Glendemar MPM September 2025 Newsletter

Pictured - Deane, Henry and William Goode, Kingston, SA, Dean Trotter, Perillup, WA, Dave Smith, Glendemar, and Ben Duxson, Glendemar.

Key dates:

Glendemar MPM Open Day – Friday 3rd September 10:00 – 4:00

Glendemar MPM On-Property Ram Sale Wednesday 8th October 10:00 - till late

Glendemar, 336 Glendemar Rd, KANYA.

Auctions Plus and Facebook Livestreamed

Welcome to all new subscribers to our newsletter, there is quite a few, which has me feeling pressure to deliver.  It is fantastic that there is such a keen level of interest in sheep and the sheep industry. If you have anyone interested just get them to send me an email to glendemar@gmail.com and say add me.

All new subscribers have come after a Podcast I did with my brother Dwain on his Farmers Club news subscription.  If you are keen to join or have a listen email Dwain at dwaind@thefarmersclub.com.au

We have a date – Nikki Lyons from Yass in NSW has set a date of 15 October 2025 to attempt ladies 9-hour merino lamb shearing record, here at Glendemar.  I have always been keen to host such an event, but for obvious reason’s (old Woolshed) never been able to.  Nikki along with current men’s 9-hour record holder Dwayne Black (664 merino lambs in 2004) and McIntyre Shearing Contractor Broderick McIntyre have been a pleasure to work with, their professionalism, respect, energy and passion is amazing, and we are very privileged and excited to see Nikki take the record.

It will be a closed event, but we would welcome any clients that would be keen to come and have a look with open arms.  We will put on some food and beers later in the day and hopefully a few of us can cheer Nikki on to become the NEW WORLD RECORD holder.  Being a week after the sale it would be great if you come back and buy some more rams, hahaha.  Let me know if your keen to come along.

Pre Ram Sale Sire Profile – Glendemar 220844

A bit of an insight to 1 of the sires that has progeny in this year’s sale.  844 has 458 progeny recorded in 4 different flock on the Sheep Genetics database. 22 0844 is by Glendemar 202050 a ram that has bred very well at Glendemar.

Health and Welfare Traits

PWEC -46.39 - Top 20% - 91% Acc

EBWR -1.19 - Top 5% - 98% Acc

LDAG -0.68 - Top 5% - 93% Acc

CS 0.44 – Top 10% - 73% Acc

Low worm burden, plain breech, very low dag and good condition score.

Growth

WWT +7.09 – Top 5% - 97% Acc

PWT + 9.70 – Top 10% - 98% Acc

YWT +12.35 – Top 10% - 96% Acc

Excellent weaning weight growth.  Great for ewe lamb joining or turning wether lambs off early

Carcase and Eating Quality

PEMD + 2.96 – Top 5% - 96% Acc

YEMD +3.85 – Top 1% - 93 Acc

PFAT +0.83 – Top 30% - 95% Acc

YFAT +1.51 – Top 20% - 91% Acc

Big muscle and fat, excellent for keeping ewe weight moderate, finishing lambs, lamb survival and conception.  Keeps CS at high levels as well.

Wool

YCFW +26.91 – Top 30% - 88% Acc

ACFW +22.87 – Top 20% - 79% Acc

YFD -0.55 – Top 70% - 97% Acc

YSL +22.08 – Top 5% - 95% Acc

Excellent wool cut of long staple and negative for micron.

The above images are Glendemar MPM 22 0844 genetic traits that are linked to the Sustainable Merino Index and Merino Lamb Index

Next Super Sire? After catalogue is out (early to mid-next week) and before our Open Day on 3rd October, I will reveal another ram that will have a lot of progeny in the sale, we will be keeping a couple as well. He is a ram I think may be one of the best rams we have ever bred.  Outstanding ASBV figures and the Phenotype of his progeny look very good. He also has a twin brother that we sold in 2023 On-Property sale, a ram I am keen to go and have a look at.

WOOL, WOOL, WOOL, Keep on Producing it – If you are a watcher of the wool market, you would have noticed the steady increase for several weeks now.  This is good, exciting even.  A very good solid wool market can make our merino enterprises very exciting moving forward.  For me I tend to bring it back to $ per bale.  We are around a 19.5 – 20.5 adult clip, 65-73% yield, low VM, 70 -80mm with excellent tensile strength.  For this I would like to see $2500 - $3500 per bale.  We got to this higher price a few years ago, with some fine wool and a 20-25% RWS premium.  

We are all in on the non-mulsed, quality assurance programs such as RWS, Authentico and ZQ. Wish that more people would head down that track as it is an absolute no brainer.  Market indicators show the value of the sheep meat market of today.  To take advantage of this we need to be getting high lambing percentage and plenty of carcase value.  The type of animal that breeds this type is a plain body, good fat and muscle sheep, easy care and low inputs.  

We need to keep wool supply at current levels or even increase.  Processing capacity will be lost if we don’t and will be very hard to get back.  We all breed merinos for a balance of carcase, growth, reproduction, wool, visual and health and welfare traits.  The animals with all the above are becoming increasingly common as genetics accelerate and ASBV traits really start having a big impact on our flocks.  The MPM Phenotype is well set but keeps on improving as the genetics get better.  

LambEx 2026 – We are putting the call out to existing clients for an expression of interest of who would like to enter wether lambs into the LambEx Carcase competition?  After previous success of the Goodes Family, from Kingston SE SA in 2024 – 2nd and 3rd place – and before that the Smith Family of Laura in SA. I think to prove to the processors and the rest of the industry, if we could have a higher number of merino lambs in the top 10 placings would send the message that eating quality is high in Merinos.  It could be the start of producers and processors working together for joint benefit.  Currently, only Gundagai Meats offers Individual Eating Quality, but other facilities do have the equipment to also measure it.  It would deliver fantastic feedback, increase the quality of the sheep meat products, meaning more satisfied customers.  Let me know if you are keen and we will work together to make it happen.

Expressions of Interest are open, and you can put your name down by clicking on the link here. 

Teaser Rams – If anyone is keen to get some vasectomised rams, please let me know.  We usually have left over rams that we can get done.  They are a great tool for condensed joining’s, early joining’s and ewe lamb joining’s.

Surplus Ewe demand to increase – We are just starting to see the start of the higher prices for surplus ewes.  Glendemar MPM ewes are always in demand and if you have some coming up please let us know as we have buyers looking.  $480 at Hay yesterday for young ewes and nothing under $300 means there is plenty confidence in the lamb and mutton market and<