Gerhard Hartman of the farm Roodekop outside Kroonstad, the new chairperson of SAMM, says the offering at the Bloemfontein auction was good and yielded a favourable return.
“The demand for mutton Merinos is growing stronger. We are breeding animals in a certain direction, focusing on shorter legs with better muscling. We are starting to see the fruits of this effort.”
According to a decision made at the SAMM annual meeting in the city, the mass limit for rams at the national auction will not exceed 160 kg.
The most expensive ram at the auction was 21-0308XK, sold for R130 000 to Willie Geldenhuys of Kaalfontein near Ventersdorp. The breeder is Hannes Kotzé of Alexandershoek, Moorreesburg.
Kotzé was a runner-up in the Voermol Sheep Farmer of the Year competition in 2017. This ram was the senior champion at the Western Cape SAMM Championship at the Swartland Show in Moorreesburg in 2023. He is also a descendant of genetics from the Stelena Stud of Manie Lombard of Oranjeville, the outgoing SAMM chairperson.
According to Kotzé, the ram represents the modern SAMM type that Alexandershoek aims for, which is early-maturing. Geldenhuys had the highest ram price at the national auction for the previous two years: R220 000 (2022) and R120 000 (2023).
The average price of the 55 rams sold was R23 422. The 20 pregnant ewes averaged R4 550, and the 26 non-pregnant young ewes averaged R2 856. BKB hosted the auction with Billy Lyons as the auctioneer.
