The Duxson family’s Glendemar Multi Purpose Merino stud enjoyed an almost $500 increase in the average price at their annual ram sale.
A total of 114 horned and Poll Merino rams of the 118 offered sold to commercial producers from Victoria, NSW, South Australia and even Western Australia. Strong competition drove the average to $1919.
The two top-priced rams, that reached $10,000 and $9000 respectively, were both purchased by a long-term Glendemar client Dean Trotter, Perillup Estate, Perrilup west of Mount Barker, WA.
Lot 25, by sire 12 0686 out of 11 1624, achieved the sale’s top-price, and had Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) for 6.6 post-weaning weight (PWWT) , 10.1 yearling weight (YWT), 1.1 yearling fat (YFAT), 2.6 yearling eye muscle depth (YEMD) and 19.5 yearling staple length (YSL), all of which were in the top five per cent of the Merinoselect index.
Mr Trotter said the young, horned, 17.7-micron sire, stood out thanks to his well-balanced figures.
“This ram also has a correct body shape and good quality wool, which is important because he need to make sure it is aligned and white because of the high rainfall in our region,” he said.
Mr Trotter also fended off heated bidding to secure the second top-priced ram, a 17.7M Poll Merino at lot 31, for $9000, and he said it was similarly suited to the WA operation. Lot 31 was by 12 0757 out of 90318, and had ASBVs of 7.2PWWT, 10.3YWT, 1.4YFAT, 1.9YEMD and 17YSL.
Mr Trotter said he planned to use the two top-priced rams in their own ram breeding program. He purchased another two rams for $3750 and $2500, to use in their commercial operation.
Mr Trotter said he had been using Glendemar genetics for 19 years and at Perillup Estate, they had lambed down 5500 Multi Purpose Merino ewes and in the past season, achieved a 110 per cent marking percentage (of ewes alive at marking, including the about 270 head they sold empty).
One of Glendemar principals Ben Duxson was pleased with the sale and said the stud promoted ASBVs hard and that was playing a key role in improving the offering and garnering support from new and return clients from four states.
“We balanced good growth and muscle that are in the top 5pc Australia-wide,” Mr Duxson said.
“And these a good sheep in (the Wimmera’s prevailing) dry times, they bounce back to condition score and produce plenty of lambs – 20 to 40pc above the national average.”
Volume buyers included Mick O’Connor, Goodooga, NSW, who purchased 17 rams to $1000, av $835, and D&J Frampton & Sons, Joel South, who purchased nine rams to $2000, av $1283. Among the other WA buyers was PF Nixon, Moora, who purchased seven rams to $3000, av $1986.
Another volume buyer was Steven Start, Crowlands, who returned to this year’s sale after being impressed with the four rams he bought at Glendemar last year for the first time. This year, he secured six rams, paying to $2200, av $1383.
He said he paid close attention to ASBVs, particularly related to growth rates and lamb survivability, which he said were vital to his self-replacing Merino flock performance (in which they aim to have 1000-1100 ewes in lamb).
Mr Start said the Glendemar rams he purchased last year had improved the lambing percentage – with the before making the change he had an 85pc Merino-Merino lambs, last year by changing to 108pc lambs at marking to pregnant ewes. He will put the rams out on December 15, and plans to join ewe lambs in February.
