Glendemar MPM October 2025 Newsletter

2025 On-Property Ram Sale – A very big thanks to all that participated and bought at our annual on-property ram sale.  Great support from such loyal clients with brilliant sheep and a great attitude towards the industry.  Welcome to all new Byers, thanks for your support and we look forward to working with you into the future.  Opportunities will arise in the next few years to make real productivity gain, and we are happy to come along for the ride with you.  Please yell out at any stage if we can help with anything.

For us we need to move on quickly and focus on next year’s ram sale team and the following years team through the joining’s this year.  Casting the net wide and focusing on our breeding objectives is front and centre now. 

I listened to a great podcast with Jeremy Hutchings of Profitable Farmer with Tom Bull, take a listen when you get a chance.  His focus for breeding in 10 years’ time resonates with the decisions we need to make now for our clients in 2035.  Seems a bit futuristic but really it is just continuing with current breeding objective, making a few little tweaks and then execution.  

Podcast recommendation – Profitable Farmer with Jeremy Hutchings again, this time with Simon Quilty of Global AgriTrends.  Simon navigates the next few years and beyond of the red meat industry and it should get any breeder of sheep and cattle up and about. Our focus as breeders should be all about breeding more numbers.  Your choice if you would like to finish lambs or not, but as I have mentioned before, breeding the numbers will be where the magic happens. Merino Magic.

Family farming, – The majority of buyers this year are long standing clients, many 25 + years.  What really resonates me is the passion and encouragement that the older generation have passed on. I love to see the new generations come through, but also the guiding hand and freedom the younger ones receive in participating in their breeding program.  As we know sheep are not for everyone and breeding is becoming the area where not many young ones want to participate. Seeing the intergenerational synergies work in sheep breeding families is a highlight of our year.  Father-son, Mother-daughter, Father-daughter and Mother-son combinations working together for the success of their family farms.  Frampton, Long, Lang, Goodes, Peters, Dunstan, Woods, Simpson, Fenton, Bucholz, McKindlay are some families that come to mind.  Keep up the great work, the sheep industry needs you.

World Shearing Record – has been completed and congratulations to Nikki Lyons the new World Record holder for the female 9-hour Merino lamb record with 502 lambs shorn.   Many of us have played cricket, footy, golf etc, but this is a sport that people like Nikki train for and have a grand final day. 

I might have said on the day on the Country Hour, but it was like watching Bathurst Car Race the week before.  Practice runs where put in the weekend before, gear changes played around with, technique worked on, sheep picked out, crutched and then the all-important judging and weighing of fleeces, they needed to cut 1kg av.

Nikiki had been working on her fitness for over a year, rowing, boxing, cardio (I don’t even know what that means) had a boxing instructor there, physiotherapist, meals prepared, etc as it all comes down to seconds over 9 hours. Her two up, or coach Dwayne Blake current men’s 9-hour merino lamb record holder, what a job he did.  From visiting in February, ringing most months to check in on the lambing, to coming and helping with lamb marking and then being there from the Saturday till Wednesday mentoring Nikki all the time, the man is a marvel, and it was a pleasure to witness it up close.  The support crew turned up in droves from Sunday night on and what fantastic people they proved to be.  All invested and working hard for a common goal, playing their roles perfectly on the days before and then on the day to make sure Nikki had every point covered.  On the day I think there were 4 or 5 world record holders helping.  Still in awe of the physical and mental toughness of Nikki in achieving here goal, after putting in many hours of work it is great to see the rewards for effort.

A big shout out to all the locals that have helped in supplying stuff.  David and Lana Lang, Armand and Marcia Duxson, Riley McGregor, Trent and Kate Carter, Nigel and Leanne Slee, Stuart and Heidi Lang, Dave O’Donnell, Wallaloo Golf Club, Stawell Race Club.

Vale Fran Pitcher – Our deepest sympathy go to Alan Pitcher and family for the sad loss of Fran.  To know Fran was to know someone that had a great love of life. A great love of family, people, travel, the farm, and her husband.  Bright colours to be worn to Fran’s funeral sums her up.  Fran lived life to the full, Alan there for a long time by her side. Plenty of great times have been had with Alan and Fran, talking of their overseas travels, family growing up, their fights for their community and most importantly with Alan, plenty of sheep talk. Such great people worth celebrating.

To be a little bit indulgent, our journey with the Pitcher’s started about 30-years ago.  Alan was, and still is, regarded as the best sheep farmer in his area.  Our genetics going to him was some of the best advertising we could have in the Western Districts. Many followed in Alan’s footsteps, but none could make it work like Alan and now Russell could.  

RIP Fran.

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