IMPROVED results amid challenging market and seasonal conditions sealed pleasing results for brothers Ray and Bruce Edmonds and families at their combined on-property ram sale at Calingiri recently.
A softened wool market and recent warm dry conditions in what has already been quite an average season in large parts of the State was hardly an ideal lead up to the sale.
And with a few of their clients exiting the sheep industry in the past few years or offloading some ewes with the dry start to the season, the brothers decided to trim the numbers of rams offered from previous sales to closer match demand.
The brothers' loyal clientele, many of which have been supporting the Edmonds family for decades, joined a couple of new faces and competed strongly on the catalogue of 170 mainly Poll Merino rams.
This saw clearances and returns improve across most indicators from last year's sale with all buyers seemingly filling their pre-mating requirements.
Collectively 155 of the 170 Rhamily Poll Merino, Glen-Byrne Poll Merino and Mannalea Merino rams (91 per cent) sold at auction through the Landmark selling team to average $1647.
This was up by $100 compared to last year's overall sale average.
With the sale held the day after the national R U Ok Day and being strong supporters of regional mental health awareness, to open the sale Ray and Rhonda Edmonds donated the proceeds of a Poll Merino ram named 'Blue' to the Blue Tree Project, a community organisation that helps raise awareness around mental wellbeing.
The ram was purchased by Adrian Brennan, J & AJ Brennan, Wongan Hills, for $1000 and soon after Don Nankivell, PG & PM Nankivell & Son, Wubin, generously donated $1000 to the cause.
Landmark auctioneer and the brothers' livestock agent Grant Lupton, said the Edmonds presented another top catalogue of rams in "a good, solid sale".
"An excellent line-up of wools from the first pen through the final ram offered," Mr Lupton said.
"This saw some competitive bidding and despite the reduced numbers, there was plenty of selection for buyers and generally people bought the rams they wanted within their budgets.
"It was great to see the long-time buyers returning to the sale and a couple of new ones."
Mr Lupton said Glen-Byrne's purchase of a half share in a Rhamily Benny son Rhamily Ted, that sold for $45,000 in August, reinforces the quality available from both studs and the brothers' commitment and effort going forward.
"There wouldn't be many Poll Merino studs in Australia that doesn't have a Benny influence and there is already international interest in Ted," he said.
Following the charity ram, the Rhamily stud kicked off the sale with the first leg of their sale team of 85 Poll Merino rams.
The opening run of 14 February shorn rams again attracted strong enquiry, selling to the sale's $6200 top price and averaging $3057.
And with the following 71 April shorn rams, the Rhamily stud collectively sold 80 of 85 rams (94pc) to gross $151,600 and average $1895, back only $6 on last year's average of $1901 where 76 of 94 rams (81pc) sold at auction to gross $144,500.
Owen Edmonds, Corondeen Farming, Calingiri, is no stranger to sourcing rams at the top-end of the market at the sale and this year's sale was no exception.
Mr Edmonds paid the sale's $6200 top price from the outset for the powerful Rhamily ram penned in lot one and later paid the Glen-Byrne's $3000 top price for their classy team leader.
The Rhamily ram was sired by a Gunallo bred Manunda ram purchased in partnership with the Glen-Byrne stud for $15,000 with wool tests of 18.1 micron, 15.5 CV, 2.8 SD and 100pc comfort factor (CF).
The Glen-Byrne team leader was a March shorn prepared ram AI bred by an Olinda sire that displayed tests of 19.5 micron, 15.9 CV, 3.1 SD and 99.8pc CF.
Mr Edmonds has been breeding his own flock rams for his 1800 commercial ewes for the past six years and registered the Corondeen Spring Poll Merino stud in February last year after purchasing 50 Rhamily stud ewes.
He said he was happy with the latest sire additions that would likely join his white tag ewes but wanted to mark all his lambs before confirming matings.
"The Rhamily ram is a big bodied ram with white crimpy wool and the Glen-Byrne carried lustrous long stapled crimpy wools and both rams should produce some stylish lambs," Mr Edmonds said.
Being losing bidder on the top ram didn't deter consistent top-end buyer Dan King, King Farming Pty Ltd, Calingiri, from filling his requirements in usual fashion.
Mr King finished the sale with eight Rhamily rams for a healthy $3513 average.
His top price of $6000 was paid for a February shorn ram in lot five that tested 20.1 micron, 15.4 CV, 3.1 SD and 99.9pc CF while he also included another February shorn ram at $5800 and an April shorn ram in lot 28 at $4600 with tests of 20.5 micron, 12.7 CV, 2.6 SD and 99.9pc CF.
The Mardo Well stud, Dandaragan, collected two new Rhamily sires, paying the $5200 top-price for the first April shorn ram offered with tests of 20.3 micron, 16.3 CV, 3.3 SD and 99.8pc CF.
Volume buyer of the Rhamily lineup was Corey Glass, Fenwick Farm, Calingiri, with 11 rams paying from $1100 to $3700 with his top price paid deep in the catalogue at lot 68 for a ram testing 20.7 micron, 15.5 CV, 3.2 SD and 99.8pc CF.
Mr Glass said he has been buying rams at the sale for the past five years since going back into Merinos and building his ewe numbers following a period of focusing on the family's Fenwick Farm Suffolk and White Suffolk stud and cropping program.
Prior to this they were long-time supporters of the Edmonds family's stud sales.
There were plenty of bigger numbers sourced at the sale by buyers, several from both stables.
These included long-time buyers C & DJ Stickland & Sons, Wongan Hills, with seven Rhamily rams and four Glen-Byrne rams paying to a top of $2800 for a February shorn Glen-Byrne ram testing 20.6 micron, 16.5 CV, 3.4 SD and 99.9pc CF.
Goomalling producers CF Chester & Co secured seven Rhamily rams and four Glen-Byrne rams while the Nankivell family, PE White & Sons, Wongan Hills and CG & BC Guthrie, Bolgart, purchased five Rhamily rams each.
Following Rhamily's opening run of 68 rams, Bruce and Carol Edmonds stepped up with their team of 85 Glen-Byrne and Mannalea rams.
Broken down, they sold 66 of 71 Glen-Byrne rams (93pc) at auction to average $1412 which was up $172 on average compared to last year's sale where 63 of 77 rams (82pc) sold to average $1233.
The fewer numbers of Mannalea Merino rams offered reflects clients' growing preference toward Polls.
This year nine of 14 rams sold to average $1167, improving by $276 on last year where 11 of 18 rams sold to average $891.
Glen-Byrne's biggest supporters were 38 plus-year clients of the Edmonds families Clint and Norm McPherson, Newhome Farm Pty Ltd, Moora.
The McPhersons purchased eight Glen-Byrne rams for a strong average of $2038 with their $2900 top price paid for the third February shorn ram offered testing 18.8 micron, 20.2 CV, 3.8 SD and 99.5pc CF.
Glen-Byrne's team leading February shorn prepared rams also drew plenty of competition, averaging $2510 for 10 rams.
Other stronger prices paid for these were P & S Wilson, Moora, who bid to $2800 for one of three Glen-Byrne rams testing 20.5 micron, 18 CV, 3.7 SD and 99.5pc CF.
GJ & P Edmonds, Calingiri, threw their support behind all three studs, building an account of four Glen-Byrne rams to $2600 twice, three Mannalea rams and two Rhamily rams to $3000.
JF & DJ Edmonds, Bolgart, operated from $700 to $1100 for their seven Glen-Byrne rams, ES Dadd & Co, Shackleton, four Glen-Byrne and two Mannalea rams from $800 to $1100 and D & M Hood & Sons, Ballidu, three Glen Byrne and two Mannalea rams.
Some other multiple stud accounts included HM Mitchell & Co, Mingenew, eight rams sourced equally from Glen-Byrne and Rhamily while CR & JA Glass, Calingiri, purchased four Glen-Byrne rams to $2000 and two Rhamily rams.
