History

HISTORY OF THE POUND MAKER RAM SALE

The ram sale came into being as a result of our (Warren and Norine Moore) lack of time to sell rams in volume at the ranch. With Warren’s buying lambs and selling to Calgary stores there was no time left to accommodate buyers the way it had been done for the previous 15 years. We enjoyed buyers coming to see what we had to offer, and we became friends with many of our buyers. We do miss the personal aspect of selling from the ranch.

In the fall of 2006 after much consideration and discussion with friends we decided to host our first sale, and Fort Macleod Auction Mart was chosen as the site. We have always sold yearling rams, so it took a year for our guest consignors to join us as they had always sold ram lambs. Our first guest consignors were Andy and Frances Pittman, Picture Butte Alberta, Joe and Freda Horton, Keremeos B.C. and Charles and Bev Weber, Princeton B.C. At the end of the third year the Webers opted out and Bert and Andrelei Grisnich, Fort Macleod, Alberta were invited to join us. Also, Graham and Janice Rannie of Binscarth, Manitoba were invited to consign Rambouillets.

In 2012 the sale became known as the Pound Maker Ram Sale hosted jointly by Warren and Norine Moore, Andy and Frances Pittman and Bert and Andrelei Grisnich. After the 2012 sale Graham and Janice Rannie opted out due to distance and time constraints.

The Legault family of Paradise Hill Farm at Nanton joined the sale in 2014 with their Hampshires and in 2015 Ty and Drew Mandel of Del Bonita brought their Ile de France rams to the mix.  Freda Horton consigned her last rams at the 2017 sale.  Mark and Louis Greidanus of Granum came on board at the 2019 sale with Suffolks.

When the sale started in 2007 there were 85 yearling rams offered.  The numbers have grown to 110 yearling rams of the following breeds – Suffolk, Dorset, Hampshire, Rambouillet, North Country Cheviot, Charollais and Ile de France.  We traditionally end the sale with a coloured ram.  We are adding Canadian Arcott and Rideau Arcott rams to the 2020 sale line up.

In 2018 we added a Pen of Ten Ewe Lambs competition open to our ram buyers.  The ewe lambs must be sired by a Pound Maker Sale ram.  The top three pens receive prize money and all of the pens are auctioned.  This has been a popular addition with 100 ewe lambs selling annually.

The sale is followed by a buffet lunch featuring roast lamb where everyone can meet new people, visit with old friends and spend time with fellow sheep producers.

The sale has come to be an annual event for a lot of producers, but without the support of the buyers and partners, as well as Southern Alberta Livestock Exchange and our many sponsors the sale would not be as successful as it is.