'I was so nervous': Glenara's impressive results after influx of new clients

An influx of new clients has breathed new life into the Glenara Merino stud sale, and eased the pre-sale nerves that had come with a tough season.

The stud held its 38th on-property ram sale on Monday last week, with a large crowd in attendance and 30 registered buyers.

Glenara stud principal Trevor Mibus said he was shocked by the success of the sale, given concerns about the season and flock numbers that had plagued many ram sales this year.

"I was so nervous on Sunday night before the sale," Mr Mibus said.

"I said to the kids, 'I think we'll be lucky to sell 50 rams out of the 64'."

Overall, 59 of 64 rams offered sold for an average of $2021.

Mr Mibus credited the success of the sale to a surge of new clients, many of whom were unexpected attendees at the sale.

"I knew that I had three regular clients returning, but two of my best clients weren't purchasing this year," he said.

"Then on Monday morning, all of these new clients started turning up.

"Some of them I didn't have any idea they were coming, so it was a great surprise."

The sale welcomed six new clients this year, and every new client purchased on the day.

"In the last two years we've had 11 new clients," Mr Mibus said.

"I can't remember the last time we had 30 registered buyers at our sale.

"There aren't many places where you can get the really superfine and ultrafine Merinos anymore, so I think that's bringing people in from other areas."

In the breakdown, 12 of 16 polled rams sold for an average of $2318 and a top price of $6250, and 47 of 48 horned rams averaged $1951 and sold to a top price of $4000.

The top-priced ram of the sale, Lot 62, sold to one of the new clients, Andrew Hampton, Sutton Grange.

The Poll Merino ram boasted a 14.9-micron fleece with a standard deviation (SD) of 2.7 and a coefficient of variation (CV) of 17.8.

The ram was a pure Avington stud ram, which Mr Mibus purchased as a lamb from the Avington stud dispersal at Sidonia.

"We purchased Avington stud ewes and rams when they sold their property two years ago," he said.

"That has been a big driver of our new clientele.

"I've been able to contact a lot of their old clients, and many of them have been coming to purchase from us last year and this year."

Julian and Anna Cotton, Kelvedon Estate, Swansea, Tas, purchased the top-priced horned ram, Lot 8, which had a 14.7-micron fleece with an SD of 2.2 and a CV of 14.8.

Rams were sold into four states during the auction, with 46 rams going to Victorian clients, six going to NSW and two to South Australia.

The stud has always attracted strong support from Tasmania and sold 17 rams to Tasmanian clients this year.

Randall Whelan, Ross, Tas, was a prominent volume buyer who purchased eight horned rams to a top of $1750 and an average of $1218.

Mr Whelan has been purchasing from the stud for the past three years, and has increased his buying in the past two years as he has upscaled his property and commercial flock.

He currently runs a 6000-head self-replacing Merino ewe flock with a wool diameter between 14-17 micron.

"We went to Glenara because we were chasing a finer crimp and micron, and a more traditional wool," Mr Whelan said.

"Most of us here [in Tasmania] were on Trefusis bloodlines, and they changed their wool to a broader crimp.

"That's why a few of us have now gone to the mainland chasing rams."

A further 12 rams were sold immediately after the sale.