By Jasper Raats
The recent FEM Dohne-Merino auction and farmers’ day, held on 1 February in Burgersdorp, was not only a great success, but also a celebration of a top farmer’s success and his family’s dedication to this breed over three generations.
Frans Marx sr. established the FEM Dohne-Merino stud in 1977, and this year hosted its 37th production auction under the management of his son, Andries.
“It is a great privilege for me to think that we have been holding our production auction in February every year since 1988, and our buyers come from all over the country to buy our breeding material,” Andries said after the auction.
The auction was hosted by BKB Cradock, with JP Marais as the auctioneer, and achieved a 100% sale rate. This figure shows the dedication of buyers and highlights the quality of the animals.
The average price for the 100 rams sold was R12 280 per ram. The DR Willie Booysen Trust of Fauresmith bought the most expensive ram (lot 3) for R68 000.
The 500 pregnant ewes that were auctioned sold at an average of R2 790 each, while the most expensive ewe fetched R3 600. The 250 young ewes were sold at an average of R2 000 each.
This year was a special year for Andries, because he also hosted the Voermol National Farmers’ Day on the family farm, Sewefontein, after he was named Voermol Sheep Farmer of the Year last year. The auction followed directly after the farmers’ day.
He says it was a great privilege for him to host so many people – with buyers from all over the country – on his farm. “The auction not only brought together the local farming community, but also highlighted the quality of Dohne-Merino sheep in the region. We thank all the buyers for their contribution to the success of the auction.”
His passion for the Dohne-Merino breed is almost tangible when he speaks about the economic rationale of the breed. “As a dual-purpose breed, the Dohne-Merino is truly something special. Being able to produce wool and meat means you have two income streams from one farm, and as breeders we focus on breeding rams that are capable of increasing productivity, and therefore supporting profitability.”
