Autumn Sticky Beak Friday - Wangolina

'Breeding Better' Autumn Sticky Beak Friday

Genetics & Data-Driven Decisions with Mark Ferguson, neXtgen Agri and

James and Rebecca Starling, Telang, Wangolina

Friday 29 May 2026

Telang Lamb + Beef

Shearing Shed, 131 Starling Ln, Wangolina SA 5275

9.00am to 5.00pm

REGISTRATIONS ESSENTIAL at www.mackillopgroup.com.au/events

Join our Autumn Sticky Beak Day focusing on a deep dive into data-driven decision making for breeding better sheep and cattle.

Building a resilient livestock business goes beyond managing seasonal conditions - it starts with the genetics you select. 

Join Mark Ferguson, neXtgen Agri, for a practical, producer-focused session exploring how breeding decisions can improve the adaptability, efficiency and long-term performance of both sheep and cattle enterprises. With increasing seasonal variability and input pressures, selecting the right genetics is a powerful tool to strengthen business resilience.

This session will provide clear, practical insights to help you build livestock systems that are better equipped to handle variability — and set your business up for long-term success.

James and Rebecca Starling are our hosts for the day, and will be sharing their journey as custodians of their 100+ year old family farm enterprise. With a focus on genetics and data driven decisions, they’ll share the latest outcomes from the ‘Optimised heifer selection’ project, how they make on-farm decisions, and show us around their property.

Presenter

Mark Ferguson, CEO, neXtgen Agri

Mark Ferguson, founder and CEO of neXtgen Agri and Head Shepherd, podcast host, will share the latest in livestock, genetics, innovation and technology, focusing on sheep and beef farming in Australia and New Zealand. Mark has 25 years experience in agriculture, holding a PhD in genetics and a passion for enabling farmers to implement effective strategies to get the most out of their livestock. Mark grew up on a family property in the Victorian Mallee, and now lives with his family in Christchurch New Zealand.

Our hosts

James and Rebecca Starling, Telang

James and Rebecca Starling run Telang, a 5th generation family farm at Wangolina that has produced quality lamb and beef for over 100 years. Telang has adopted a strategy of producing premium, high quality livestock and is a data driven business: collecting and using data to optimise genetics, animal nutrition and overall production to achieve their goals. 

The sheep enterprise produces Border Leicester x Merino lambs with a focus on fertility, fast growth and productivity over the hooks and as terminal lamb mothers, using sires from Inverbrackie and also breeding their own rams based on that bloodline.

The cattle enterprise is a self replacing EU accredited Angus beef herd, and produces versatile weaner cattle capable of performing in feedlots or grassfed finishing systems with premium carcase attributes. The cow herd are based on Te Mania and Pathfinder genetics, with Rennylea sires used more recently alongside an AI program using top genetics from Australia and the USA.
 

REGISTRATIONS ESSENTIAL at www.mackillopgroup.com.au/events

COST

MFMG Members $50, additional MFMG primary producer members $30 (subject to purchasing a $50 member ticket)

Non MFMG members $200. Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea provided.

*To receive the reduced ticket price you must login to the member area on this website

For further information contact Meg Bell on 0433 499 630.

Note times are SA.