Sheep Veterinary Society Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
June 30 · 1 hr 2 min
Episode 21: Tick facts with Matt Colston
Matt Colston is a vet and works for Elanco. He is heavily involved with Sheep Veterinary Society and Moredun Foundation. He was previously in practice in Scotland and Cumbria. He talks us through the issues around ticks and how our thinking around control needs to change as the hills alters with more vegetation and different stock being grazed. Let alone the changing weather patterns! Links mentioned: Questing ticks: Tick Questing Moredun louping ill Donate to Bring a New Louping Ill Vaccine to Market | Moredun A2K - https://my.elanco.com/en_gb/cpd/ruminant/a2k Be The Change event on 9th July - https://www.carboncalling.farm/liz-event Downland events - https://www.downland.co.uk/news/join-us-for-our-upcoming-shaping-future-flocks-roadshow Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
May 28 · 1 hr
Episode 20: Parasite Q&A with Nerys and Liz
Nerys finally gets her dream to talk about parasites for an entire episode. We answered submitted questions and talk through some of our client work. Links mentioned: Support the New Louping Ill Vaccine – Moredun Research Institute Survey on PhD with Moredun https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/moredungroup/pasture-management-and-grazing-strategies-on-uk-farms FAMACHA course Sustainable control of Haemonchosis in UK livestock grazing systems (FAMACHA card training) | Short Courses | University of Edinburgh Be The Change | Carbon Calling Booking link for 18th June event https://www.carboncalling.farm/about-5-1 Join us for our upcoming Shaping Future Flocks Roadshow | Downland - Partners in Farming Health Podcasts | SCOPS Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
April 22 · 58 min
Episode 19: Tom Bird talking about his high input, high output system and being FW Sheep Farmer of the Year
Tom Bird farms with his dad in south Derbyshire. They run sheep and also have combinable crops. He is the current Farmers Weekly Sheep Farmer of the Year and also involved in the OptiEwe programme with Liz and Nerys. He talks through his system of indoor lambing mule ewes and the use of creep to get the lambs away as soon as possible to balance labour requirements on the mixed farm. Links mentioned: To enter or nominate people for the award, go to https://www.fwi.co.uk/sp/events/farmers-weekly-awards Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
March 9 · 53 min
Episode 18: PROFESSOR Jennifer Duncan talking about joint ill and its prevention and treatment
Jennifer Duncan is a Professor of Sheep Health and Welfare at University of Liverpool. She has been involved with a recent project exploring joint ill in young lambs in more details, and this podcast covers the main findings of that project. We also touch on her interests on Schmallenberg virus and contagious ovine digital dermatitis. She teaches vet students animal welfare and sheep veterinary medicine. Her research focuses on sheep lameness, neonatal lamb diseases and sheep welfare. She co-ordinates post-graduate veterinary modules in sheep medicine as part of the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice courses at Liverpool https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/vets/cpd/certavp/production-animal/sheep/ Links mentioned: Paper link - https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3189525/ AHDB link - https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/joint-ill-in-lambs Liverpool's work on CODD - https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/infection-veterinary-and-ecological-sciences/research/groups/codd/ Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
February 16 · 1 hr 6 min
Episode 17: Anna and Ian Wilson talking about using technology to improve sheep performance
Anna and Ian Wilson are mixed farmers (sheep and combinable crops) from North Yorkshire, and Anna also works for the National Sheep Association. They talk about their experience of using No Bacz Navel as part of the trial we spoke to Fiona Lovatt about on episode 4. They also use it when tagging newborn lambs. We also catch up on the work as part of the AHDB-funded Challenge Sheep project and how they are using data to help them make better decisions. This episode has been sponsored by No Bacz. Links mentioned: Paper link - https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/BCHIBBZG8IRWQU3RHERB?target=10.1002/vetr.70169 Product page link - https://nobacz.com/product/nobacz-navel/ More details on Challenge Sheep project - https://ahdb.org.uk/challenge-sheep Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
January 16 · 1 hr
Episode 16: Kate Phillips and the impact she has had on the sheep industry
Kate Phillips is an independent sheep consultant. She previously worked at ADAS for 30 years. She continues to be heavily involved in research within the sheep sector. She is renowned for her pragmatic approach. We talk through various projects (see links below) and also the role that Kate played in developing both Liz and Nerys' knowledge and skills. Links mentioned: Sheep Breeding UK | Low Carbon Lamb | Low Methane Sheep https://businesswales.gov.wales/farmingconnect/reducing-mastitis-commercial-sheep-flocks-final-report https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/understanding-mastitis-in-sheep https://ahdb.org.uk/mastitis-in-ewes-phase-ii Biotin and lameness in ewes | AHDB Event mentioned Grazing for growth: sheep and arable working together | AHDB Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
Dec 27, 2025 · 31 min
Episode 15: Christmas special with the East of England Agricultural Society
This special episode features an experimental recording at the East of England Agricultural Society's Scholars Day. Both Liz and Nerys are scholars and were invited to join the training day. The recording features other scholars, and was done on a roaming mic in the bar, so forgive the slightly interesting audio. See here for more information on the Scholars Programme. The next application deadline is the 22nd of February 2026 and is available to people living in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, plus parts of Lincolnshire, Rutland and Leicestershire. Nerys and Liz are extremely grateful to the EEAS for their support. Nerys' recent visit to the International Sheep Veterinary Congress was supported by them, and their contributed towards Liz's attendance on the CREATE Althorp course.
Dec 20, 2025 · 58 min
Episode 14: Q&A at Christmas
Join Liz and Nerys for a catch-up before Christmas and our first Q&A. We almost talk about books more than sheep in this one. The guest format will be back in January. Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
Nov 18, 2025 · 1 hr 18 min
Episode 13: Talking to Richard Stanbury about his farming business and the importance of finding your support network
Richard Stanbury is a fourth generation beef and sheep farmer from near the edge of Exmoor in Devon. He has changed his system towards a high grass and forge system, with a focus on reducing inputs and maxmising profit. He has moved towards Easycare ewes. He is working with Nerys of the ParaSight project, so they talk about his plans to make sure he is using his data effective and the technology is helping him make decisions rather than taking up time and patience Links mentioned: Link to the ParaSight https://farmanimal.elanco.com/en_gb/resource-hub/the-parasight Weston Farm - YouTube Weston Farm Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/16dvhk4jiY/?mibextid=wwXIfr Take control of your farm’s future with Roots to Resilience | AHDB Innovative Advice for Regenerative and Profitable Farming | Precision Grazing Ltd Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
Oct 19, 2025 · 54 min
Episode 12: Talking to Matt Harding about producing rams off forage and the importance of being nosy
Matt Harding is a third generation ram breeder based in Warwickshire. He has changed from a higher input ram breeding approach to selling shearlings who have been raised on grass and forage. He breeds Suffolk rams, and also breeds rams for Innovis. Links mentioned: Link to Bentley Suffolks Link to Innovis Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
Sep 13, 2025 · 56 min
Episode 11: Talking to Mark "Ferg" Ferguson about Optiewe and working with farmers
Mark "Ferg" Ferguson is a consultant who works with sheep farmers and breeders in New Zealand and Australia. He is CEO of neXtgen Agri who runs consultants in most places with sheep in New Zealand and Australia. He was involved in the science behind Lifetime Wool, which was very influential in the development of Challenge Sheep - AHDB-funded project that Nerys and Liz worked on. We talk about how their Optiewe programme is being brought to the UK, with Nerys and Liz currently collecting expressions of interest. The programme will launch on the 16th of October. Links mentioned: Link to Optiewe UK expression of interest Link to neXtgen Agri Link to Head Shepherd podcast Link to Lifetime Wool Link to Challenge Sheep Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
Aug 14, 2025 · 1 hr 24 min
Episode 10: Talking to Ben Strugnell about healthy and not so healthy sheep, plus the need for applied research
Ben Strugnell is a vet with an obsession of learning as much as possible from dead animals. He runs Farm Post Mortems up in County Durham and also presents at various events around the country. This is a legacy from an EBLEX/AHDB funded project work with him over ten years ago. We talk about his findings and how he works with farmers to try and prevent further losses. He shares his frustration about the limited amount of applied research that is being funded in the UK at the moment. Links mentioned: Link to iceberg diseases manual - Iceberg diseases of ewes | AHDB Link to the fallen stock project from 2013 - Fallen stock: phase II | AHDB Link to SCOPS podcasts - Podcasts | SCOPS Song alamycin link - I’ll definitely be singing this... - Beltex Sheep Society | Facebook Farm post mortems - Farm Post Mortems Ltd. Carbon calling webpage Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
Jul 13, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Episode 9: Talking to Kevin Harrison about getting ready for change, saxophones and sheep
Kevin Harrison is a farm manager on a sheep and arable farm near Bath. He spends time representing the UK sheep industry through the positions of Policy and Technical Chairman for the National Sheep Association (NSA), and Chairman of SCOPS - Sustainable Control of Parasite in Sheep. He is also a member of the Register of Sheep Advisers, and has been seen helping Jeremy on Clarkson's Farm! He is not a bad sax player either, and plays with the Harlem Rhythm Cats. We talk about how he has been changing the flock from an intensive mule based system to a outdoor lambing system with Exlanas. Links mentioned: -https://www.scops.org.uk/ - https://www.facebook.com/harlemrhythmcats/?locale=en_GB - https://www.eastofengland.org.uk/scholars/ Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
Jun 19, 2025 · 50 min
Episode 8: Talking to Awal Fuselini about halal, education and meat consumption
Dr Awal Fuselini is AHDB's Halal sector senior manager and also a 2025 Nuffield Scholar. He shares his knowledge about the Halal market in the UK and in other countries. We discuss stun and non-stun options for Halal slaughterings, and also the importance of people understanding more about the production systems. Maybe not one to listen to if you, or someone who is listening with you, is of a sensitive disposition. Plus the first time we use our new standard question - "what is your first memory of sheep?" Links mentioned: - Awal’s podcast link from apple https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-halal-food-podcast/id1611924158 - Awal's Nuffield - Opportunities in halal | AHDB - Carbon Calling | Regenerative farming conference Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS. Podcast Disclaimer: The views and information shared in this podcast are for general guidance only and do not constitute professional advice. The Sheep Geeks make no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the content. Always consult your own vet or advisor before making changes to your animal health or farm management practices. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sheep Geeks.
May 25, 2025 · 1 hr 12 min
Episode 7: Talking to David and Cora Cooper about sheep and nature recovery
David and Cora Cooper are sheep farmers from Ayrshire. They have made significant changes to their system over the last few years to reduce costs and inputs. They are using mob grazing to drive nature recovery on their farm. In this podcast we talk about the changes they had made, the focus on low input sheep and their passion for regenerating their land. Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS.
Apr 20, 2025 · 53 min
Episode 6: Talking to Dave Cross about his farming system in Norfolk and a bit about chickens
Dave Cross is a mixed farmer in Norfolk with sheep, beef, arable and layers. He farms within a family partnership. He has been very strategic with the use of sustainable farming incentive (SFI) to transform their arable fields into lanes of herbal leys. He has been an AHDB monitor farm for the last four years. In this podcast we talk about the changes he has made to his farming systems in the last few years and his plans for the future. Nerys asks a question about beef, which is very rare. Links Select tickets – Carbon Calling 2025 – Sleastonhow, Kirkby Thore, Penrith SCOPS | Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS.
Mar 19, 2025 · 51 min
Episode 5: Talking to Dr Suzanne Rowe about breeding for reduced methane production
Dr Suzanne Rowe is a geneticist at AgResearch in New Zealand, and is passionate about improving profitability and sustainability of global livestock systems using genomic technology. She presented at Sheep Breeders Round Table in November 2024 on breeding for methane reduction in sheep. In this podcast she talks about the work that is being done on collecting phenotypes for methane production in the New Zealand, plus work being done in Ireland and the UK. Links Presentation from SBRT - PowerPoint Presentation Elanco link Are you a farmer wanting to become a star in the sheep world Bluetongue Virus - Ruminant Health & Welfare Dr Liz Genever is a farmer, consultant and co-founder of Carbon Calling CIC. Dr Nerys Wright is a sheep consultant and technical lead for SCOPS.

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